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Ramona Quimby and Otis Spofford

Posted by: on: January 28, 2013

Beverly Cleary knows kids and humor. For my next tribute to anti-heroes in juvenile fiction, I’m turning to two of her characters. The most famous of them, Ramona, first made her grand entrance in Beezus and Ramona. Subsequently, Cleary has written seven standalone chapter books about the irrepressible Ramona. Perhaps less well-known, Otis first created mischief in Ellen Tibbits, but received the spotlight in Otis Spofford.

Cover of "Ramona the Pest (Ramona Quimby)...

Cover of Ramona the Pest (Ramona Quimby)

When Ramona the Pest first starts, Ramona is anxious to attend kindergarten. Ramona is so excited that she is proving a pest to everyone. She is singing and dancing to her older sister’s great annoyance. She’s also pushing her mother to hurry, hurry, hurry! Many of Ramona’s actions are understandable—when one knows her reasons behind them. For example, when her older sister and Mary Jane ask if they can walk Ramona to school, Ramona refuses because she knows full well they’ll talk in a baby voice to her. And when everyone in her class takes a nap, Ramona lays down too but then starts to snore. No, she doesn’t desire attention and laughs. Instead, Ramona wants to show her teacher how well she can sleep. She even has a reasonable explanation for all the black lines scribbled over her drawing of a house. You see, the house is on house. Ramona just seems like a misunderstood child.

But is she? Ramona also chases a boy around the playground. When Ramona is told to sit on the bench because of her misbehavior, she actually tells the teacher: “No.” Her reason? She wants to play Gray Duck. Ramona later pulls on a girl’s curls—even after being ordered to stop. When told she won’t be able to return to school if she can’t behave, Ramona thinks about those boing curls and becomes a kindergarten dropout. Ramona definitely has issues with rules! Yet the reason I like Ramona is because she is her own person. She stands up to boys who call her “Kindergarten baby!” When learning to print letters, in what is my favorite episode of the book, Ramona decorates the first letter of her last name with cat ears and a tail. As for her defiance of the rules, in reality, Ramona was being honest to herself and her teacher. She knew that pulling Susan’s curls was a huge temptation for her. And she admitted it. Because these are books by Beverly Cleary, Ramona eventually figures out a way to handle herself in school. Yet she also remains uniquely Ramona.

Otis Spofford

Otis Spofford (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“One of these days you’re going to go too far!” Everyone cautions Otis Spofford about his misbehavior, but Otis is one of those boys who likes to make people laugh, doesn’t like to take orders, enjoys stirring up excitement, and even finds it funny to make others mad. As for punishments, they’re worth it if he had fun. More than Ramona, Otis is a bad kid.

One day in dance class while preparing for a school performance, Otis finds himself bored and starts to complain. His teacher listens to him and offers him the part of a bull in a bullfight scene that will take place in the middle of the dance. If you think this satisfied Otis, think again. In barely any time, he’s bored again and so now is poking the bullfighter with his fake horns. The day of the performance, he even steals the show from everyone by acting like a silly bull. Granted, none of these antics seriously hurt anyone, but then there’s the day he threw spit balls in class. In what is my favorite episode in the book, Otis keeps spitting wads of paper at ones, despite the welt marks they create, until class ends. After all, what’s the worst his teacher can do to him? Otis isn’t afraid of his mom or the principal and so that means his teacher has to act far more resourceful is she is to stop him. Sadly, even when Otis learns his lesson about spit balls, he still doesn’t change his daily behavior.

Why then do I like Otis? Because of the reason that Otis creates mischief. He’s not an evil kid; just a bored one. Then there’s the fact he likes to do well at school, panics when trapped in a closet, and shows a love of animals. Otis has a likeable side. Last, there’s the final chapter. In it, the tables are turned on Otis. For once, the tricks are being played on him. And let me tell you, he doesn’t like it! Ultimately though, he takes it all in good fun.

Although Cleary wrote both of these books over fifty years ago, Ramona and Otis feel as real as if she’d written the books today. If you grew up reading Beverly Cleary, discover her again. If you didn’t, it’s time you did.

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Random Tuesdays: What About Heroes?

Posted by: on: January 22, 2013

Really Random Tuesday is a meme created by Suko at Suko’s Notebook and is a way to post odds and ends about book-related things. Last week, I talked about anti-heroes. Now let me switch things up and write about heroes.

RRTbutton

In a way, I suppose this is a redundant topic to write about. The bulk of our literature features heroes. Yet two articles prompted this post.

