Character Focalization in Children’s Novels


Book Description

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of character focalization in ten contemporary realistic children’s novels. The author argues that character focalization, defined as the location of fictional world perception in the mind of a character, is a prominent textual structure in these novels. He demonstrates how significant meanings are conveyed in a variety of forms related to characters’ personal and interpersonal experiences. Through close analysis of each text, moreover, he exposes distinctive perceptual, psychological, and social-psychological patterns in the opening chapters of each novel, which are thereafter developed by the principles of continuation, augmentation, and reconfiguration. This book will appeal to scholars, teachers, and students in the fields of narrative studies, stylistics, children’s literature scholarship, linguistics, and education.




Booked


Book Description

In this electrifying follow-up to Kwame Alexander's Newbery winner The Crossover, soccer, family, love, and friendship take center stage. A New York Times bestseller and National Book Award Longlist nominee. Twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read. This electric and heartfelt novel-in-verse bends and breaks as it captures all the thrills and setbacks, action and emotion of a World Cup match. "A novel about a soccer-obsessed tween boy written entirely in verse? In a word, yes. Kwame Alexander has the magic to pull off this unlikely feat, both as a poet and as a storyteller. " —The Chicago Tribune Can’t nobody stop you Can’t nobody cop you… ILA-CBC Children's Choice List· ALA Notable Children’s Book · Book Links’ Lasting Connections · Kirkus Best Book · San Francisco Chronicle Best Book· Washington Post Best Book· BookPage Best Book




Jessica's Box


Book Description

Originally published in Australia by New Frontier Publishing in 2008.




Supergifted


Book Description

NYT bestselling author Gordon Korman's sequel toUngifted cleverly sends up our preconceived ideas about intelligence, heroism, and popularity! Donovan Curtis has never been what anyone would call "gifted." But his genius friend Noah Youkilis is actuallysupergifted, with one of the highest IQs around. After years at the Academy for Scholastic Distinction, all Noah dreams of is the opportunity to fail if he wants to. And he's landed in the perfect place to do it--Donovan's school. Almost immediately, Noah finds himself on the wrong side of cheerleading captain Megan Mercury and alpha jock Hash "Hashtag" Taggart. Sticking up for Noah lands Donovan in the middle of a huge feud with Hashtag. He's told to stay away from the sports star--or else. That should be the end of it, but when a freak incident suddenly makes Donovan a hero, he can't tell anyone about it since Hashtag is involved. So Noah steps in and becomes "Superkid." Now he's gone from nerd to titan at school. And it may have gone more than a little bit to his head.




Doc Wilde and the Frogs of Doom


Book Description

Twelve-year-old Brian, ten-year-old Wren, and their father, Doc Wilde, risk their lives in a South American rainforest as they seek the eldest member of their famous family of adventurers, Grandpa, amidst a throng of alien frogs.




Telling Children's Stories


Book Description

The most accessible approach yet to children's literature and narrative theory,Telling Children's Storiesis a comprehensive collection of never-before-published essays by an international slate of scholars that offers a broad yet in-depth assessment of narrative strategies unique to children's literature. The volume is divided into four interrelated sections: "Genre Templates and Transformations," "Approaches to the Picture Book," "Narrators and Implied Readers," and "Narrative Time." Mike Cadden's introduction considers the links between the various essays and topics, as well as their connections with such issues as metafiction, narrative ethics, focalization, and plotting. Ranging in focus from picture books to novels such asTo Kill a Mockingbird, from detective fiction for children to historical tales, from new works such as the Lemony Snicket series to classics likeTom's Midnight Garden, these essays explore notions of montage and metaphor, perspective and subjectivity, identification and time. Together, they comprise a resource that will interest and instruct scholars of narrative theory and children's literature, and that will become critically important to the understanding and development of both fields.




Books That Build Character


Book Description

William Kilpatrick's recent book Why Johnny Can't Tell Right from Wrong convinced thousands that reading is one of the most effective ways to combat moral illiteracy and build a child's character. This follow-up book--featuring evaluations of more than 300 books for children--will help parents and teachers put his key ideas into practice.




The Junkyard Wonders


Book Description

A heartwarming story of friendship and celebrating our differences--and the teachers who help us shine--from master storyteller Patricia Polacco, author of Thank You, Mr. Falker. In this story based on the author-illustrator's own childhood, Patricia Polacco once again celebrates the power teachers have to help us discover the potential we each hold. Young Trisha is devastated when she finds out that her class at her new school is known as the junkyard. It is a special class, and she had moved from where she used to live so she wouldn’t be in a special class anymore! But then she meets her teacher, the amazing Mrs. Peterson, and her classmates, an oddly brilliant group of misfit kids, whom the other kids in school call the junkyard kids. Much to her own surprise, it is here in the junkyard that Trisha discovers the true meaning of genius, and that this group of misfits are, in fact, Junkyard Wonders, each and every one of them. Now with questions at the back of the book to help guide readers through discussions about the ideas featured in the story, this kindness edition of The Junkyard Wonders brings celebrated author-illustrator Patricia Polacco's work to a new audience of young readers who can be inspired by its message.




Minders of Make-believe


Book Description

Marcus offers this animated history of the visionaries--editors, illustrators, and others--whose books have transformed American childhood and American culture.




Telling Children's Stories


Book Description

The most accessible approach yet to children?s literature and narrative theory, Telling Children?s Stories is a comprehensive collection of never-before-published essays by an international slate of scholars that offers a broad yet in-depth assessment of narrative strategies unique to children?s literature. ø The volume is divided into four interrelated sections: ?Genre Templates and Transformations,? ?Approaches to the Picture Book,? ?Narrators and Implied Readers,? and ?Narrative Time.? Mike Cadden?s introduction considers the links between the various essays and topics, as well as their connections with such issues as metafiction, narrative ethics, focalization, and plotting. Ranging in focus from picture books to novels such as To Kill a Mockingbird, from detective fiction for children to historical tales, from new works such as the Lemony Snicket series to classics like Tom?s Midnight Garden, these essays explore notions of montage and metaphor, perspective and subjectivity, identification and time. Together, they comprise a resource that will interest and instruct scholars of narrative theory and children?s literature, and that will become critically important to the understanding and development of both fields.