Top Ten: Children's Books and Authors

I believe in the formative power of children's literature, simply because it formed me so completely. Reading raised me just as much as good parenting did. I am just as grateful to the authors of my favorite children's books as I am to my parents. My mind and soul have been shaped by writing: shaped to pursue adventure, to value good, to understand others, to seek beauty. Adventure stories, fairy tales...they taught me bravery, loyalty and strength. L.M. Montgomery, Maud Hart Lovelace, Margaret Mitchell...as a young girl, these authors taught me the kind of woman I wanted to become, the kind of heroine worth being. The simple fact is that reading opens the mind. It forces the reader to put themselves into another's shoes, to understand the world from another perspective, even at a young age. Reading changes the reader.

One of my favorite quotes by G.K. Chesterton: "Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

What other quote so perfectly encapsulates the merit of myth and legend? The truth is that the value of fantasy, of a story, whether fiction or non-fiction, is not the actual content of the story (although that usually helps) but the message that story promotes and the effect it has...the values, the habits in thought, the emotion evoked, the new interests...The power of the story cannot be denied. Although currently this power is worshipped in our society through film and television, it resonates all the stronger in the written word, and needs to be appreciated, not just by us English aficionados out there, but by everyone. Just as every math nerd claims that arithmetic is not an "interest" to be pursued or cast away, but instead is a necessary, basic skill for life (Can you balance your checkbook yet? I'm working on it) so I believe that reading and writing should be a staple hobby of every person, particularly children.

So my Top Ten books/authors for Children in No Particular Order, guaranteed to have your wee-ones up reading past bedtime:

10. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: The movie suuuuucks compared to this Newberry Honor book. Although this book is definitely only suited for girls, it most certainly deserves some applause. My copy is worn and ragged. A Cinderella story so perfect in it's character, relationship and story development that I still read it in times of depression when I just need to believe in fairies again.

9. Dianna Wynne Jones: British fantasy author that has published over a hundred children's books. Brilliant. Each book, each new world, is arresting and well-constructed. Her plots are sometimes a bit intricate for a child's mind, but it never stopped me from enjoying them thoroughly when I was younger. Her Dalemark Quartet is reminiscent of the epic scale of Lord of the Rings on a smaller scale, and her Chrestomanci series is a delicious set of stories. Her individual books are great too: Hexwood, Fire and Hemlock, Howl's Moving Castle and The Dark Lord of Derkholm are some of the best.

8. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling: I had to include them. These books are popular for a reason. They champion good ideals, have an intricate plot that astounds me over again with each rereading, and have some of the best character development I've ever seen. The masses love these books because they relate to the characters. The characters are so very knowable... Readers become so incredibly attached to the protagonists that with each death comes more tears and thousands of Facebook fan pages.

7. Gone-Away Lake and Return to Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright: Another Newberry Honor book, this is a simple, sweet adventure story I got from my library several years ago. The tale of 2 children and their discovery of an abandoned resort town on the edge of a once-beautiful lake, now marshland, is straightforward, inspirational, and positive. As a young girl, I wanted to wander through the woods in pursuit of my own Gone-Away Lake the moment I had finished reading it.

6. The Betsy-Tacy Books, by Maud Hart Lovelace : Perhaps the closest books to my heart of all time. In the tradition of Louisa May Alcott (Little Women) and L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables), Lovelace took her turn-of-the-century life and wrote it down, using her main character Betsy as her proxy. The books grow as Betsy does: the first 4 are the stories of Betsy and Tacy as young girls and are written for young children, the next 4 are accounts of Betsy's High School years and are best for pre-teens, and the last 2 cover Betsy's trip around the world and her first year of marriage. There is not much difference in difficulty between the high school years and the adult years, but they are a bit thicker. The books are easy-to-read, beautifully written and heartbreakingly honest. Betsy does not feel like a woman living a century ago, but instead, feels like the reader's best friend or sister. I've reread these books a hundred times, learning more and more from them as I grow older and older. Betsy is everything a young girl could ask for: a companion in struggle, a role model, and wonderfully human. Whether heartbroken or having the time of her life, Betsy is wonderfully real.

