Welcome to my first ever Feeding the Flashlight Skyped author interview! In it, Tommy Greenwald discusses how frustration with his own reluctant reader sons inspired him to create a middle school boy determined to avoid reading– ever. Can a book about hating reading actually lure reluctant readers to, well, read? Absolutely– I’ve seen it happen with the Charlie Joe Jackson. Hear Tommy talk all about his wildly funny, wildly popular series and how it came to be. I also include some of the books’ pitch-perfect illustrations, by J.P. Coovert.
Yay! I’m a Cybils Judge!
06 Oct 2012 Leave a comment
in Experienced Reader/Upper Middle Grade, Great Mileage Builder, High interest, Musings, Targets Boys, Targets Girls Tags: cybils judge, cybils nomination, Cyblils, middle grade book award
The Cybils Award is a book award given by a coalition of children’s and teen’s book bloggers, and about the coolest thing that happened to me last month is that I was selected to be a middle grade judge. Me! Yippee! To be welcomed into this group of uber-bloggers is a real honor. I mean, listen to this quote from their website:
The Cybils have only two criteria: literary merit and kid appeal. We don’t think those two values have to collide. There are books we want kids to read and books kids can’t resist. Somewhere in the middle, they meet.
That’s exactly the same criteria I use when blogging here! *Pause for elated sigh* I spend so much time reading and discussing children’s books with my students, school community, my husband (a grade five teacher), and my daughter (a fifth grader), I am thrilled to join a group of fellow-minded bloggers who command a national audience. I feel like this:
Read more about Cybils here. Want to nominate a book? Click here. (You have until Oct.15.) Want to see the list of books already nominated? Click here.
As a Round 2 Panelist, I don’t really start my role until after the big list becomes a short list (January 1), but the fun has begun!
Rapid Fire Thursday: Boy Book Picks
19 Jul 2012 3 Comments
in Early middle grade, Experienced Reader/Upper Middle Grade, Great Mileage Builder, High interest, Targets Boys Tags: boy book lists, boy books, humor, reluctant, sports books, summer reading for boys, summer reading list
I know it’s not right to judge a book by its cover, but hey, it’s summer. I compiled several covers here intended to entice boys in summer mode to pick up a great read. This is no small feat! (Why do I hear the voice of Richard Attenborough from PLANET EARTH… “And here, we have a glimpse of the rarest sort: Settled beneath the shade of a large tree, we see an eight-year-old human male engaged in the act of reading a book…”) May many of these– or just one– snag your boy.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda: Read it you must.
29 Jul 2011 4 Comments
in Early middle grade, Musings, Targets Boys Tags: boy books, humor books, middle school, Origami Yoda, reluctant readers, Tom Angleberger

There are directions for folding Origami Yoda at the end of the book. Took me a few tries, but behold!
Yes, I made that Yoda finger puppet myself. And, yes, you can, too. Really!
While I understand that you, presumably a grown-up, may have no desire to do so, I can assure you that anyone between the ages of 8-12 is in on making Origami Yoda. So in. They are also so in to reading Tom Angleberger’s book, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, a comic romp through the absurd and profound that is middle school. You know how sometimes the fact that a blockbuster movie is a blockbuster somehow cheapens it? Well, this book is a bestseller. Let’s say my expectations for its literary value were moderate. Let’s also say I knew my summer book club boys wouldn’t care a lick (or should I say, an i-yoda?) about literary value. Just the cover and the title by themselves are a no-brainer for a teacher like me, trying to hook a bunch of pre-adolescents on the brink of middle school themselves. If the book was a little scant on substance, so be it.
And then, I read it. I was anticipating it would be hilarious, and it is. I knew the format would be engaging, like the Wimpy Kid and Big Nate series, and indeed that is true, also. There are funny, kid-like doodles on all the pages, and each page looks like a crumpled paper that has done time in a backpack. What was less predictable was the great characterization. And even less predictable, it has depth. It has depth! The fact is that at its heart, The Strange Case of Origami Yoda raises radical questions for kids. Is that nerdy loner you all think is a total loser really smarter than anyone in school? No, smarter is the wrong word. Smart in and of itself doesn’t hold much cache in middle school. Is that kid wiser? Is it possible that that kid is not oblivious to middle school norms, but rather quite aware and simply doesn’t care? In other words, is it possible that middle school norms are bull poop?
Whoa.
The narrator, named Tommy, outlines the mystery gripping his circle of friends at vdms: Is Dwight’s origami finger puppet of Yoda magically spouting words of wisdom, or is it just Dwight? Dwight, resident goober of the sixth grade, seems incapable of the kind of psychic, Zen-like advice given by Origami Yoda. This is a guy who generally appears to self-sabotage any chance of winning respect among his peers. He uses his straw to eat hamburgers. He wears a vomit green sweater vest with an orange reindeer on it. He spends a lot of time standing in a hole he dug in his backyard. Yet, when Dwight’s finger puppet of Yoda gives advice, in a rather pathetic imitation of Yoda’s voice, it’s spot on, causing Tommy and his friends to ponder their presuppositions about Dwight. Tommy has particular urgency in getting to the bottom of it all, as he needs some advice about his love interest Sara, and nothing less than his dignity is riding on whether or not Origami Yoda is for real. Hence, Tommy tells us, he has assembled a “case file” of first-hand accounts, gathered from classmates who have benefitted from Origami Yoda’s advice, so as to weigh out the evidence.