One of those articles, Where Have All Our Heroes Gone? poses the question about society itself. In Psychology Today, author Jim Taylor, contends that in his day the world was full of heroes. Moreover, he grew up wanting to emulate politicians, businessmen, social activities, athletes, and entertainers. In hindsight, despite the flaws of those leaders, he still views them as role models. Not so about the leaders whom he sees today and that his children desire to emulate. Instead “politicians are self-glorifying panderers, corporate leaders are greedy and corrupt, athletes are entitled and irresponsible, and entertainers are spoiled and aloof”. Hence, he asks: Where have all our heroes gone?

A second article, Making the Case for Heroes, poses the question about society AND about literature. In a Harvard Education Letter, author Peter Gibbon talks about how he studies the concept of heroes and travels the country to discuss the concept with students. Once upon a time, schools used to automatically offer examples of heroes in their textbooks and literary selections. Now society ”offer lives that are seriously flawed, juvenile novels that emphasize mundane reality, and a history that is uncertain and blemished”. Unlike Taylor, however, Gibbons doesn’t encourage a return to the old ways, when the world mostly honored white, male, and privileged individuals. Rather, he suggests we find new heroes.

Why heroes? Gibbons argues that we can make the case for all kinds of heroes and show how the study of their lives can improve our own. Moreover, he cautions that anti-heroes can be dangerous when, instead of seeing them as characters to be wary of, we are seduced into antisocial behavior. When it comes to literature, Gibbons suggests that reading selections should pass the simple test of: “I feel greatly the better for having read it.” As for Taylor, he goes so far as to say that kids need to place their heroes on pedestals. That’s what gives heroes their power and causes children to want to emulate them.

The majority of my belief system comes from the heroes whom I grew up hearing about on the news or in literature. Their example is one of the reasons I became a special education teacher. Yet in over thirty years, I still feel the impact of having read about anti-heroes and feeling comforted by their stories. This is especially true for my teen years, when I felt like a failure than a role model. So, perhaps we need both anti-heroes and heroes in our lives.

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Random Tuesdays: What About Anti-Heroes?

Posted by: on: January 8, 2013

Do you prefer to read about heroes or anti-heroes in literature? I didn’t really think much about my opinion on that question, until I started trying to write some of my fiction about bad kids. That led me on a search for examples of fiction with anti-heroes. To my surprise, I own some favorites. That realization led me to start reading what others are saying on this topic.

For example, a few years ago, The Guardian ran an article entitled, “Whatever happened to juvenile anti-heroes?” Most of the article amounted to a promotion of the Flossie Teacake series. However, the article also raised the alarm that there are an alarming shortage of bad girls in contemporary books for young people. Gone the article bemoaned are the pranksters and tomboys. In their place are girls who are concerned with being slim, proper, and stylish.

Other similar articles have popped up too. For example, one blogger, wrote an article entitled, “In Praise of Anti-Heroes“. According to her, young adult literature is filled only of characters who are sympathetic and likable. Reasons exist for this trend such as no likes to root for bad guys and no parent wants their impressionable young child reading about delinquents.

I don’t know yet what I think. My most recent read, The Curse Workers trilogy, is all about a teen con and mobster. The first time I tried to read it, I stopped when I read the statement from the main character: “Here’s the essential truth about me: I killed a girl when I was fourteen.” It took me an entire year to give the trilogy a chance again. Even though this time that I decided I liked Cassel, I have to admit throughout all three books for Cassel to change. Yet the reality about anti-heroes is that they don’t, so next I plan to check out some of those favorites on my shelves such as Pippi Longstocking to see what I think of them now that I’m an adult.

In Praise of Anti-Heroes, Michelle Muckley says that people are flawed in real life and so our fictional characters should be too. This is one reason she likes anti-heroes. Certainly, there are days when I tire of reading about good kids. I never felt all that perfect.

What do you think of anti-heroes? Are you ready for them to make a comeback? And what are your recommendations for the best?

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The Emily Trilogy by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Posted by: on: July 28, 2012




If you want to know who I am inside, read the Emily trilogy by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Most everyone knows and loves Montgomery’s most famous creation: Anne of Green Gables. I love Anne too. Yet Montgomery considered herself more akin to Emily. And so do I.

