Children's Books

[Deleted]

Heh, I STILL feel guilty about throwing away any stuffed animal, no matter how much it's fallen apart!

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guinastasia said:

Heh, I STILL feel guilty about throwing away any stuffed animal, no matter how much it's fallen apart!

Hee. I have been through numerous homes including foster care and I still have every single one of my childhood stuffed animals. I am so ashamed of myself.

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So I just read about a new sequel to A Little Princess being released! A few things that make me excited:

1) it's not about Sara Crewe, it's about the other girls from Miss Minchin's, so it's already not a typical "sequel to a classic"

2)it's written by Hilary McKay, who I think is a fantastic author--her Exiles series are some of the best children's books I've read. Definitely among the funniest, anyway.

3) the book review (in the Wall Street Journal) was very positive.

[dwanollah]

Harumph. *glares* I have yet to read any of these sequels or prequels or anything that're worth the paper they're printed on, but, I will say that I'm pleased they aren't continuing -- or trying to continue -- Saras story. And of COURSE I'll read the damned thing! Hell, I'll have a proposal into one of my Chilluns' Lit conferences on it, too.

[Deleted]

Heh, I know what you mean--for myself, it's a weakness for buying pretty much any Pride & Prejudice continuation/sequel that gets published, and just as you say, they never are worth the value of the paper they're printed on.

Anyway, I found the Little Princess sequel (called Wishing for Tomorrow) in the library the other day and have finished reading it. It really wasn't bad. It gave a backstory to the Minchins and more interesting of the students and had a plausible enough plot and ending. It was charming and witty, and if it wasn't intended to be the sequel that it is I think I would've liked it more.

See, the thing is, part of the charm in A Little Princess is feeling utter loathing for certain of the characters and knowing they utterly deserve this loathing. Part of Sara's likeability as a character is that they serve as a foil for her goodness (which otherwise might be too sickeningly sweet), if that makes sense. The original book is so appealing to children, because it has good vs. bad, kind vs. cruel, which children strongly relate to. So this book is more of an adult's look back on the story with all the shades of gray inbetween, and as such, it can't come close to the original.

[dwanollah]

I just got my copy today, and'll weigh in after I finish! Maybe this should've been the first Greecie Book Club pick?

[Deleted]

Good, I am curious to see what a professional children's lit. person makes of it!

Really, on the whole it was decent, much better than other attempts at modern day authors writing sequels to classic children's books. ("Heidi's Children" by Charles somebody comes to mind. Even as a kid I knew it was bad. And don't get me started on the "Caroline and Martha Years" books trying to capitalize on Little House on the Prairie....)

[pellacan]

Jan 19, 2010 19:21:39 GMT -4 @stargirl said:

Really, on the whole it was decent, much better than other attempts at modern day authors writing sequels to classic children's books. ("Heidi's Children" by Charles somebody comes to mind.

Charles Tritten. I agree Heidi's Children isn't great but I loved Heidi Grows Up (same author). I have both in my bookcase.

[Mugsy]

Interesting tidbit. Apparently Robert Munsch (he wrote Love You Forever, The Paper Bag Princess and The Brown Snowsuit among many others) had a new book in the works about a little girl who smuggled her dolls with her onto a plane.

Because of all the flying restrictions/issues, it's been put on hold. There was a cute pic with the article showing a little girl in an airplane seat with a bunch of dolls in the seats around her. Stupid terrorists ruin everything.

[chonies]

I dug the Paperbag Princess but hated Love You Forever, which struck me as a weird combination of both treacly and creepy. My coworker didn't like it because it reminded her too much of her mother's decline into Alzheimers.

How long has he been working on that book, Mugsy? Flying restrictions certainly aren't new. Is he known for being a recluse?

ETA: found a link to the story[/color]. I had no idea he was so prolific.

ETA, again: Some of the comments are rather amusing.