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queensthiefSorry these are so late. I've been a bit busy with family things. Anyway, notes and pictures under the cut.
Megan Whalen Turner on the importance of teaching books to children
If your child is reading more books than you can keep up with, they are old enough to choose their own books. Is your child going to make mistakes, yes. Should you shield them from them? No.
Labeling for MG and YA books: no. Read the jacket copy. Bait and switch is not a good business model for publishers.
Swear words: as dialogue.
Publishers make mistakes with marketing, but they don’t make them on purpose. Most critics can’t point to a place where they have been misled about books before they read them. Please contact her if you find one.
Tip for writers, if there is bad language in a book, use equivalent language on the first page. In fact, give a good feel for the novel on the first page, content wise.
Authors have to write their on jacket copy, including biography, so if they’re talking themselves up... She wrote it, and they would have to rewrite it so that it was good.
Kids do this too, read the jacket, first page, etc. (Well, duh.)
Teach children to look for code words in the jacket copy.
If unhappy with a book a child is reading, don’t ask why it was there on the library shelf, but why the kid read it
She avoids the word poignant (code word for sob story, seriously, brought up the book No More Dead Dogs. I read this in middle school. Now I feel really young)
Do kids read things they wish they hadn’t read, yes. It happens.
You can skip to the back of the book!!! A lot of books she wouldn’t have read if she had known this.
Sometimes you feel like the only way out is through. With books, that isn’t true.
When other kids give your children books:
Check them.
Never tell a kid they can’t read something (partly because that will make them want to read it)
Choosing books allows children to choose what to think. Right to control what is inside your head.
Turner Family Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy for vicerally upsetting books: Unless a teacher asks, don’t tell them you didn’t read it. If you are asked, be honest.
Should be used for when vicerally upset by the things the kid is supposed to read
The Gift of the Magi (Which she’s always hated)
Allowed to control what you read, not what others read.
Banned books: Prompted by a child coming to a parent saying no.
Something we should all be happy about, a child with the confidence to say I don't want to read this book.
Talk to teacher: Why did you assign the book? Listen carefully to the response to why.
Can’t go through life hiding books from your child.
Best way to connect a child with a book they will want to read is to talk to a librarian
Not such a bad thing for children to have advanced warning of bad things in real life.
Access to librarians, more librarians
Look at internet, how other people react to books. Huge sea change
About the Thief books:
Mediterranean: landscape everybody knows: can use this
Cistern in Mycenae inspiration for the temple in The Thief (Dark creepy maze)
Advice to writers and readers:
Read good books
Read bad books
Don’t rely on rules
Write your own notes
As for the pictures, keep in mind, my dad took them, so the focus is heavily on me (since he was nice enough to drive me up to Chattanooga in the first place, I can't complain.
Anyway, here is the only shot of my fellow Sounisians:
Here is MWT in front of her powerpoint, talking about No More Dead Dogs:
And here is me fangirling all over MWT:
I seem to remember other people had cameras, and hopefully someone else in the group is willing to share their photos to make up for mine?
Megan Whalen Turner on the importance of teaching books to children
If your child is reading more books than you can keep up with, they are old enough to choose their own books. Is your child going to make mistakes, yes. Should you shield them from them? No.
Labeling for MG and YA books: no. Read the jacket copy. Bait and switch is not a good business model for publishers.
Swear words: as dialogue.
Publishers make mistakes with marketing, but they don’t make them on purpose. Most critics can’t point to a place where they have been misled about books before they read them. Please contact her if you find one.
Tip for writers, if there is bad language in a book, use equivalent language on the first page. In fact, give a good feel for the novel on the first page, content wise.
Authors have to write their on jacket copy, including biography, so if they’re talking themselves up... She wrote it, and they would have to rewrite it so that it was good.
Kids do this too, read the jacket, first page, etc. (Well, duh.)
Teach children to look for code words in the jacket copy.
If unhappy with a book a child is reading, don’t ask why it was there on the library shelf, but why the kid read it
She avoids the word poignant (code word for sob story, seriously, brought up the book No More Dead Dogs. I read this in middle school. Now I feel really young)
Do kids read things they wish they hadn’t read, yes. It happens.
You can skip to the back of the book!!! A lot of books she wouldn’t have read if she had known this.
Sometimes you feel like the only way out is through. With books, that isn’t true.
When other kids give your children books:
Check them.
Never tell a kid they can’t read something (partly because that will make them want to read it)
Choosing books allows children to choose what to think. Right to control what is inside your head.
Turner Family Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy for vicerally upsetting books: Unless a teacher asks, don’t tell them you didn’t read it. If you are asked, be honest.
Should be used for when vicerally upset by the things the kid is supposed to read
The Gift of the Magi (Which she’s always hated)
Allowed to control what you read, not what others read.
Banned books: Prompted by a child coming to a parent saying no.
Something we should all be happy about, a child with the confidence to say I don't want to read this book.
Talk to teacher: Why did you assign the book? Listen carefully to the response to why.
