Review - The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green

The Most Important Y.A. Novel of 2012: Lyndon on John Green's The Fault in Our Stars.

A few weeks ago I received a package from America. I was rightly ecstatic, because it came from an independent bookstore in North Carolina, and it contained - amongst other things - two books: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler (a man who occasionally masquerades as the unparalleled Lemony Snicket) and John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. Both had been signed in a recent author visit.

Let's leave Why We Broke Up for today, which, for the record, remains a worthy and wonderful addition to Handler's canon, and is gorgeously illustrated by Maira Kalman, who he collaborated with previously on 13 Words. Let's get back to the other book. Because I have a confession to make. Not only was this not my first copy of The Fault in Our Stars, it wasn't even my first signed copy. If you count the audiobook, which I purchased as an author-read limited edition box set (they only made a thousand copies of that one), I now had three copies of Green's latest.

So why TFiOS? (Yep, the acronym is out. Let's get heavy.)

Well, I think John Green is the best writer of Young Adult fiction alive today. When I first read Looking For Alaska I was - once the tears dried - nearly driven mad by its eloquence. John can achieve that - so often impossible - feat; he can write teen literature with intelligent characters that don't sound like adults pretending to be children. Too often Y.A. writers leave their characters lifeless and vapid in an attempt to make them sound 'street', and they become an idiotic stream of text-speak and pop-culture gags. It's a cut above but no small crime too, to go the other way, and leave your teens speaking in bizarre adult voices, like children dressing up in their parents clothes and playing their own farcical version of adulthood.

Green gets it. His characters in this novel are brutally intelligent without being ridiculous. On top of that, he's hit a killer plot as well. TFiOS is your average boy-meets-girl love story, with a crucial twist: both its main characters, the narrator Hazel Grace Lancaster and her love interest Augustus Waters, meet in a cancer survivor support group. They live on borrowed time. It takes everything you know and love about Y.A. and turns the intensity up to eleven.

There is also no denying that John's a great guy. Dismayed by the amount signed copies of his books went to desperate buyers for on the internet, he signed every single copy of the initial print run of TFiOS to even the odds - a mere 150,000 scribbles. His philanthropic work with his brother Hank as the YouTube duo VlogBrothers and the founders of 'The Foundation to Decrease WorldSuck' also leave plenty to be admired. I may come back to those on here another day.

In this book though; this remarkable, funny, heartbreaking, existentially fraught, wonderful, emotional and intelligent book, there is everything that could be hoped for from Green, or indeed any other author. I have a habit (I would suggest knack, but truthfully a habit) of announcing that a book is the next big thing, and waiting and watching as the movie rights get sold, the hype builds, the film gets made, and the book explodes into something more than words on a page in the hearts and minds of its captivated audience.

I'm calling it, folks. The Fault in Our Stars is the next big thing. Read it, borrow it, or steal it, but make sure you get a copy.

I might even get another one myself.

- Lyndon Riggall

Traditional Stories - by Nella Pickup

Traition isn’t what it used to be.

In our household, when we greet  a new baby, the gifts always includes a copy of Aesop’s Fables. My husband believes that, in this secular age, children have to learn their moral code from Aesop and other traditional tales.

Over the last 15 years I have noticed that while grandparents might look for traditional stories such as Gingerbread Boy or Little Red Riding Hood, parents are deliberately choosing not to introduce their children to these “scary stories”. It appears that for the parents of the bubble-wrap generation, Goldilocks is all about stealing; Rapunzel focuses too much on kidnapping and Little Red Riding Hood is deemed unsuitable by parents who worry about the grandmother has been eaten by a wolf.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9078489/Fairytales-too-scary-for-modern-children-say-parents.html

Is this a concern? I believe so. Children who have not been has introduced to traditional stories miss much of the richness of our language and will find literary allusions impossible to understand. An “ugly duckling“ is just that not beauty in disguise; and who cares why boys cry wolf or emperors have new clothes”?

How can anyone understand the pun in Emily’s Rapunzel hair? Will Leon Stumble’s ridiculous stories about Jack and the Branstalk, Snow White and the Seventy Dwarfs and the Gingerbread Mane be as funny if you haven’t read the original? And my current favourite title by Michael Rosen and Nick Sharratt Dear Fairy Godmother, an agony aunt style book where characters such as the little bear asks Fairy Godmother for advice about how to stop a naughty girl stealing his porridge, will make no sense.

Books that get inside you - by Maureen Mann

I have read some very contrasting stories over the past few weeks, all but one sourced from my local library. How lucky we are to have such a resource. Now that I am no longer working, I’m finding that I am reading a very eclectic mix: adult, picture books as well as young adult.

So which ones am I going to focus on? All are Young Adult.

Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan, (thanks to Allen&Unwin 2012for the review copy) builds on the tradition of selkies. It is the story of Misskaella who discovers she has powers over and with the seals which are part of Rollrock Island. She is able to conjure wives for the local men out of the seals. The men are bewitched, she becomes wealthy but though the island appears superficially happy there are undertones of distress everywhere. Lanagan’s writing is beautifully crafted: the story is told through multiple points of view, the language is poetic and the reader builds great empathy for the characters. It’s being marketed as young adult, but many adults are sure to be captivated too.

I followed this with Unwind, by Neal Shusterman (Simon and Schuster, 2007). This is science fiction (set in a future where iPods are sold in antique stores) with a twist, but with very strong ethical issues raised. Society stopped receiving enough organ donations and so had to find ways to prolong lives. The solution is to ‘unwind’ children: they don’t really die but all their parts are transferred to another person’s body. Life is sacred until 13 and again after 18, but those 5 years in between are difficult and dangerous for those at risk: teenagers who challenge parents and/or school, who appear unskilled or inept in any way, or just someone who has annoyed their parent/guardian. The decision-makers justify their choices for many reasons, not all valid from the reader’s point of view. I found it a wonderful and thought-provoking story as we follow several young people who are threatened with being unwound.

Pink by Lili Wilkinson (Allen&Unwin, 2009) is definitely a young adult story, but one I didn’t want to put down till I finished. I’m not sure that I really liked many of the characters but I certainly empathised with them. The reader follows part of Ava’s school year, after she won a scholarship to a selective high school where she can be academically challenged. At the same time she decides to reinvent her image. All she wants is to fit in and be ‘normal’. Through her journey she questions her lesbian relationship with feisty Chloe, yearns for a heterosexual relationship with Ethan, is attracted to Sam and finds herself a part of the Screws during the school’s musical production. Pink represents the analogy of freedom of choice and how Ava expresses her changing perceptions. This is a thought-provoking story, for me as a mature-aged reader, but also is sure to raise many discussion points for young adult readers.

The final book which I want to mention is Three Summers by Judith Clarke (Allen&Unwin 2012). I loved this one. Ruth’s life has been moulded by the death of her mother when she was an infant, the unconditional love of her grandmother who then raised her, the power of the local Catholic church, the strength of her friendship with Fee and the elusive Tam Finn who has enthralled her. The story begins in a small rural NSW community in 1959: the first summer when Ruth and Fee wait for their school results. The second summer is while Ruth is in London and Fee questions her life decisions. The final one, nearly forty years later, is when Ruth fosters a highly emotionally-damaged child who brings much heartache as well as joy. Clarke’s writing is fluid and passionate, creating such a realistic world that the reader feels they are a part of it. There are many readers, especially girls, who will enjoy this gentle story though I feel that it perhaps should be marketed at adults rather than the YA audience.

So what have you read recently that’s got inside you?

Other Worlds by Penny Garnsworthy

Who could ever forget Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross Station? Disappearing through a wall might seem like a weird way to board a train but when the train is the Hogwarts Express and it’s taking Harry Potter into a world of witchcraft and wizardry, then it all seems perfectly normal. Harry’s world is very different from our own. At Hogwarts the students learn how to cast spells and make magical potions; owls carry the mail and Quidditch, which is played whilst racing through the air on a broomstick, is the school sport. J K Rowling created an extraordinary world for Harry Potter, a world filled with unusual creatures and unique characters who bore the most amazing names. And we love them all, don’t we? But she wasn’t the first author to create a unique world; nor the first to invent a curious way of getting into it.

Lewis Carroll, in 1865, wrote a story about a little girl named Alice. One day Alice was sitting with her sister on the bank of a river, feeling bored and restless, when a white rabbit with pink eyes dashed past her. Alice didn’t think this in the least unusual until she heard the rabbit exclaim, ‘Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!’ Not only that, but she realised the rabbit was wearing a waistcoat and a pocket watch. Alice then followed the white rabbit down a large rabbit-hole and found herself in a beautiful, strange and magical world. And in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland she came across very interesting characters: the dormouse, the Mock Turtle, the Gryphon and the Cheshire cat, all of whom could carry on a reasonable conversation. And then there was the tea party starring the Mad Hatter, and Alice’s experiences with the Queen of Hearts and a bunch of playing cards.

C S Lewis wrote my all time favourite children’s book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and it too had a unique entry to a fantastic world. Lucy, who is visiting the home of an old professor in the country with her sister and brothers, finds a wardrobe in one of the rooms and steps inside to investigate. As she wanders through the big fur coats she finds herself walking on snow, in the middle of a forest. And the first creature she meets is a faun who looks startled and says, “Goodness gracious me!” In Narnia, unicorns and centaurs roam, and Aslan the great lion seeks Lucy’s help in defeating the wicked White Witch.