5. The Little House on the Prairie Books: In the same vein, Laura Ingalls Wilder makes a historical autobiography any little girl's favorite fantasy. I cried every time I got to the end of this series, and I spent hours wishing and dreaming I lived in pioneer days. These are staple books...you shouldn't be a parent of a little girl without owning these.

4. Eva Ibbotson: Another British Children's author. However, Ibbotson's books are much more fairy-tale like, generally simpler, and more whimsical than complicated compared to Jones' novels. My personal favorite by Ibbotson is Journey to the River-Sea, an adventure story of a London orphan going to Brazil to live with cousins. Her experience in the Amazon is beautiful and inspiring, and the other characters are particularly loveable. Some of the other, better books by Ibbotson: The Secret of Platform 13, Island of the Aunts, and Which Witch?

3. The Chronicles of Narnia: I have nothing to say on these, because nothing I could say would be good enough. C.S. Lewis is a genius. He wrote beautiful philosophy, and made it for children. Perfection. Just don't see the movies. Gag.

2. The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner: The series that got me hooked on reading in 2nd grade. The easy-to-read mystery novels are about 4 brothers and sisters that once lived out of an abandoned boxcar. They're filled with adventure, survival and positive reinforcement. The benefit of such a long series (there's over a hundred book easy) is that children who loves them never run out of books to read...there's always another mystery to solve!

1. Edward Eager: Eager wrote 6 books for children, all about magic. Half-Magic, Magic by the Lake, etc. They're short, funny, and sweet. Perfect for 9 and 10 year-olds. Each novel is related to the others, but they do not have to be read in any particular order, which is nice!

Also Recommended: The Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys series, My Side of the Mountain, The Andrew Lang Fairy Books, Hatchet...Once you get started, there's a never-ending list :)

So take your children to the library, and enjoy!


Edit: I forgot one of the best Children's book series ever. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle! the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books are delightful...full of whimsy and imagination. They're also short and easy to read, and unlike most of the other books on my list, could be read as young as 2nd or 3rd grade...so they're a good name to keep on the list!

How-To: Write an Essay

As an English major and tutor, I get asked to look over a lot of essays. Research papers, literature analysis, in-class finals...even in college, friends and acquaintances asked me for advice on writing and essay construction almost weekly.
On occasion, I performed a courtesy...a mere case of peer-editing for a fellow English major: my notes were more about preference than correction. However, most of the requests were not from such experienced writers, and my editing was accompanied by shock at the abounding deficiencies in my fellow student's writing skills; students I knew to be both intelligent and capable.

The frustrating thing about writing skills is that many of them are instinct. There are a few specific, iron-clad rules: yes. But much of the art of constructing a perfect essay comes down to simple finesse. And without even an awareness of these few rules, this finesse is impossible to acquire.

With each essay I now edit, I thank the heavens for my private all-girls school, where the English program taught me all the major and minor ways to improve my writing. Sometimes I don't know where to begin when I get a new piece to edit. I open the document and feel a little bit sick to my stomach (no hyperbole, I assure you). The basic rules of writing are so abysmally absent that mere coherence becomes the object of my revisement, rather than excellence.

I am convinced that a disastrous essay is the result of poor training. So for the benefit of those who sit down to write an essay and feel at a complete loss...

Key things to remember when writing an Essay:

1. Meaning: I swear to God that English teachers today forget to explain to their students that the point of writing an essay is communicating a point! Many of my students only have some vague idea of what their point is and an even vaguer idea of how to communicate it. The result is meandering, confused ramblings, in which threads of thought are followed, left and picked up paragraphs later, causing a reader both confusion and disgust.
The point of an essay must always be found in its thesis. Although my high school students know that a thesis is important, few of them actually know why it is important. The point of an essay is to prove or disprove something, and the thesis is where a writer makes his or her claim about what they will prove or disprove. An essay hangs upon its thesis much as a dress hangs upon its hanger in the closet.
Writing an essay is about stating your opinion, proving your opinion, about saying what you want to say! . That is your purpose. Essays are only as good as their meaning.

