Download PDF - Education Update

24 BOOK REVIEWS ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ NOV/DEC 2010A Young-Adult Pirate Story ThatEntertains and EducatesFishby Gregory MoneScholastic. 241 pp., $16.By Joan Baum, Ph.D.Arguably, books for young adults are difficultto conceive and market because the agerange 12 to 20, as defined by the AmericanLibrary Association, covers such a wide period ofphysiological and psychological change. Writingfor the young-adult set these days can alsoprove challenging for authors who choose notto follow the increasing tendencytoward edge — theinclusion of content that issexually explicit and topicallyraw (drugs, alcohol,violence), even employingrough language. Thus, whatGregory Mone has done in“Fish,” an engaging historicaltale about piracy offthe coast of Ireland, wouldseem to go against the current.It does, and it shouldmake a number of parentsand teachers happy.Mone’s young protagonist,Maurice Reidy,who’s known as Fishbecause he is the onlyone in his family who’slearned to swim, isalmost 12 when the narrativeopens. The farmingfamily is dirt poor.Their only horse hasdied, and Fish, who isthe least agriculturallyadept sibling, is sent to thecity to work for his father’s brother as a messenger,delivering money. He works hard until oneday, when he is about to deliver a purse of goldcoins to someone at the dock, he is waylaid androbbed. In an attempt to recover the package, hefinds himself in the water — trying to save thepurse but also a ne’er-do-well who’s threatenedhim. And thus begins Fish’s adventure aboarda pirate ship, otherwise known as a paperlessprivateer, until out on the high seas.Fish’s forced stay aboard the ship allows Moneto offer nuggets of history, along with humor andinventive fun. One pirate loves to make up wordssuch as “putrocious” (a combo for putrid andatrocious), a word game that might spur youngreaders to make up their own. The tale’s not justfor boys. A 13-year-old orphan girl befriendsFish, and he wins the affection and admiration ofthe other boys on board. Mone draws on youngpeople’s desire for buddies in a way that nicelyshows the difference between allies and booncompanions. By way of an intelligent and kindlypirate captain, Fishalso comes tosee that a goodcaptain does notcontrol his menbut leads them,and that thosewho seek treasurewith patienceand care will berewarded over thewild and restlessof the world. Goodlessons all for thepre-teen crowd.Mone, whoseIrish immigrantgrandparents furnisheda few ofthe story’s details,attributes the sparkof his tale to summersspent on theNorth Shore of LongIsland when he andcousins went roamingfor sunken treasure,map and cluesin hand. At one time a competitive swimmer,Mone is a contributing editor at Popular Science.This is his first young-adult book, and thoughit’s obvious that all’s well that ends well will bethe conclusion, the story moves along at a livelypace and with an age-appropriate regard for thegrowing adolescent mind. A fine counterbalanceto so many vicious video games. #Logos Bookstore’s RecommendationsBy H. Harris Healy, III,President, Logos Bookstore1575 York Avenue(Between 83rd and 84th Sts.)New York, NY 10028(212) 517-7292 Fax (212) 517-7197www.logosbookstorenyc.comAs November and December come to pass, itbecomes the time of year for holiday gift shopping,and Logos Bookstore is the place to come.Logos has attractive 2011 wall and desk calendarsof New York City, the world, art, flowers, spiritualityand religions as well as children’s favoritessuch as Peanuts, Curious George and Dr. Seuss’zany characters. In addition Logos sells the 2011Manhattan Diary, a most comprehensive compactfit-in-your-pocket calendar diary with store, club,restaurant, and museum listings as well as maps.For those people who observe Advent, Logos willhave lovely traditional image Advent calendars.Holiday greeting cards, boxed and individual(Christmas and Hanukah), will be available fromNovember 5 onward. Currently there are individualThanksgiving cards for purchase. Booksabout Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukahare also available. Perennial Christmas favoritesinclude The Night Before Christmas, The TwelveDays of Christmas, The Polar Express, The GiftOf The Magi, Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer,A Child’s Christmas In Wales and A ChristmasCarol, among others.Logos now has “Tintin” books in both Frenchand English, as well as “Asterix” books inEnglish, so now one can follow up on the Frenchspeakingyoung adventurer Tintin and his dogMilou as well as the last Gauls, Asterix, Obelixand their compatriots (and their secret potion), asthey hold the Romans at bay through some mosthilarious adventures. In addition to the regularParent to Parent:The College Searchby Sybil MaiminStudents involved in the “craziness” of the collegeapplication process get lots of sympathy andadvice. Receiving less attention and care are theparents; those cheerleadingadults who share the rollercoasterride are variouslydepended upon or kept outof the loop and, ultimately,are required to accept theirchild’s independence andcollege decision. Comingto the aid of anxious andfrustrated moms and dads,Jennifer Delahunty, deanof admissions at Ohio’sKenyon College, has puttogether an anthology of27 personal essays bythose who have beenthrough the process, titled“I’m Going to College— Not You!” Sharingtheir experiences, parentto parent, the writersgive the encouragingmessage that, in the end,“Everything will be allright.” Rather than a “howto” manual for parents, the book