Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Reading Now and Then

"There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom"

There is something about that title that makes the book appealing to both adults and kids. The author, Louis Sachar, understands humor and has been quoted as saying,

"I never write down to kids, and I never try to guess what they think will be funny. I write what I think is funny. I give them something to reach for, something to think about."

His style of writing is truely unique and one I have been a fan of since I was a young reader. I've read other books of his including the Sideways Stories from Wayside School series and Holes. Its interesting to me, as a young adult now, to read a book that I read as a kid because I see things completely differently. As I child, I thought that "There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom" was hilarious, but now I realize, as a future educator, that this book is so much more.

3 comments:

Marva Solomon said...

Your comments made me think of a question I often wonder about. Is it better for kids to read books that they won't quite get everything out of when they are young, or should they save them?

Like I had a really bright third grader reading The Lord of the Rings (whole thing!) a few years back.

She was a sharp kid, but could she really get everything out of the book that was there?

Stories like the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is another like that.

Then again, you read them as a child, and then read them later they are too different experiences, so is that okay?

I don't know. Just something I wonder about.

kell bell said...

I have to say that after reading this post I definately want to read his other books as well!

On thing I thought of from reading your post was movies! I often watch movies that I watched when I was little and realize that I did not understand them at all! I still enjoyed them at both ages which is the weird thing!

NVega said...

I'm the kind of person who loves to read a good book 2 or maybe 3 times. Its like visiting an old friend, its always the same but also different. And in a way thats how I felt about this book, like I was reconnecting with my past.

Its important to have that first read so you can built off of your initial knowledge and gain more the next time around.

I think its okay for students to read books with advanced morals and themes because when they read it again they will see how much they have grown as a reader.

I understand that not all people read books multiple times, but I think a good reader does and values the friendship of books.