"But I don't have anything to say!" reply my students. Fine. In these cases, simplicity is best. Pick the simplest, most obvious premise to prove, and prove it. Clarity is a writer's best friend. A complicated, fascinating analysis of that novel or of this historical time period is for those who can write complicated, fascinating sentences without losing clarity. The meaning is the most vital aspect of an essay. Don't sacrifice it for interest or vanity by trying to write beyond your skill level. Stop trying to sound smart and just say what you mean (Without oversimplifying it tooooo much. This isn't grade school.)
I wrote a few perfectly boring papers in college that nonetheless were simple and clear. These unfailingly earned me A's. This approach is particularly helpful for in-class essays or timed writing, when a there is no room for extensive thought on a complex thesis. Take the the obvious premise, and use your time to your best advantage by proving it simply and thoroughly. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.

2. Structure: An essay without structure is a body without bones. All the material is present, yet nothing can fit together correctly.
Initially, stick with the Classic Construction: 5 paragraphs: an introductory paragraph, 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion.
The introduction should sum up what you will be discussing the paper. Introduce the idea of the theme you'll be working with. Give context. Your thesis should be the last sentence.
There should be at least 3 main parts to proving your thesis.(Hence the 3 body paragraphs.) Each part should have a paragraph. Look up the 11-sentence paragraph and stick to it as much as possible. Each paragraph should consist of least 3 examples to prove that particular point. Keep it organized. Each example should have a transition and/or lead-in to addressing it. After the example comes 2 sentences of commentary.
Sometimes your parts will prove your thesis separately from each other; other times they must build upon each other. In the latter case, make sure this "building" has order and organization.
Your conclusion should be the backwards repeat of your introduction. The first sentence is the thesis restated in a new way. Afterwards, sum up what you proved.
Without this valuable structure, clarity is lost. And without clarity, as already mentioned, the meaning is lost as well.

3. Writing Style: Clarity, clarity, clarity. Reread your sentences over and over again to ensure your meaning is clear! Beware the run-on sentence...he comes after even the most experienced of writers.
Be careful not to over-explain your point. A common mistake I come across in sentence construction is when the writer repeats themselves in the same sentence. Example: The strict moral regulations of the Puritans led to the hysteria of the Salem witch trials, which was a result of the way the Puritans led their life. This=Redundancy. An essay's greatest enemy. Repeating a point a few times is inevitable in an essay, but NEVER, EVER repeat it in the same sentence! If you must repeat a point for the sake of fine-tuning, be sure to reiterate in a different way for the sake of disguise.
Something our great and wise English teacher, Mrs. Tumpak, told us ladies in high school: "Be thrifty with your words." Now, our admiration of Mrs. Tumpak was almost tantamount to worship. We affectionately called her Tumpy amongst ourselves, wrote down her funny quips and comments, and were always seeking to impress her with a new insight into whatever the latest classic we were reading. But in high school, I was indifferent to this proverb: possibly the greatest piece of advice she ever gave us. I wrote flowery, long sentences, enjoying the extravagance of throwing in as many words as I could muster. Only now as an adult can I fully appreciate what she meant.
Every word you use in an essay is precious. Clear and concise are the heroes of the day when it comes to writing style: we no longer live in the Romantic era. Each word must contribute to your point, and contribute with force.
This brings me to another point: Employ strong, active writing, not passive writing. This is the difference between, "Mr. Darcy is helping Elizabeth" and Mr. Darcy helps Elizabeth." I cannot tell you how frequently people add in the "To-Be" verb before their other verbs. It weakens the strength of the ACTUAL verb. The same goes for "being", "is able to" or "seems". These are frequently added into sentences before the verb and weaken the sentence. Remember, you do not timidly and diplomatically voice your opinion in an essay; rather you must state it as FACT. Strength is key for writing style.