What follows is a series of scenarios in which Angleberger expertly captures all that is embarrassing, funny, silly, honest, and guarded about that unique time in life known as sixth grade. In Origami Yoda and the Embarrassing Stain, Kellen spills water on his pants so it looks like he’s peed his pants seconds before he has to enter his homeroom. Yoda’s advice: All of pants you must wet. Tommy splashes water over the rest of his pants, thus avoiding total humiliation (enduring the discomfort is no sweat by comparison). Quavando, plagued by his school-wide nickname “Cheeto Hog” because of an unfortunate choice he made in a vending machine incident, is told by Origami Yoda, Cheetos for everyone you must buy. Indeed, it works. Origami Yoda also correctly predicts who will get kicked off American Idol even though Dwight doesn’t watch TV.
My readers flip-flopped their opinions with each “case,” weighing the evidence and formulating their own theories. There’s a part in most of us, I suspect, that wants Origami Yoda to be magic. But then, there’s another part that wants Dwight to be a genius, too. In the end, Harvey, the cynical tough guy throughout, is hung out to dry. Dwight wins the girl. So does Tommy! And he’s learned to accept Dwight for who he is, in all his eccentric glory. True, the mystery about Origami Yoda remains unresolved. My book clubbers are so glad! Otherwise, there wouldn’t be need for the sequel, which comes out this fall: Darth Paper Strikes Back.
I wonder if I’ll be able to make the Origami Darth Paper.
Get Ahead of the Curve! This Lunch Lady Will Be Played By Amy Poehler.
03 Nov 2010 2 Comments
in Early middle grade, Great Mileage Builder, High interest, Targets Boys Tags: Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Lunch Lady series, middle grade graphic novels
To get in the mood for this post, watch the author’s quick promo for his series.
What crime fighter packs a spork cell phone, fish stick nunchucks, and taco-vision night goggles? Why, Lunch Lady, of course– “Serving justice and serving lunch!” In this six-book series, Lunch Lady can handle any danger– and we’re not talking runny sloppy joes here. Fishy characters around Thompson Brook School have no idea what they’re up against. She knows martial arts, she scales buildings, she carries whisk whackers and is not afraid to use them. James Bond has Q, and Lunch Lady has Betty, another cafeteria worker with a double life. Betty develops excellent gadgets like hamburger headphones and fancy ketchup packet lasers in their super secret lab housed in the school Boiler Room. When confronted with shocking revelations, Lunch Lady will exclaim things like, “Green beans!” or “Oh, my tater tots!” What’s not to love about Lunch Lady? I ask you.
Krosoczka grounds readers with a healthy dose of the familiar through the characters called “the Breakfast Bunch”– three kids who eat in the cafeteria every morning. Through them, everyday topics like soccer tryouts and bullies are mixed in with preposterous plots such a cyborg substitute taking over the school. What does their lunch lady do when she isn’t slinging Salisbury steak? the Breakfast Bunch wonders. With a little sniffing around, Hector, Terrence, and Dee discover their lunch lady’s time off is action-packed. Lunch Lady and Betty frequently rely on the kids to seal the deal on crime, which is a departure from the classic, untouchable superhero, like say, Batman. I like how these books empower kids in that way.
Heads up, parents and teachers of reluctant readers! There’s a lot being written about the value of graphic novels for developing readers out of non-readers these days. The preponderance of current wisdom says, YES! Give kids graphic novels to encourage literacy (make sure they’re age appropriate, of course). Series like Krosoczka’s Lunch Lady get kids in books. The librarian where I teach says she can’t keep them on the shelves. Hooray for the Lunch Lady! Apparently, Amy Poehler agrees. She’s has an interest in the series, and plans to star in the upcoming movie. I bet that makes real life lunch ladies everywhere smile.
Monty Python for the Twelve-and-Unders: Cressida Crowell
25 Aug 2010 4 Comments
in Great Mileage Builder, High interest, Targets Boys
I know, I know. You saw the movie. “It was a little sad,” I hear you say. “My kid cried,” you say. I have no idea what happened when How to Train a Dragon, by Cressida Cowell, was turned into a movie, but something seems to have been lost in translation. This book is funny. Monty bloody Python funny. It’s not sad. I didn’t see the movie, so I’m not criticizing it, I’m just sayin’, boys LOVE this book. It definitely will not make them cry, unless they are laughing so hard a few tears spring from their eyes. Girls like it, too, if you can get them past the overtly male window dressing (Colors of the dragon breed called the Gronkle: Snot green, bogey beige, pooey brown.) and into the bones of the story. Because deep down, it’s universally appealing. Unlikely hero, whose talents fly in the face of popular culture, overcomes bully-ish peers by virtue of said talent, and saves the day. It reminds me of Python’s Life of Brian, in which Brian is believed by a whole lot of folks to be the Messiah, and feels wholly unfit for the job. (In case you want to remember, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjz16xjeBAA )
Only, nobody believes in Hiccup.