Can’t go through life hiding books from your child.
Best way to connect a child with a book they will want to read is to talk to a librarian
Not such a bad thing for children to have advanced warning of bad things in real life.
Access to librarians, more librarians
Look at internet, how other people react to books. Huge sea change
About the Thief books:
Mediterranean: landscape everybody knows: can use this
Cistern in Mycenae inspiration for the temple in The Thief (Dark creepy maze)
Advice to writers and readers:
Read good books
Read bad books
Don’t rely on rules
Write your own notes
As for the pictures, keep in mind, my dad took them, so the focus is heavily on me (since he was nice enough to drive me up to Chattanooga in the first place, I can't complain.
Anyway, here is the only shot of my fellow Sounisians:
Here is MWT in front of her powerpoint, talking about No More Dead Dogs:
And here is me fangirling all over MWT:
I seem to remember other people had cameras, and hopefully someone else in the group is willing to share their photos to make up for mine?
no subject
Date: 10/29/13 06:50 pm (UTC)And here are his legs:
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Date: 10/29/13 09:54 pm (UTC)Most critics can’t point to a place where they have been misled about books before they read them. Can you expound on what MWT meant by this? I've definitely read books that were compared to Tamora Pierce and MWT's novels (and that's why I read them), and I found them disappointing.
In fact, give a good feel for the novel on the first page, content wise. I love this. In fact, I love everything, especially the advice to parents.
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Date: 10/29/13 10:01 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 10/30/13 04:35 am (UTC)Access is closed!
You have no access to this photo.
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Date: 11/1/13 12:29 am (UTC)Have you read he stuff she wrote as Zack Emerson? I have *NO* interest in the VN war, but those books were, funny, entertaining, sad, informative. And The Road Home made me want to cry. Powerful stuff. Outstanding writer.
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Date: 11/1/13 12:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/29/13 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/29/13 10:20 pm (UTC)It was the first time I ever got to meet an author in person, so very exciting for me, at least.
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Date: 10/29/13 11:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/29/13 10:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/29/13 10:18 pm (UTC)The library said that there would be a video of the lecture up in about a week, so...
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Date: 10/29/13 11:20 pm (UTC)Ha! I love your dog, and his ancestral legs. Is the other dog part poodle, by chance?
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Date: 10/29/13 11:30 pm (UTC)It's strange to think I might walk right past some of you, unless of course you wear your avatar images on your T-shirts, or something...
I know, it's strange how normal we all look, when...
Ziggy's all poodle, probably. I think there's a little dachshund in there, but he's mostly if not all poodle.
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Date: 10/30/13 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/30/13 02:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/30/13 10:34 pm (UTC)Ziggy's all poodle, probably. I think there's a little dachshund in there, but he's mostly if not all poodle.
I thought so! I have poodles, and I recognized the profile. Wonderful dogs, despite the bad rap they get on account of the foofy haircuts. :)
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Date: 10/30/13 10:42 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/30/13 11:20 pm (UTC)Also, labradoodles. I babysat for a family that had labradoodles, and fell in love with them.
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Date: 11/1/13 04:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/30/13 12:52 am (UTC)When I was a kid my parents never restricted what I read - they suggested things, and brought home books they thought I'd like, or ones I'd requested (having a dad who works at a library has its perks!). They were in fact absolutely delighted about how much I read, and we're still a family of readers - they're now happy that my brother's gotten into reading as well. Books are our main Christmas presents.
I'd love to see the lecture once the library finally posts it!
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Date: 10/30/13 01:02 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 10/30/13 02:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/30/13 11:08 pm (UTC)But I don't see why a well-read, conscientious parent wouldn't want to guide their young reader, somewhat. Personally, I loved it when an older person would recommend a book to me. As always, a lot depends on the individual child, and a parent's careful understanding of that child. I would hope to strike a certain balance between guiding them through and setting them loose among the stacks. I guess I will have to test these ideas if and when I have my own kids, though. (But I aspire to have collected so many books of my own by then, they won't necessarily have to rely on the local library for new reading material! That's called fulfilling my own childhood dream, lol.) I love what MWT has said about giving children space to be alone with their books once they have chosen them. Once they've discovered something that makes them tick... yay and my work is done. (Although, if we're fans of the same books, of course I'll want to geek out with them later. ;)
no subject
Date: 10/30/13 01:40 am (UTC)Ha, love that dog's legs. Adorable and so interesting.
Was it mostly librarians in the audience? Did they applaud and stomp their feet when Megan said there should be more of them? Wait, I can't imagine librarians ever stomping their feet, but enthusiastic applause, maybe?
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Date: 10/30/13 02:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 10/30/13 02:59 pm (UTC)There were a lot of librarians and teachers, and yes, they got quite loud and enthusiastic at that part!
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Date: 11/1/13 01:04 pm (UTC)I really wish I had discovered bisexuality as an idea earlier than I did, since I actually am bisexual, and knowing it existed would have saved me a lot of grief during puberty.
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Date: 11/6/13 07:24 am (UTC)