Book Talk with Jan and Christa (28/02/2015)
| Venue | ： | Causeway Bay Kiddyland Basement, 68 Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay, H.K. |
| Speaker | ： | Janet Mann Christa Tam |
Review
What a delight it was to meet readers and their parents at our book talk! It turned out to be a really intimate event where the speakers and our small audience got to share about reading.
Michael Morpurgo
Jan, an experienced librarian and a Blooming Club advisor, started off introducing Michael Morpurgo who has become better known here in Hong Kong because of the film adaptation of War Horse by Steven Spielberg. She explained that it was rather rare to have Joey, the farm horse turned war horse, speaking to readers directly in the story set in World War I and that it worked particularly well as his observations give a new perspective. (another story where the horse is the narrator of course is the classic Black Beauty by Anna Sewell) The friendship between Joey and his owner Albert is very touching.
Michael Morpurgo's latest book Listen to the Moon is based on the sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania in the Atlantic during the WWII. He blends history with fiction so skillfully that one finds it difficult to tell which is which and overall the story gives readers a glimpse of the reality of war and its social effect on ordinary people which students cannot find in history text books. With the convenience provided by technology, both Auntie Christa and Jan suggested that locating in at atlas the places mentioned in a novel gives extra fun and depth to the reading experience.
Eva Ibbotson
Of all Eva Ibbotson's books, Journey to the River Sea is Jan's favourite. Both she and Auntie Christa agreed that this book is a must read for both boys and girls in upper primary and lower secondary. This coming of age story is a magical adventure about an orphan girl Maia sent to live with her relatives in Brazil where she is ill- treated but thanks to her loving governess, the native boy whom Maia befriends and the kind natives there, she overcomes all odds and discovers new adventures filling her new life. In addition to the enchanting story, this book is a fantastic introduction to South American culture which helps broaden children’s horizons.
In The Abominables, a story found and published after her death, Eva Ibbotson touches on important issues in a lighthearted manner that leaves her readers pondering thereupon. She draws readers' attention to the impact of tourism on the environment in the Himalayas with an adorable story of how two children help five yetis escape their fate in Himalayas with the help of a truck driver.
For Eva Ibbotson fans, it is great news that the book she planned out with her son Toby Ibbotson called Mountwood School for Ghosts is so reminiscent of her. This lovely book contains stories about how ghosts are being trained to scare humans because ghosts are just not scary enough. Jan reminded that before the world heard of Harry Potter, Eva Ibbotson had already had fabulous books on witches which were captivating but not scary.
Auntie Christa took this opportunity to show a copy of the uncorrected proofs to explain to the children how publishing works. Uncorrected proofs are printed by publishers in small quantities for booksellers, PR people and some readers to read to find out their response as well as any errors. The children were surprised by the big contrast between the covers of the final copy that is available in our store and the uncorrected proof copy and were envious that Auntie Christa has the chance to read books before them!
Kate Dicamillo
Last year was a good one for Kate DiCamillo. Her The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, a book published in 2005, sold thousands and thousands of copies thanks to having attention drawn to the title by its appearance in a short scene in a popular Korean t.v. drama. But sadly, her other books which were equally brilliant have failed to attract the buzz they deserve. Jan and Auntie Christa talked about her wonderfully quirky 2014 Newbery Award winning Flora and Ulysses: An Illuminated Adventure, a story about a 10 year old self-proclaimed cynic Flora and a squirrel with super powers; at first it reads just like a fantasy but it is really much more than that. It's about friendship, family, love and loss which warms your heart. As with many other fictional stories for middle grade, this book is full of inviting illustrations by K.G. Campbell which greatly compliment the text and the characterization. If you haven't read any of this master storyteller's books, you may like to start with her first Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie, a story about how a stray dog helps a ten year old girl, India Opal make friends when she has just started her new life with her father in a trailer park in Florida. This book makes you laugh until you cry, but above all helps you learn about friendship and forgiveness.
For children who are graduating from Wimpy Kids and Captain Underpants stories, some of these books may look a bit daunting at first but some of them are also filled with beautiful illustrations to help break up the text, and they serve as a stepping stone into older fiction which generally has no pictures.
The level of some of the books recommended for our audience may be a little high but the stories themselves are enjoyable even for children about seven or eight years old. If parents can take about 15 minutes to read to their children a chapter of the book, they will be help build up a great reading habit. Both Jan and Auntie Christa believe that reading aloud can be and should be done for as long as the parent and child feel comfortable. It's great for bonding and the stories always provide various topics for conversation which can spark a child’s imagination as well as enriching a child's life
We would to thank the children and the parents for joining and their sharing. Keep reading! Last but not least, we thank Scholastic for the book gifts for our members.