SIMILAR TO ANNE

The two girls, Anne and Emily, have a lot in common: They’re both orphaned from an early age. Each is raised by a domineering woman, with a supportive male figure in the background. Both wish to please their guardians, while firmly adhering to their own opinions of what is right and wrong. In conjunction with these conflicting desires, each craves to be loved not because of how obedient they are but rather simply for who they are. Both are highly emotional and imaginative—and therefore misunderstood by proper and stodgy adults. Each feels passionate about beauty, especially that which is found in nature, and bestows names upon the trees, the flowers, the trails, the lakes, and even the wind.

DIFFERENT FROM ANNE

Yet for as much as Anne and Emily have in common, to many readers including myself, Emily is a more realistic and darker character. Both grow up with literary aspirations, but Emily is far more wedded to the craft than Anne. For Emily, her journals are her lifeline, without which she would be miserable. She regularly writes poems, stories, and essays, pushing herself to explore every genre from romance to crime. Moreover, we constantly read of the acceptances and rejections that Emily receives, as she climbs the alpine path of literary fame. Neither Anne or Emily easily fits in with peers, but eventually both garner respect. Here again though, the differences between Anne and Emily gradually become apparent. Anne learned to play the belle of the party, while Emily often instead paced her room in loneliness when estranged for whatever reason from her small circle of friends. So while I love how Anne could brighten up everyone’s life, I better identified with the less attractive and more morose Emily.

INFLUENCES

Perhaps for that reason, despite dyeing my hair red in college (which Anne would find ironic given how much she loathed her hair color), Emily influenced me far more than Anne. Emily kept “Jimmy” books and wrote poetry, among other literary ventures. “Jimmy” books were so named, not because they differed from regular notebooks, but because Emily’s cousin Jimmy would sneak them to Emily. The first time I labeled my journal a “Jimmy” book, my family teased me for liking a boy in my class with that name. While the practice of naming my journal was short-lived, I wrote my first poem after reading the Emily books and kept up the practice throughout my teens.

When best friend Isle quarreled with Emily, she’d swear and call Emily atrocious names. Emily would smile and stoically wait for Isle’s outbursts to end, because she knew this made Isle even madder. As for the reason Emily could smile, well, she knew that she wasn’t “a lousy lizard” or a “toothless viper”. Similarly, I enjoyed how confounding my best friend in college found me because I’d unblinkingly and calmly tell her why I wasn’t any of the names she’d throw at me when mad.

English: Lucy Maud Montgomery ca 1920 – 1930

English: Lucy Maud Montgomery ca 1920 – 1930 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shortly after college, I decided to stay home with my dad against the better wishes of relatives. No doubt unknown to anyone at the time, Emily’s influence was the reason. After much soul-searching, Emily declined an invitation to move to New York for a position with a magazine in favor of staying with her relatives on her beloved Prince Edward Island. So too I felt I belonged with my dad and in my home province of Newfoundland. Now Montgomery herself did eventually make a different decision than Emily for the sake of love—as did I, although like Montgomery I return to my home province on a regular basis.

One last story, before I move on to summaries of the Emily trilogy. And that is about the role that Emily played as matchmaker in my love life. One day Emily’s Great-Aunt Nancy wrote and asked for Emily to drop her a letter. Because she knew her guardians would read it, Emily felt paralyzed and didn’t make a good impression on Great-Aunt Nancy with her letter. In fact, Great-Aunt Nancy thought her stupid, but still she asked for a photo. This time, before Emily took the letter to the post office, she wrote a new one just for her aunt to see. Later that spring, Emily received an invitation to visit. Embarrassing as it is for me to admit, when I first enrolled in an online dating service I talked with family about what to write. (By the age of thirty, I had experienced much rejection and so felt insecure about my prospects with men.) Sadly, the end result was that the gentlemen I wrote were getting to know me only through other people’s eyes. Under the influence of Emily’s decision, I decided one day to be brave and write my own responses. Within a month, I began an intense correspondence with the guy who became my husband.

EMILY OF NEW MOON

The majority of the above incidents happened in the first book: Emily of New Moon. Unlike Anne, Emily starts out by living with her dad. Within four chapters, however, Montgomery has orphaned her. Now Emily, who like Anne at first appearance seems eccentric, must adapt to life with the Murray clan. She must also find acceptance with her peers, which is less easy for her than Anne. The latter is introduced to Diana, who immediately becomes a bosom buddy, while Emily faces cruelty from teachers and peers alike. Miss Brownell punishes her for refusing to admit why she is crying at school, while her schoolmates not only tease her for wearing a baby apron and buttoned boots but also taunt her by giving her a box with a dead snake. Yet Emily doesn’t remain entirely friendless, for she soon becomes best friends with the heathen Isle, gets rescued from a bull by Perry who becomes the family’s hired hand, and catches the eye of Teddy who finds creative release with paint and canvas. Whenever I read Emily of New Moon, I am amazed at its delightful endlessness.