I have just finished reading another wonderful ‘other world’ book by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams entitled Tunnels. Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows goes digging with his dad, an archaeologist, but he uncovers a lot more than just ancient artefacts: he discovers a world beneath his own, one that is both fascinating and dangerous. Great story.

All of these books share common themes: they’re all wonderful adventure tales; they all feature incredibly interesting characters and they’re all written by very talented storytellers. But most significantly they take us, the readers, into exciting and sometimes dangerous worlds where we can lose ourselves and pretend to be one of those characters, just for a while.

Hooked on Books! - Maureen Mann

Detail of illustration by Jane Tanner for The 1992 Little Arc Children's Calendar,
December image - Child reading with Dog and Teddy Bear, published by Allen & Unwin, 1991

I am lucky enough to be living in Launceston which has the excellent Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery. Amongst the many gems at the Museum at Inveresk, there is a wonderful touring exhibition called Hooked on Books: Australian children’s picture book illustrations from the collection of Albert Ullin OAM. It will be here till June 17 so there’s plenty of time to get in to see it. It’s been on the Australian circuit for several years but that does not take away any of the delights of seeing it in person. Give yourself lots of time to take it all in. I’ve been several times and have many more planned – I’m lucky enough to live close by and can go in for short periods at a time and therefore can focus only on a few pictures at a time.

Over 90 original illustrations are included, spanning publications of the past 30+ years and collected by Albert Ullin, the founding owner of The Little Bookroom in Melbourne. You’ll find a wonderful selection of Australian children’s book illustrators, recognising many of the books and their pages, even though some of them are now out of print and all but unobtainable, but will wonder why others aren’t represented. Tasmania’s Peter Gouldthorpe and Ron Brooks are there. Several John Winch illustrations took my eye because he is a personal favourite. I love the detail and occasional whimsy he gave to his illustrations. The publicity illustration is taken from Jane Tanner’s December illustration for the 1992 Little Ark Children’s Calendar – a wonderful study of child, teddy and dog reading together. Look for an early Jeannie Baker, an unpublished Peter Pavey, May Gibbs, Madeline Winch, Freya Blackwood, Robert Ingpen, Alison Lester, Andrew McLean and many others. Whose your favourite illustrator and why? Which ones do you not recognise but wish you had?

One of the great additions to this touring exhibition is the Please Touch section: a mini Little Bookroom where children are encouraged to read or be read to: a carpet for sitting on, cushions available and the original red chair from Ullin’s shop. The book selection here includes well-known titles featured in the exhibition. There are cabinets which hold not-to-be-touched signed copies of books, some of them showing the quirky dedications.

Come and enjoy it.

For more information about the exhibition, see the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery website.

Judging a book by its cover - Nella Pickup

I admit to being shallow. When I receive a proof with a bland beige cover or find that one of my favourite authors has an uninspiring cover, the book tends to go to the bottom of my pile..

Looking through my book shelves, I’m astounded at the many different versions of the same title. Would I have enjoyed Jasper Jones more if I’d seen the more realistic cover first?

Food stain rating – very messy as it took so long to finish

If you saw this cover, would you think it a fantasy romance instead of a CIA thriller/time travelling romance?

Quick light read – maybe some coffee stains between breakfast and lunch.

Is the word “wonder” always depicted in blue?

Don’t eat while reading Wonderstruck – you need booth hands to hold the pages open to see the detailed drawings.

Tear stains – an emotional read – look for it when it comes out in March

Great book but three teens running through a paddock?

Look along your shelves. What appeals to you? Are you more likely to have a book with water on the cover? Do you like realistic or stylised images?

Books and movies - by Maureen Mann

There’s always discussion as to whether the book or the film is better. It will never have a right answer, as it depends so much on the viewer and the reader. And we have many fabulous book-to-film creations to choose from. One of the most recent, apart from the Harry Potter series is Hugo, the 3D adaptation of Brian Selznick’s wonderful graphic novel called The Invention of Hugo Cabret. If you haven’t read this adventure, then do so. The illustrations are an essential part of the book but don’t be put off by its length: it’s a relatively quick read. The film is an interesting adaptation.

I started thinking about conversion of book to film after spending time in Canada with my young grandson who enjoys the many series on TV based on several all-time children’s classics. Some of his favourites are the adventures of Franklin (Pauline Bourgeois) and Max and Ruby (Rosemary Wells).  Which of our Australian children’s books, given unlimited production funds and a world distribution network being available, would convert well to pre-school series? We don’t have many titles based on one character which have been published. But in an ideal world …

I’m only going to touch on some of the wonderful Australian authors and illustrators who could be included in this concept. People such as Mem Fox, Margaret Wild, Ann James, Graeme Base and Jenny Wagner should be considered. There are lots of adventures which could result from adaptations of Bear and Chook (Lisa Shanahan and Emma Quay) and which could include character and health education ‘lessons’: the concepts of sharing, caring and selflessness. Alison Lester’s Are We There Yet? would make a fabulous series about Australia without it merely becoming a travelogue. It could include similar elements to those that make the Dora the Explorer programs so successful: child interaction, I-spy events as well as basic geographic concepts. This is also the book which forms the basis of educational activities for under 12s as part of the National Year of Reading (Have a look what else is available at http://www.love2read.org.au/nyr-programs.cfm).

