When Zachary Beaver Came To Town

[fuzzis]

Not gonna do a poll for this because I don't want to, but...

Watched this movie Sunday afternoon. I was a bit skeptical about it because When Zachary Beaver Came to Town (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440229049/103-5434394-0510223?v=glance&n=283155) by Kimberly Willis Holt is one of my most favorite Young Adult Fiction books. (If you have a middle school child, read it with them. Very good, very touching) Remain skeptical.

The movie stays pretty faithful to the story line except instead of having it set in 1971 Texas with Cal's brother Wayne dying in Vietnam it's in the very recent past and Wayne dies in a training accident in the military. Toby's mom uses email to communicate with him after she leaves, which of course didn't happen in the book. I'm not sure that the update of the setting adds anything appreciable to the story.

I really dislike Jonathan Lipnicki in the role of Toby. He was too whiny and too squinty. What was up with the squinting? As part of the modernization of the story, Toby's mom gives him contacts to replace the glasses, and he wears them every now and again, but even with the glasses on, he's squinty. Annoying.

The book is so much better. The themes of friendship, acceptance, what makes a family, loss...are done more effectively in the book. If I were still teaching, I might use the movie as a compare and contrast activity. Perhaps my view is skewed because I so love the book.

Overall not a *bad* movie, but not a great one either. Particularly given the potential of the book.

:smt102

fuzzis

[fuzzis]

Yeah...it's very much a boy's story.

Set in 1971 Texas, it's about Toby and Cal. They're best friends. Cal's older brother Wayne, who is like a brother to only child Toby, has been shipped off to Vietnam. Wayne writes home to Cal, wanting to hear about the summer he and Toby are having, longing to have some sort of normalcy, but Cal, being 13 doesn't get how important it is to Wayne to hear from him. Toby starts intercepting the letters (his dad is postman) and replying to Wayne, as Cal.

Meanwhile, Toby's mom has run off to Nashville because all she's ever wanted in life is to be a country music star. When she's gone, his parents decide that since they've been having problems for awhile, she's going to stay in Nashville. Because Toby doesn't want people to know that his parents are no longer together, he tells people lies about why his mom is still in Nashville. Because he's angry with her, he doesn't open the letters she sends.

While all of this is happening, Zachary Beaver, the fattest boy in the world shows up in town, allowing people to wander through his trailer and stare at him, if they pay him $2. His guardian abandons him, and Toby and Cal kind of protect him against the ugliness of the rest of the world. They figure out that all of Zachary's awful behavior is because he's hurt and afraid...he's missed out on a lot in his life. They arrange to take him to a drive in movie...and they arrange for him to be baptized because he never was.

There's a love story in there was well.

Altogether, like I said, one of my favorite YA books. Even if it is from five or six years ago.

fuzzis

[fuzzis]

I'm trying to think back to the books my male students really enjoyed...

Gary Paulsen (http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/paulsen.html) always topped the list. To go along with Paulsen is Will Hobbs (http://www.willhobbsauthor.com/).

Touching Spirit Bear (http://www.benmikaelsen.com/books_touchingspiritbear.htm) was another really, really good book, but might be a year or so off for him.

I think I recall that you've said he has some problems in school...if that's the case, if he hasn't read them already, the Joey Pigza books by Gantos are very funny and he'd probably enjoy them.

Richard Peck's A Year Down Yonder, A Long Way From Chicago, and Fair Weather (a trilogy...can't remember what order they go in) are also good books. He also recently released The Teacher's Funeral, which is really good too.

For suggestions, you can always go to Guys Read (http://www.guysread.com/).

fuzzis

[fuzzis]

The Christopher Paul Curtis books (The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963; Bud, Not Buddy; Bucking the Sarge) are also good.

I used to read to my students every day. We're never too old, and it helps them to hear good literature read aloud. (I read the prequel to Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry...The Land...to them, and they loved it)

eta, a lot of boys really like graphic novels, and there are some great ones coming out. Not just Marvel and anime/manga stuff (although they are good). The Maus books were really good, but I think perhaps a bit too mature. I'm tryying to remember the other ones...

fuzzis

[Blondie]

Fuzzis, I appreciate your posts. Getting boys to read is quite a chore (or it is with mine). Thanks for the good suggested reading.