EMILY CLIMBS

Montgomery repeats her magic with Emily Climbs and Emily’s Quest. In the former, Emily is offered the privilege of attending high school for three years. The honor comes however with a price. Emily is to give up writing, “except so far as school compositions might be concerned.” Anyone with a passion will readily understand how damning that request is. Cousin Jimmy suggests a compromise, that for those three years Emily write only what is true. My attempt to follow in Emily’s footsteps by writing only down facts proved to be as short-lived as the naming of my journals, but then my education came without conditions and so I had less incentive. Oh, Emily also had to board with her aunt, who kept accusing Emily of being sly. If she innocently turned a cloth on the living room sofa, opened a window, moved a portrait, shifted her bed to another corner, her aunt remained determined to figure out her “real” motives. As she matures, Emily’s friendships are tested. Isle is accused of playing a unforgiveable prank on her. The boys aren’t allowed to visit. Last, as in the first Emily book, there are references to the mystical world of fairies, druids, and elves, along with second sight. The latter crops up in Emily Climbs, when Emily is threatened in a church, calls out to Teddy for help, and is heard by him despite his living a mile away.

EMILY’S QUEST

Of course, as all heroines of trilogies must, Emily plunges headlong into adulthood by the third book. In some ways, Emily’s Quest is the least satisfying, because Montgomery caved again to public pressure to marry off one of her leading women. And of course if one is to write about romance, one must throw in many obstacles, which often result in cliché and convoluted relationships such as shared between Isle and Perry. Case in point, Isle is about to marry Teddy when she receives news that Perry is hurt, and so immediately runs to his side. Readers might remember that Anne finally realizes she loves Gilbert only when he is on his death-bed. Yet to Montgomery’s credit, she made the road to love much more difficult for Emily than Anne. While Anne had simply fooled herself into thinking she could only love a handsome and dashing stranger, Emily always knew she loved Teddy. Unfortunately, his mother hated everyone and everything that threatened to limit her son’s love for her, to the point that she poisoned their pets and destroyed Teddy’s paintings. She also keeps a letter from Emily in which Teddy reveals his true love for Emily. Teddy’s mom is not the only character whose twisted soul reaps tragic consequences. With Teddy out of the picture, old friend Dean Priest need only betray Emily by telling her that her first novel is flimsy and incredulous to clear the path for her to love him. After Emily hears his condemnation of her work, she blindly rushes down the family’s stairs where she falls on one of her aunt’s mending baskets and is pierced by a pair of scissors. For months after her recovery, she gives up her literary aspirations. Eventually though, Emily does pick up the pen again; life must go on, whether in books or in the real world.

CONCLUSION

There are many ways in which Emily’s life differs from mine. For one, I can count my dating ventures on one hand. For another, my novels still remain tucked away in the basement. Yet inside we are very much alike, especially when it comes to our being creatures of moods and individuals who simply must write. It’s been a pleasure to reread the Emily books yet again. I hope to hear from some of you that it’s been a delight for you to discover them.

My rating? Read them: Carry them with you. Make them a top priority to read.

How would you rate these books?

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Interview with Eva Keefe

Posted by: on: July 17, 2011

There is an exception to every rule. Some of you may be aware that my review policy states: “I do not accept requests for self-published books.” Yet this weekend I am featuring Eva Keefe’s self-published books. Eva did not actually approach me; my dad told me about the recognition she had received in our province for her books. When considering options for regional books to review while visiting my family in Newfoundland, hers came to my mind. Over the past couple of months, Eva Keefe and I have talked by email and most recently in-person. Having heard her inspiring story, I am delighted to share it here. What follows is a compilation of our conversations about her books.

Allison: When did you start writing? Did you illustrate your own books?

Eva: In 2006. I illustrated my own books and that’s when I started drawing on my own.

Allison: Why did you decide to create an alphabet book?

