Walter Dean Myers has been named the third Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, following Katherine Paterson and Jon Scieszka.  When I heard the news, I got goosebumps.  He is such an ideal pick to speak to the power of books in changing the lives of young people.  His books portray urban African-American teens, including those in gangs, soldiers, and the incarcerated.  They are beautifully written, striking and unflinching looks at themes that are often missing in teen literature.

Here is a quote from the NY Times article that shows how Myers himself sees his role as ambassador:

“I think that what we need to do is say reading is going to really affect your life,” he said in an interview at his book-cluttered house here in Jersey City, adding that he hoped to speak directly to low-income minority parents. “You take a black man who doesn’t have a job, but you say to him, ‘Look, you can make a difference in your child’s life, just by reading to him for 30 minutes a day.’ That’s what I would like to do.”

I look forward to the powerful message of reading that our new ambassador will bring.

 

Simms Taback died on December 25, 2011 at the age of 79 from pancreatic cancer.  He won a 1998 Caldecott Honor for his vibrant version of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.  I also adore his 2000 Caldecott Medal winning Joseph Had a Little Overcoat.

The LA Times has the story of his passing that includes this bit about his Caldecott winning book:

"When the art came in, everybody was so dazzled," recalled Regina Hayes, publisher of Viking Children’s Books, which published his two best-known books and other titles.

"Die cuts had been used many times in novelty books but never had been done with such artistry," said Hayes. "Instead of treating it like a novelty book, we gave it the highest production values because we were so impressed by the quality of the art."

  

The Guardian has the news of Russell Hoban’s death.  Hoban is one of those authors whose book is a large part of my childhood.  First there as Bread and Jam for Frances, a book that has such a tangible reaction for me that I can taste and smell home when I pick it up.  We also read The Mouse and His Child again and again.  It was part of our breakfast readalouds that my mother did to keep us from fighting as we waiting for the school bus.  So this is particularly melancholy news for me. 

Death, Hoban predicted in 2002, would "be a good career move". "People will say, ‘yes, Hoban, he seems an interesting writer, let’s look at him again’," he said.

And so I will look at him again and I encourage you to too.  I want to return to The Mouse and His Child and also check out Riddley Walker, a book by Hoban that I missed and that the article says is his best known.

 

Australia has announced their first Children’s Laureates and they are a pair of children’s authors.  Alison Lester and Boori Monty Pryor will serve for two years.  During that time, they will travel to every state and territory in Australia in order to reach as many children as possible with their message to read more.

Both authors had responses to their appointments:

”One of the most frightening things in the world is a child who can’t read and write,” Pryor said.

”People keep saying books are going to have their day,” Lester said. ”But especially for a child a book is the most wonderful way to travel and escape and discover.”

  

The incredible Anne McCaffrey has died at age 85.  Her work has had an indelible effect on the world of science fiction and fantasy.  She created worlds that came to life and were embraced by fans. 

Personally, I have read most of her books.  I loved the Pern books, raced through The Ship Who Sang series, and later discovered the Crystal Singer series and loved that too.  Her books were infinitely readable and shareable. 

Now I have to find some of them and get them in the hands of my teenage son.  I know no better way to celebrate her life than sharing her books with a new reader.

I was honored to be asked to participate in Patrick Ness’ blog tour that features his new book: A Monster Calls.  You can see my glowing review here. 

Here is our conversation about his writing:

Monsters are a primary theme in both your Chaos Walking trilogy and A Monster Calls. They contain different types of “monsters.” Which monsters do you find most frightening? Which do you enjoy writing more?

Ah, it’s an eternal question, isn’t it – and one I find endlessly interesting in writing – is whether there are actual monsters or whether there are just people who act monstrously (and who can therefore, theoretically, also act otherwise). Redemption is such a powerful theme for me, I think, both in writing and reading, and so the "monster" in Chaos Walking for example was tremendously good fun to write in the character of the Mayor. Because he was so polite and so clear-speaking and yet did such horrible, horrible things, which is gleeful in a way. But more interesting for me was that there was always the question hanging, could he be redeemed?

And then you get something like the monster in A Monster Calls. There’s the actual big monster, of course, who’s got monstrousness written all over him and who was also tremendously fun to write because he refuses to settle down into something easily explainable, even when he’s being nice. But isn’t the real monster the unnamed thing that Conor’s afraid of? Isn’t that the scarier monster? The one we can’t face, the one we can’t even imagine as a physical presence? I think that’s probably the scariest thing. The monster we fear inside us, so much so we can’t even look at it. Even though the mere act of looking is often enough to slay it.

Another universal theme of your writing is the idea of “truth.” From the Noise of Chaos Walkingto the important truth that must be spoken in A Monster Calls, truth is central to both stories. Tell me about why truth is such a vital subject in your work.

For me it’s a way of trying to deal with the complexity of people. We’re never, ever just one thing. Be it all the mess of the Noise or the incredible contradiction in Conor that he’s trying to live with that’s causing him such pain, for me it’s just trying to embrace that we’re more than a single idea or a single thought. We can believe opposite things to be true at the same instant. It’s what makes us human, and I suppose what’s important to me about the idea of truth is that, if we can be truthful about our complexity, about our contradictions, then they don’t have to be such a burden. We’re all in our own thicket-filled forests, trying to find our paths; wouldn’t it be nice to share the journey? I think truth does that for us. I hope so, anyway.

There has been a lot of talk and news coverage lately in the U.S. about the darkness present in books for children and teens, and viewing it in a negative way. As an author who writes books that contain darkness and violence, why do you see it as an appropriate subject for young readers?

My answer to this is always a very simple one: have you seen what teenagers write? I’ve judged teenage writing contests and the entries are beyond harrowing, darkness without relief past anything I or any other YA writer comes up with. Because that’s what being a teenager FEELS like, so what on earth would be the point in writing a book that says, "No, you don’t really feel that way." I never wanted to read that when I was a teenager, so why would I expect any teenager to want to read it now?

BUT, if you do tell the truth about the darkness of things (which they know already) then when you ALSO tell the truth about lightness, about love and hope, about connection with another human being, about the possibilities of redemption and healing, well, then those things tend to feel more true because you haven’t lied about the darkness. I’ve said it before, but to not write about darkness and serious issues is, in one way, abandoning your teenage reader to face the darkness alone. And there’s just no way I’m ever going to do that.

Huge thanks to Mr. Ness for participating and answering my questions so fully.  My favorite answer is his last and one that I will use in the future as a librarian when I am asked why we have such dark books on the shelves for teens. 

Check out the rest of the tour, of which I am the caboose:

• 9/26 — Educating Alice (http://medinger.wordpress.com/)
• 9/27 — I Read Banned Books (http://jenbigheart.blogspot.com/)
• 9/27 — Charlotte’s Library (http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com)
• 9/28 — Cynsations (http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/)
• 9/29 — Bookshelves of Doom (http://bookshelvesofdoom.blogs.com)
• 9/29 — The Ya Ya Yas (http://theyayayas.wordpress.com/)
• 9/30 — YA Bibliophile (http://www.yabibliophile.com)
• 10/3 — Lisa the Nerd (www.lisaisbusynerding.com)
• 10/4 — Milk & Cookies (http://janasbooklist.blogspot.com/)
• 10/5 — Waking Brain Cells (https://wakingbraincells.com/)