4. Commentary, not Summary:
The #1 mistake students make in an essay: summarizing, instead of commentating. Commentary does not mean sum up the story! Commentary comes after an example, and frequently, my students make the mistake of simply recapping the example for me. Wrong. The example is there already! I just read it! They are supposed to be pointing how how this example proves their point and therefore the thesis! Commentary is the HOW, not the WHAT. How does the example prove the point? HOW? It may seem self-explanatory, but pretend that the reader of the essay is stupid and needs the connection pointed out to them! Simplicity! An obvious example is often a good example.

5. The Little Things: Tense, Perspective, Vocabulary and Spelling/Grammar.

The real RULES in essay writing. These are the objective standards for any Essay:

Write in Present Tense: A novel, play, or short story must be written about as if is happening right now. Beware slips into past tense. "Lenny killed her on accident." No. "Lenny kills her on accident."

Write in Third Person: NEVER, ever use "I" or "You" in an essay. I cannot say this enough. I have been addressing you throughout this blog post because I am writing a BLOG POST. I can reference myself, the writer, and you, the reader. An essay is written in third person. "He", "She", "They". There is an implied result of this rule: that the essay appeared out of thin air, and has no writer or reader. Do not draw attention to the fact that your essay is really just...your opinion. You must state your opinion as fact, with strength and conviction. There is no "I think Atticus is different than the rest of the town because..." NO! Instead, "Atticus is different than the rest of the town because..." Although the essay is communicating what you want to prove, saying what you want to say, you must never, ever draw attention to the fact that it is you saying it!

Vocabulary. A list of words never to use in an essay.
Contractions: Can't, Won't, Don't, etc....Write instead Cannot, Will Not, Do Not etc.
Hypotheticals: Could, Would, Should. These are wishy-washy and weak. Don't deal with hypotheticals, deal with FACTS.
Clichés: Needle in a haystack, etc. It's just...just don't use them.
Weak Word Choices: Bad. Good. Great. Might. Seems. Pretty. The easiest way to display yourself as an inexperienced writer is to use such childish adjectives.

Grammar and Spelling: Obviously watch out for misspelling and grammar mistakes. These significantly undermine a writer's credibility with the reader, even if the thesis and supporting material are markedly brilliant.

Other than that, you're on your own :)

Influence: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Despite the fact that Carlos Ruiz Zafón has only published 2 novels in the United States (almost a decade apart no less), he is one of my greatest inspirations and favorite authors. His first novel, The Shadow of the Wind, is always the book I recommend to friends craving a book that will absorb them, body and soul, until they are finished reading it.

1st of many reasons I love Zafón: His books are about books. His characters are writers, readers, lovers of literature. His protagonists in both novels are acquainted with the "Cemetery of Books": an extensive library hidden in the depths of Barcelona, a cavernous labyrinth known only to select few who are bound to protect these books that would have been destroyed or forgotten. Only those people who love literature as Zafon's characters do understand the irresistible attraction of such an idea.

His words from The Angel's Game: "A writer never forgets the first time he accepted a few coins or a word of praise in exchange for a story. He will never forget the sweet poison of vanity in his blood and the belief that, if he succeeds in not letting anyone discover his lack of talent, the dream of literature will provide him with a roof over his head, a hot meal at the end of the day, and what he covets the most: his name printed on a miserable piece of paper that surely will outlive him. A writer is condemned to remember that moment, because from then on he is doomed and his soul has a price."

His plot lines are dark, poignant, sensuous. Set in pre and post-civil war Barcelona, they are coming of age stories, about the loss of innocence and the pursuit of meaning. They are complicated mysteries, leading the reader in step-by-step to surprising conclusions.
The 2nd reason I admire Zafón so ardently is his writing style. There are some writers that are simply granted the gift of beauty. Zafón one of these. He weaves his novels; he does not write them. His turn of phrase is haunting; his vocabulary perfectly nuanced. He twists and crafts his sentences with a slight bitter amusement that does not detract from their intensity. His Spanish style is reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez or Pablo Neruda, but with more clarity.