Eva started writing in 2006. She wrote her first book, an alphabet book called A “2” Z Just “4” Me, because she had a ten-year-old visiting boy in her Sunday School class who could not read. He panicked when asked to read. Upon her encouragement, he agreed to read but he knew only three words in the paragraphs he read: “I”, “it”, and “a”. Eva was not employed at the time and so, after finding out what elementary school the boy attended, she offered to help him to learn to read. The principal allowed her to help him each morning for four days a week. He wanted Eva to keep track of what books the boy read, but otherwise she was free to teach him however she felt best. With the more difficult books, she encouraged him to just read a line at a time. By the end of the school year, the boy had read over two hundred and seventy books. Two of those were chapter books on his grade level.

Allison: Why did you self-publish your first book?

Eva: My attitude is if I want something done, do it myself. My hard work will pay off.

Allison: How long did it take to publish your first book?

For Eva, the writing itself did not take long. The pictures however took two years, because Eva redrew some of them several times in trying to learn to draw. When she found a printer for her book, she spent three weeks redoing all of her artwork. From start to finish, producing the book took three years.

Allison: Your second book is based on a childhood memory. Why did you pick that memory?

After its publication, to improve her skills, Eva took a creative writing course from the Institute of Children’s Literature. For it, she wrote a lot of true stories. Her instructor recommended that Eva turn one of them into a children’s story. And so she did!

Allison: How long did it take to publish your second book?

Eva’s writing course lasted two years. It took her another year to complete the artwork. During this time, she worked full-time as an aid to children with special needs. After her job was done for the day, she would come home and draw until 3:00 in the morning.

Allison: Did you receive feedback on your books before you self-published them?

Eva: I selected four people with different vocations to read my manuscript and give me constructive criticism.

Allison: Have you ever tried to find a publisher for your books?

Eva approached a publisher for her second book, but was told she would need to wait four years for its publication. Not wanting to wait, she decided to self-publish again.

Allison: Why did you illustrate your own books?

Although she did not consider herself an artist, Eva drew her own pictures for both books. After writing the second, she inquired about the services of an artist. When learning it would cost $30 an hour, Eva decided to invest the money instead into art lessons. Her art instructor gave her advice and support on her illustrations for A Girl with a Dream.

Allison: What kind of recognition have your books received?

Eva: I haven’t received any recognition from book clubs, but I have gotten many phone calls from people I don’t even know. Children have come up to me and said, “I have your book and I love it.” One parent told me that her six-year-old daughter read my second book and looked up at her mom and said, “Anything is possible, isn’t it mom?” Another parent told me that her son read A ”2” Z Just “4” Me and looked up at his mom and said: “She made a good book.” A friend told me that the child she babysat would not settle for any other book.

Allison: How have you promoted your books?

For both of her books, Eva held a book launch. Promotion was not without stumbling blocks. The first run of A ”2” Z Just “4” Me contained several errors on the part of the printer.  Eva ran an apology letter in the local newspaper at her cost as well as replaced the copies her customers had bought.

A friend of hers in WISE (Women Interested in Successful Employment) bought a copy of her book to read to the group. Eva was invited to speak about her publishing start.

Several local stores agreed to sell copies of her books. Most did not ask her for any money from the sales, but she still told them to take %15 of the profits. She also placed books in the provincial libraries and information centers.

Eva also goes door-to-door to sell her books. Now she is also accepting requests by email for her books. You can contact her by email.

Allison: What are some of your other positive experiences as an author?

Teachers often want to read Eva to read her books. They appreciate that she can show students how a book is published. They are excited to meet a local author! Students will see her in the mall and tell their parents: “She’s an author!”

Allison: What are the most important lessons you have learned about the writing craft?

Eva: When you’re writing for children, you need to write positive and teach a lesson. Also, it takes a tremendous amount of time, commitment, and hard work to write. It doesn’t come over night.

Allison: What are you future writing plans?

Eva: I plan to write my life story. The title will be Horrors of Childhood or something of that nature. It will need to be catchy! The book will be the absolute truth as I remember it.

Allison: Will you write more books for young people?

Eva: I have a twelve-chapter outline of a book for boys.

If you wish to purchase Eva Keefe’s two picture books, you can contact Eva Keefe directly. Also, I am offering a copy of each of her books as a giveaway. To be entered into a draw to win her books, add a comment to this review or my interview with her.

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Looking Ahead

The end of my thematic review months is coming to a close. Starting mid-May, I'll review an assortment of books.

  • May 22: Regine's Book by Regine Stokke
  • May 25: Zoo Station, true story by Christiane F.
  • May 29: Boy 21 by Matthew Quick
  • June 1: Sort of Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

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Thirty days. Average of 2000 words per day. A total of 58,600 words. I am a NaNoWrimo Winner in 2012.

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