When you have time, could you post some literature for girls? I'm trying to get my 11-year old daughter to read something other than Lizzy McGuire books. My younger daughter is just starting to read Nancy Drew (age 7) but I think I was a couple of years older when I read ND. I loved ND books and remember when I was in the 4th grade and read one whole book in one day. I thought I was something. :)

With my new rule regarding TV watching this summer, I'm hoping to get the kids to read more. I'm just hoping my baby sitter enforces the rule! Thanks again.

[fuzzis]

Blondie...girls books are easy because the industry seems to be geared towards them. It's been a couple of years since I was in the classroom, but off the top of my head...

Because of Winn Dixie, The Tiger Rising, The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (http://www.katedicamillo.com/). Probably better for the younger one, but might be appealing to the older as well.

Homeless Bird, Burying the Sun, Goodbye Vietnam by Gloria Whelan (http://www.gloriawhelan.com/).

Hope was Here, Rules of the Road, Backwater by Joan Bauer (http://www.joanbauer.com/jbhome.html).

The Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging (http://www.georgianicolson.com/books.html) series by Louise Rennison are hilarious, but probably for the older girl.

Skellig (http://www.rambles.net/almond_skellig.html) by David Almond is a sweet, sweet story. Set in England. (appealing to boys as well...some groddy descriptions in there, but the base of it is a little boy who doesn't want his little sister to die and the thing out in the garage...Skellig...*might* be an angel, might be a bird...and Skellig *might* save his little sister's life)

Carolyn Meyer has some really good historical fiction stuff...I want to say kings and queens stuff.

Sharon Creech (http://www.sharoncreech.com/index.html) writes good things as well. Bloomability, Chasing Redbird, The Wanderer, Walk Two Moons.

Ann Rinaldi (http://www.annrinaldi.com/index.htm)also does some good historical fiction. Numbering All the Bones, the Coffin Quilt, etc.

The Make Lemonade trilogy by Virginia Euwer Wolff (http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/author.php?id=154) are novels in verse so they're easy to read...interesting stuff. You don't ever know if the main character is white or black, although a lot of people guess black. VEW is this lovely, elderly white woman.

The Richard Peck books mentioned above are also good for girls.

Lori Aurelia Williams (http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-williams-lori.asp) has written some incredible books with When Kambia Elaine Flew in From Neptune and Shayla's Double Brown Baby Blues, but they're pretty heavy, and they might be books I'd read *with* the 11 year old. Powerful and moving and heart-breaking.

Hmmmmm...that's probably a good start for you, but I'm sure there's more lurking.

fuzzis

[Blondie]

Thanks so much. I have a sitter coming to my house this summer who will be taking my kids to the library, so I wanted to have a list of books they could look for since I won't be going with them. This will really help. I thought they would bring home a reading list of some sort, but I haven't seen one yet.

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it Fuzzis.

[fuzzis]

Blondie...outside of my recommendations, you can find YA reading lists at the following sites (some of them may be more current than my rememberances...it's been awhile since reading a YA novel a day was a part of my job description so I haven't kept up on things):

American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/summerreading/recsummerreading/recommendedreading.htm)

Bill's Best Books at ALAN (http://www.alan-ya.org/2/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=1&id=14&Itemid=27) (ALAN does a workshop every year at the NCTE convention that costs $150 to get in to, but they provide you with about 50 current YA books and then it's 2 days of YA authors talking about their writing process and the stories behind their stories. I've gotten to go twice. AWESOME)

The Goddess of YA Literature (http://professornana.livejournal.com/)...it's more a blog about books kids might like, but Lesesne is phenomenonal about knowing how to match books to kids (in fact published a book about it. She's funny too)

Reader's Robot (http://www.tnrdlib.bc.ca/rr.html) is good for kids who know what they like to read. They can tell it their preferences and it'll go looking for books that meet those criteria. Might be fun for you kids to play with.

fuzzis

[Blondie]

Fuzzis, all of the kids brought home reading lists today. Just thought I'd let you know so you wouldn't think bad of Petal schools. :)