is about “how tosurvive.” The essays are wise, often witty, sometimespoignant, and delightful to read. Whileeach story is as unique as each student, readerswill recognize aspects of themselves, theirchildren, and their families in these tales. Theauthors are a stellar assemblage that includesnovelists, poets, playwrights, journalists, educators,and a hefty dose of admissions counselorsand directors. The group boasts an Emmy- and aPulitzer Prize-winner, a New York Times columnist,the author of an Oprah Book Club selection,and a reporter for Education Update. But, mostimportant, they are all parents.Delahunty reminds us that college choice is abig business generating billions of dollars annually.Test preparation companies (e.g., Kaplan,Princeton Review), testing agencies (CollegeBoard, ACT), and independent counselors thrivein this fiercely competitive, unpredictable reality.“A meritocracy it is not,” states Delahunty.“The mysterious nature of the process frustratesand infuriates.” Millions of dollars are availablein financial aid, but a specific amount isnot offered until four weeks before “a majorpurchasing decision must be made.” Collegechoice coincides with the tense time in lifewhen a child seeks independence and parentswant control. “It is the last great act of parenting,”advises the Kenyon admissions director,comparing it to letting your child drive a car onhis or her own even though you know you havemore experience. Compiling a “list” (usually 10to 12 schools) is the first challenge. Should itTintin stories there are now books devoted toyounger readers focusing on numbers, transportand simple stories about Tintin and the elephant,lion and llamas.Holiday music at Logos includes different classicalmusic compilations from the MetropolitanMuseum of Art, lovely contemporary instrumentalrenditions of carols and songs, and jazz andworld music versions to complement the richcollection of world, classical, jazz, religious andGregorian music.Gift items for the holidays include Central andSouth American nativities, straw angels, ornamentalballs and bells, Christmas crackers withparty hats and surprises, and other ornaments anddecorations as well as menorahs and plush toytie-ins to such children’s books as Go Dog Goand Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman, the“Five Little Monkeys” series, the “Little Quack”series, and Knuffle Bunny and other Mo Wihelmcharacters as well as games based on Curiousinclude a parent’s beloved alma mater? How faraway? What if proximity to a high school sweetheartis insisted upon? (See essay, “When LoveGets in the Way.”) College visits can be helpful,but can also produce seeminglyirrational observationsand reactions.While some applicantshave the advantage ofbeing “shoo-ins” (legacies,development, topathlete or talent), mostare “hopefuls” and mustfind an angle, or “hook.”At a recent reading from“I’m Going to College —Not You!” at Bloombergheadquarters, 10 contributorsshared insights. Theydescribed strong needs forteen independence, dissimilarexperiences withdifferent children within afamily, and summers andholidays devoted to collegevisits. A mother of aspecial-needs son spoke ofbringing medical records tocollege interviews and theanguish of rejections. Laurie Kutchins, whoaccepted the role of “Application Coach andDeadline Enforcement Officer,” remarked, “It isa powerful and indelible moment when parentscatch a first glimpse of mature adulthood emergingin their teenager.” Sean Callaway, the fatherof six home-schooled children, learned that,“quality without salesmanship is just anotherword for oblivion,” and took a job counselinghigh school students about college as a result ofthe search experience. Lisa K. Winkler, motherof three, noted eloquently, “The college hunttaught us that we should listen to our kids. …We learned about each child in ways we nevermay have otherwise.” Anna Duke Reach admittedit wasn’t until the college search with herthird child that she finally “got it” and realizedher parental role was like Sancho Panzato Don Quixote: “listening hard and believingthe impossible until I share a vision of eachchild’s dream.” In the book, Anna Quindlen,who went on to become a trustee and chair ofthe board of her alma mater, Barnard College,spoke of being very unhappy as a freshman, but“growing into the place.” She suggests it is notalways best to feel at home immediately becausecomfort allows no room for growth. She advises,“College should be aspirational, designed not toreinforce who a student is but to elevate her tothe point at which she dares to be the best selfshe can become, intellectually and personally.”The book’s underlying message to anxious parents:Be helpful, but do not interfere. The searchdoes end..#George and The Cat In The Hat.For those people who like food and possiblycooking, Logos has a well-stocked cookbooksection of all kinds of cuisines. Happy Holidays!Upcoming Events At Logos Bookstore• Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at 7 p.m., KillYour TV Reading Group will discuss The SpyWho Came In From The Cold by John Le Carre.• Monday, December 8, 2010 at 7 p.m., theSacred Texts Group led by literary agent RichardCurtis will discuss the book of Acts and theTalmud.• Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 7 p.m.,KYTV Reading Group will discuss The Lacunaby Barbara Kingsolver.• Every Monday at 11 a.m., is Children’s StoryTime led by Lily.Transit: 4, 5, 6, Subways to Lexington Ave. and86th St., M86 Bus (86th St.),M79 Bus (79th St.), M31 Bus (York Ave.) M15Bus (1st and 2nd Aves.)