Hiccup is a Viking boy, heir to the royal throne. His father, the Chief of the Hairy Hooligans, casts a long shadow– he’s a fearsome sword warrior and esteemed leader of a crowd who favors brawn and bulkiness over all else. Hiccup is more of the introspective, intellectual sort of Viking. The problem is, of course, there is no such thing as an introspective, intellectual Viking, and most definitely no such thing as an introspective, intellectual Viking chief. Hiccup is routinely ridiculed by fellow tribesman, including his father. A rite of passage for all Viking boys is to tame a wild dragon to use in battle. The book opens with the boys being led into a cave to kidnap sleeping baby dragons during their hibernation season. The popular mode of training a dragon? Yell at it. The louder the better. Hiccup has a wimpy yell, and all his peers know his weakness. On top of that, he’s captured the smallest of all dragons– and it’s toothless, to boot. But Hiccup’s strength? He’s researched and studied, studied and researched, and mastered the Dragonese language. He’s a dragon whisperer.
What adult doesn’t want his/her child getting the message that brains overpower brawn? The best part is that it’s camouflaged in kid humor. The line-up of events at the “Thor’sday Thursday Celebration?” Hammer-throwing for the Over-60s only; How Many Gulls’ Eggs Can You Eat in One Minute? contest; Ugliest Baby Contest; Axe-fighting Display (“Admire the delicate art of fighting with axes.”).
A whole lot of fun, and just the beginning of a multi-book series. So forget the movie. The book is better (she says without having seen the first frame of the film). Isn’t the book always better?
What? Already finished the “Wimpy Kid” series?
22 Aug 2010 7 Comments
in High interest, Targets Boys
Another Maine author. It’s a great state, what can I say? Lincoln Pierce is a cartoonist/author whose comic strip (about–who else?– Big Nate) appears in over 200 US newspapers. Once your kid spots Big Nate In a Class By Himself on the bookstore or library shelf, you won’t be able to talk him/her out of it. And why would you? Matter of fact, I challenge you to put it down once you read page one. Go ahead, try. Read a sample.
Nate’s a great character, perhaps not one you want your kid to emulate, but definitely someone you’ll remember from your own middle school days. Nate, who tells his story through simple prose and comics, is a sixth grader imprisoned by middle school. Pierce has the voice of a middle school boy down pat. “I think we can all agree that substitute teachers are almost always better than real teachers,” Nate pontificates. “And by ‘better’ I mean ‘more clueless.'” When describing his dad, Nate notes he’s okay, not as psycho as some he’s seen at Little League games. But Dad, like many a substitute teacher, is clueless. “Dad Fact: Dad handed out rice cakes for Halloween one year. That was also the year our house get egged. Connect the dots, Dad.”) Nate is sure he’s destined for better things than middle school is preparing him for. He read it in a fortune cookie.
Saying more about the book would be overkill. It’s a quick, hysterical read accessible to kids younger than sixth grade (I’d say third), and there are more Nate books on the horizon. Also, Pierce, being an artist at heart, maintains a fun, interactive website. Check it out! http://www.bignatebooks.com/books
Horrid Henry– Horrid Enough to Hook Reluctant Boys
17 Aug 2010 1 Comment
in Early middle grade, Great Mileage Builder, High interest, Targets Boys
Horrid Henry is a truly horrid child. He does all the things grown-ups disdain. He torments his brother, Perfect Peter. (“Do you want to be free from the mummy’s curse?” Henry asks Peter after he’s wrapped him in toilet paper. “Then you must stand still and be quiet for thirty minutes.”) He ruins the school theater production by being the runaway raindrop. He strategically plucks the stakes out from all the tents at a family campground. And yet, something about him is appealing. Even to grown-ups. To kids– particularly the target audience of 7-10 year-old boys– he’s so outrageous he’s irresistible. Just look at him. I mean, who tricks the Tooth Fairy? I’ve yet to put my finger on why I like him in spite of his utter lack of conscience, but I suspect it’s the way Simon sets up the situations. Like all comic bad boys, Henry is perfectly contrasted against “straight” characters. His parents often sigh and wonder why they had children. Perfect Peter is perfect and therefore loathesome. His controlling theater teacher is fun to unravel. In one character Henry’s met his match. His neighbor Moody Margaret won’t be outdone by Henry.
Horrid Henry is appealing too because each of his twenty (!) books contains four short stories. That’s manageable reading for even a stubborn sort of kid. Manageable and wicked. What boy doesn’t love that? Also, illustrator Tony Ross captures Henry’s mischievous hilarity with wobbly-lined genius. If a young someone is particularly resistant to reading stories, there are Horrid Henry joke books. Simon also has a great website for this series.
Road tested titles include: Horrid Henry, Horrid Henry and the Mummy’s Curse, Horrid Henry and the Soccer Fiend, and Horrid Henry’s Joke Book.