The Diary of a Wombat (Jackie French and Bruce Whatley) could introduce children around the world firstly to wombats and their eccentric habits including living in and near people, but also to our many unique Australian animals. This series could be extended to other Australian flora and fauna which do not co-habit areas with wombats. Mothball has such as strong personality that she could become an iconic creature.

Pamela Allen has several picture books which could be extended to create a mini-series of TV shows. There are lots of mathematical concepts which could be explored starting from the basis of Mr Archimedes’ Bath or Who Sank the Boat?

Just imagine some of Leigh Hobbs’ characters coming to life on the screen: Old Tom or Mr Badger, especially if Hobbs himself could be part of the production team. Hobbs has written many Old Tom adventures as well as 4 Mr Badger books (and more to come?). As his website says, ‘Old Tom is a barely house-trained lazy scruffy mischief-maker. With one bung eyes, a bandaged foot and assorted scratches, he creates havoc wherever he goes’. (http://www.leighhobbs.com.au/book9.html). What more could a production company demand! Both these collections are available in UK and USA which makes them even more universal than the ones which are essentially restricted to Australian audiences.

Those are my ideas. What do you think? What wonderful Australian children’s books do you think I have missed?

Literary Merit - with CBCA judge Jenni Connor

As the current Tasmanian Judge for the Book Awards in the final stages of reading and reviewing titles published in 2011 and entered for the 2012 awards, I have been reflecting on that elusive quality (or set of qualities) ‘literary merit’.

Children’s Book Council of Australia guidelines for judges state:

The judges assess entries for the Awards primarily for literary merit, including:

• cohesiveness of significant literary elements;
• language chosen carefully for its appropriateness to the theme;
• style of the work with proper regard to the aesthetic qualities of language; &
• originality in the treatment of literary elements as they apply to the form of the work.

Appeal to readership under the age of eighteen is also taken into account. Judges should also consider quality of illustrations, book design, production, printing and binding.

Of course, each category for the Awards carries different emphases:

• Older readers – awards will be made to outstanding works of fiction, drama or poetry which require a degree of maturity to appreciate the topics, themes and scope of emotional involvement.
• Younger readers – awards will be made to outstanding works of fiction, drama or poetry for readers who have developed independent reading skills but are still developing in literary appreciation.
• Early childhood – awards will be made to outstanding works of fiction, drama, poetry or concept books for children who are at ‘pre-reading’ or early stages of reading (they may, of course, be picture books for young children).
• Picture Book of the Year – awards will be made to outstanding books of the Picture Book genre in which the author and illustrator achieve artistic and literary unity... (a set of artistic criteria apply).
• Eve Pownall Award – will be made to outstanding books which have the prime intention of documenting factual material...

Over the years, in my various levels of involvement with CBCA, I have often been asked ‘Why didn’t this book do well? It’s so popular.’ The answer is that there are lots of ‘Kids Picks’ awards out there, but CBCA has always had the mission to recognise and promote ‘the best’ works published in Australia for young people. CBCA Awards have a major impact on sales, impacting on authors, illustrators and the Australian publishing and retail industries. As well as supporting their living through sales and the Awards prize money, the Awards promote Australia’s outstanding authors and illustrators overseas; Graeme Base was little known when he created Animalia, now he’s a best seller in the US and throughout the world.

Which begs the question of ‘literary merit’ and there is no doubt that making such judgements is partly subjective; one man’s fish is another’s poison!

Judges decisions are informed by the guidelines, by skilled chairing and thoughtful debate at the four day Judges’ Conference and by the breadth of experience with literature and young people that each brings to the table. From my personal point of view, I highly value originality in approach to a theme; I take language very seriously and look for it to be richly metaphorical and lyrical, or edgy and biting, depending on the content; I expect characters and relationships to develop and plot elements to connect and cohere; and I really appreciate emotional involvement – I want to care about these characters and what happens to them; I want memories of that book to linger with me for repeated contemplation.

So, when the short lists are announced on 3 April this year at Government House, North terrace, Adelaide, we’ll see how the judges’ choices are received by the general public. There might well be disagreement, but public discussion about ‘what’s a good book for children and young people’ is extremely healthy in a civilized democracy.