Battle Stations

 


It is once again time for a bunch of bloggers over at School Library Journal to pit THEIR favorite children or teen books against one another.   The books might be chosen from floods of suggestions and maybe they are but, when all is said and done, three people make up the list of contenders.

 I have reasons for pointing this out.
Reason #1:  I have only read two books on this year's list.  I think that is my lowest count so far.
Reason #2: At least, two totally awesome books did not make this list and I am thunderstruck.
Reason #3:  I did not know this.  I thought that the books were chosen from the floods and floods of book suggestions.

I usually enjoy following this battle - even when I don't read every single title on the list.  And here is a link to the action. I linked you to the list of The Contenders but if you look to the right, you will see "the brackets".  It all starts on March 7th, with one book I haven't read going up against another book I haven't read.  Oh well.  Stop with the whining already.  Perhaps, by then, I will have read them BOTH.

As I age, I continue to wonder who decides what books should be published for children.  I wonder about a lot of things.  For instance:
1. Why do people put all their stuff on Facebook?
2.  How many reruns of Rockford Files can one person watch in a row?
3. Doesn't anyone stay in one place anymore? (apologies to C. King)

But just what criteria publishers use to choose the books that get published - this is a quandary.

Here are MY criteria for a good kid's book.
1.  Simple - ish.  As the kids get older the simplicity can fade.
2.  Makes the kid think.
3. Takes the kid somewhere they have never been - not necessarily geographically
4. Teaches the kid something
5. Funny at least part of the time
6. Makes the kid feel like part of a bigger world

Current? Well, sure, but that changes in a wink!
Diverse?  Yes.   This is not a shopping list, though.
STEAM, STEM, CORE, ???? Don't work so hard.
Difficult subjects??  Anything that makes a person suffer is a difficult subject.  Asking a three year old to hop on one foot before he is able to can make him cry!  See what I mean?

I am venting here.  I will stop now.  And go back to wondering what to do with a 4 year old princess for a week - besides reading.

READ MORE BOOKS!