tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post8659426374252929620..comments2024-03-27T02:13:13.079-04:00Comments on Original Content: Why Does This Book Inspire These Kinds Of Reviews?Gail Gauthierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01673131515563387968noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post-76660944964116915432008-02-13T16:29:00.000-05:002008-02-13T16:29:00.000-05:00I do think adult authors who write a children's bo...I do think adult authors who write a children's book attract a reader who isn't familiar with what's available in children's literature. They read this book, it's new to them, and they think the author has created gold out of straw no matter what the quality.<BR/><BR/>A year or so ago I read an article about some adult authors who were going to create a graphic novel series for kids. They were very sincere about wanting to write about things that weren't written about in children's books. Except everything they were talking about <I>was</I> covered in children's literature. They just weren't familiar with the field and thought they were doing something ground breaking.Gail Gauthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673131515563387968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post-57182623704477497462008-02-11T20:34:00.000-05:002008-02-11T20:34:00.000-05:00So very odd that it would be "Un Lun Dun" getting ...So very odd that it would be "Un Lun Dun" getting the attention. I read most of it last year and it bored the socks off of me. "Un Lun Dun" is Done would have been my own snarky review. I suspect that most of these reviewers picked it up because it was an adult author and hadn't read a real children's book in years. Kvetch kvetch kvetch.fusenumber8https://www.blogger.com/profile/16216979020263363698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post-62795788905162840222008-02-08T16:06:00.000-05:002008-02-08T16:06:00.000-05:00"baiting."Yes, that's the word I was looking for. ..."baiting."<BR/><BR/>Yes, that's the word I was looking for. And the <B>NYT</B> does keep baiting its kidlit readership with articles reflecting its superior attitude toward children's literature. For heaven's sake, why bait kidlit people?Gail Gauthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673131515563387968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post-87462769883824807332008-02-08T14:54:00.000-05:002008-02-08T14:54:00.000-05:00"If I don't like children's books, but I like this..."If I don't like children's books, but I like this children's book, then it must transcend its genre."<BR/><BR/>I love your thought on that. It definitely has a superior feel to it, and the NYT loves to keep baiting us with it.MotherReaderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11274509991340797264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post-10108773700644239042008-02-07T19:15:00.000-05:002008-02-07T19:15:00.000-05:00Gaiman also made a good point in the next paragrap...Gaiman also made a good point in the next paragraph, too: "If you as a reviewer, begin by explaining why you don't like a genre, then you put up the backs of everyone who does, and is interested, and probably would be reading your review in the first place." <BR/><BR/>Yes, the point of writing is to make a connection with readers, not to put them off. Though I think the <B>NYT</B> has a history of publishing articles about children's literature that seem designed to offend and antagonize, presumably for the purpose of making a little news. <BR/><BR/>Kelly Link's stories...spooky. Yes, yes, indeed.Gail Gauthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01673131515563387968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post-41131914199194738562008-02-06T21:05:00.000-05:002008-02-06T21:05:00.000-05:00I started reading Un Lun Dun last year and had to ...I started reading <I>Un Lun Dun</I> last year and had to stop because of a combination of deadlines and due dates (from the library).<BR/><BR/>Very imaginative in its detail, but I hadn't gotten to the part where Miéville started to subvert fantasy clichés. Instead, he still seemed to be swimming in them. <BR/><BR/>One of these days, I'll get back. right after I finish Kelly Link's stories, which I've been carrying in my backup backpack for a month. (Spooky.)J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3377586.post-66766240894766376312008-02-06T20:42:00.000-05:002008-02-06T20:42:00.000-05:00I appreciated Neil Gaiman's response to this revie...I appreciated Neil Gaiman's response to this review. (See his February 5th entry.) It begins:<BR/><BR/>"One of the award nominations is for my collaboration with Michael Reaves, Interworld, which was reviewed, along with China's Un Lun Dun in the New York Times this week. It's an odd review -- I think that rule number one for book reviewers should probably be Don't Spend The First Paragraph Slagging Off The Genre."Triciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18350907653629775293noreply@blogger.com