Coraline, In Dubious Battle
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
I read this three (!!) years ago with my 5th graders while I was student teaching. They loved it, I loved it. I kind of forgot about it. A year or so ago I nannied for a guy who is an animator, and I went home to creepily read his blog and found him talking about the stop motion animation of the Coraline movie they were making (not him, but the actual animators). I got all excited, having read the book, and eagerly awaited the movie.
I bought Coraline at the book sale I worked at in December. I read it quickly, at a day of subbing, and remembered why I loved it in the first place. Gaiman creates this sparse environment for Coraline, his main character. A drab world where she cannot bother her busy parents, and where there aren't many things to do. She stumbles upon a parallel world where everything seems wonderful, but then slowly begins to show its true, evil reality. What most impresses me about Gaiman's writing is his ability to create creepy, scary visuals and situations, just perfect for the upper elementary age. Nothing actually gory happens, but the idea of a "better" world is familiar to children of this age. Excitement leads to horror and Gaiman does it slowly, but with certainty. What seems safe and unthreatening, even as the parallel world turns scary, carefully turns into a world you can't get out of, and you begin to root for Coraline as you feel yourself feeling trapped, just like she does.
The movie came out yesterday, and I went to see it in 3-D. It's visually stunning on its own, but when you take into account the work involved, it is simply mind blowing. Book and movie both highly recommended. Not appropriate for third grade and under.
In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
On to adult matters. I'm a Steinbeck fan, and I eventually want to work my way through his list of writings. I found this old used copy for cheap, and picked it up. Steinbeck is best known for (or should be best known for), his ability to see the social movements of his day and turn them, almost effortlessly, into works of fiction. Steinbeck's specialty seems to be the inner workings of the minds of working men, and it seems too easy for him to put that to paper.
In Dubious Battle finds strikers in the apple orchards, up against the three major business/farm owners in the area. Odds are against them, but the characters are more motivated by their work for the cause than the actual outcome of this particular strike. Following two main characters, Steinbeck captures their own feelings, and the emotions of a mass of workers. What I find most moving about Steinbeck's collection of works is that his works continue to be timeless. They were about his day, and about the struggles of the time, but they are still relevant now.
I read this three (!!) years ago with my 5th graders while I was student teaching. They loved it, I loved it. I kind of forgot about it. A year or so ago I nannied for a guy who is an animator, and I went home to creepily read his blog and found him talking about the stop motion animation of the Coraline movie they were making (not him, but the actual animators). I got all excited, having read the book, and eagerly awaited the movie.
I bought Coraline at the book sale I worked at in December. I read it quickly, at a day of subbing, and remembered why I loved it in the first place. Gaiman creates this sparse environment for Coraline, his main character. A drab world where she cannot bother her busy parents, and where there aren't many things to do. She stumbles upon a parallel world where everything seems wonderful, but then slowly begins to show its true, evil reality. What most impresses me about Gaiman's writing is his ability to create creepy, scary visuals and situations, just perfect for the upper elementary age. Nothing actually gory happens, but the idea of a "better" world is familiar to children of this age. Excitement leads to horror and Gaiman does it slowly, but with certainty. What seems safe and unthreatening, even as the parallel world turns scary, carefully turns into a world you can't get out of, and you begin to root for Coraline as you feel yourself feeling trapped, just like she does.
The movie came out yesterday, and I went to see it in 3-D. It's visually stunning on its own, but when you take into account the work involved, it is simply mind blowing. Book and movie both highly recommended. Not appropriate for third grade and under.
In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
On to adult matters. I'm a Steinbeck fan, and I eventually want to work my way through his list of writings. I found this old used copy for cheap, and picked it up. Steinbeck is best known for (or should be best known for), his ability to see the social movements of his day and turn them, almost effortlessly, into works of fiction. Steinbeck's specialty seems to be the inner workings of the minds of working men, and it seems too easy for him to put that to paper.
In Dubious Battle finds strikers in the apple orchards, up against the three major business/farm owners in the area. Odds are against them, but the characters are more motivated by their work for the cause than the actual outcome of this particular strike. Following two main characters, Steinbeck captures their own feelings, and the emotions of a mass of workers. What I find most moving about Steinbeck's collection of works is that his works continue to be timeless. They were about his day, and about the struggles of the time, but they are still relevant now.
posted by Meghan at 12:39 PM
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