A very brief post on a new, phenomenal book. Leave it to Lemony Snicket to give us a unique and creepy (but oddly comforting) take on a kid's fear of the dark. And only Lemony Snicket would give the dark a voice, a home, a purpose. Jon Klassen's illustrations perfectly accompany this tale--giving me a new favorite duo. Are you still reading this?! Go! Go, buy The Dark by Lemony Snicket!
Mockingbird . . . I wonder
I'd put money on it that (in a random poll), Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird would sweep the Book Most Often Named 'My Favorite' Book category. Not for nothing is it a book (and author) surrounded by speculation and myth, mocked (pardon the pun) and parodied, required and studied . . . and probably even avoided--by students who'd rather just watch the movie. It's most recent tribute comes from Paul Acampora's book I Kill the Mockingbird . Three students who adore Lee's novel decide to go renegade and start a reading revolution--by "disappearing" copies of the book in libraries and bookstores across their state. While they don't actually steal the books, things get out of hand as their revolution goes viral--books do get stolen, and the real reason behind their revolution gets muddied and confused. Acampora is great with dialogue, the book moves quickly and feels very honest and realistic. It's in the teen section, but I didn't s
I've never read anything by Lemony Snicket. Does that make me a bad person? I have been curious about this, though. :)
ReplyDelete:-) Snicket's writing leans toward the overly-dramatic (WAY overly-dramatic), snarky pseudo-mystery/bleakly humorous . . . if that makes sense. His "Series of Unfortunate Events" is a big hit with kids (I also enjoy them). "The Dark" is less melodramatic, and I'm excited to see that Snicket (which is a pen-name) has a voice for younger audiences, too. Klassen was an ideal illustrating choice.
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