My 3rd cause for praise is character development. Character development is a highly underrated aspect of story-telling, whether in film or literature. It has the potential to make a story succeed, or fail. Zafón's novels succeed largely due the relatable protagonists: young men struggling in their desires and dashed hopes, and intriguing antagonists: dark, mysterious creatures that keep the reader consistently guessing. His other characters are witty, irreverant: the perfect accent(Fermin in The Shadow of the Wind, Barsillo in The Angel's Game, Barcelo in both.)

I both resent and admire him for publishing so infrequently. He displays an enviable dedication to his works: being both thorough, but still concise. His novels, though substantial, are quick reads and no giants of overwhelming proportions.

The Prince of Mist, his latest novel, is due to be published soon, and I, for one, cannot wait.

In a Nutshell

This is from a 2 year old Newsweek article...

"I can remember lying on my bed in a Dublin row house at 15, so immersed in Margaret Mitchell that I faked three days of illness to keep reading, and I remember lying in my own bed in Berkeley—the cat dozing at my feet, the bay wind brushing the tree branches against my dormer windows—and roaring through A Tree Grows in Brooklyn completely at home in turn-of-the-century Williamsburg, a place I had never even heard of before picking up the book but which I could navigate, in the landscape of my imagination, as easily as I could the shady streets and secret hillside staircases that connected my house to the record shop and ice-cream parlor down on Euclid Avenue.

The salient fact of an adolescent girl’s existence is her need for a secret emotional life—one that she slips into during her sulks and silences, during her endless hours alone in her room, or even just when she’s gazing out the classroom window while all of Modern European History, or the niceties of the passé composé, sluice past her. This means that she is a creature designed for reading in a way no boy or man, or even grown woman, could ever be so exactly designed, because she is a creature whose most elemental psychological needs—to be undisturbed while she works out the big questions of her life, to be hidden from view while still in plain sight, to enter profoundly into the emotional lives of others—are met precisely by the act of reading."

Analysis: Heros and Heroines

Last weekend I went on a silent retreat at Gonzaga called Montserrat. Most of the retreats at Gonzaga are held at the GU owned retreat house, Bozarth, which is this huge old mansion up Division near Whitworth. Bozarth from front faces what looks like a normal neighborhood, but from the back you can see that it sits on the top of this hill overlooking this valley of wilderness. All the back windows are huge so that you can grasp the beauty of the views.

The mansion itself is a hide n' seekers dream: there are secret nooks and crannies, closets that have weird corners to hide in, servants quarters, a library, an attic, a basement, and of course, a legend about a woman named Conchita who haunts the place (who murdered her lover, his wife and herself in the place) made up by enthusiastic Freshmen Retreat leaders decades ago.

Anyways. 10 of us were up at Bozarth for silent retreat last weekend. I went on a run on Saturday down the hill into the valley. There's this great waterfall halfway down, and I went off the path and trekking through the woods a little to get to it. Finally, a trio of fallen trees with moss on them stopped me...I couldn't go under or over, so I just sat on them watching the waterfall for a little bit. At one point I heard and saw two men go by on the path, and I just kind of stayed hidden, thinking of all the adventure stories I had ever read that would start with exactly that sort of scene.

As I ran back, I got to thinking about all those heroes and heroines I've read for so long and what makes me really love one. Some people call it spunk, and other people call it gumption. Theres a host of other words: spirit, pizazz, vivaciousness, etc. I always look for it in my friends, and obviously in guys.

I feel like people qualify each other based on their intelligence, religion, or their sense of humor, or their conversation skills. But when I'm looking to spend time with someone, whether in a book or real life, I'm looking for something beyond all that. (Not that those things aren't important.) I'm looking for that something extra. The penchant to be fascinated. A wide spectrum of interest. A big perspective...and still so much more. It comes down to one of those moments when I have to admit my sub-par abilities as an articulator, and admit that language, once again has failed to capture my meaning.

The really sad thing is that I know a good amount of girls with it, but much fewer guys. Maybe that's why a book is more likely to have female heroine instead of a hero. I've only met a few men that possess that certain something, and only once has it meant a meeting, a sort of partnership of those...somethings.

Maybe that's why I'm so particular about character development in novels and film. And even more particular in my personal life. I have high standards. And if I can't define what I want, how can I look for it?