The Lit Review |15| Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens Role Play
This teacher loves Charles Dickens so much, she has dedicated her classes to trying to get students to feel the same way. Regardless of Dickens’ rambling, Victorian prose she has devised some interesting tactics to entice bemused adolescents. One such tactic is to get her students to imagine themselves as Victorians. Sounds like a gas alright.
Vonnegut documentary gets a much needed Kickstarter
We can all be accused of putting things on the long finger, but documentarian Robert B. Weide, creator of the hit TV series Curb your Enthusiasm, has really outdone himself. After 33 years working on a documentary about Kurt Vonnegut, writer of Slaughterhouse-Five, Weide has finally come to the realisation that he doesn’t quite have the required cash to complete it. He has now turned to a Kickstarter fundraising campaign to finally conquer his long drawn out project Unstuck In Time. Weide is almost halfway there. You can take a look here.
101st book from Jacqueline Wilson
Jaqueline Wilson, best-selling children’s author of books such as The story of Tracey Beaker and Double Act, has released her 101st book, The Butterfly Club. An avid fan of Jaqueline’s since my adolescence, I heartily welcome hundreds more.
Diverse Artichokes
Sita Brahmachari, award-winning writer of Artichoke Hearts, (Sadly this is not about vegetables falling in love. But it should be) has become the 12th writer in residence of the literary charity Booktrust. Her six month placement will have her posting weekly on the Booktrust blog. Sita’s aim is to promote greater awareness amongst younger readers of the diversity in books and of social injustices and inequalities.
Moving house
Books Upstairs in Dublin has popped around the corner from College Green to D’Olier Street. The iconic bookshop will reopen its doors to host Double Shot next Wednesday 25th of February. This event will feature poetry readings from Dave Lordan, Jessica Traynor and Philip Coleman, the idea being that new poets will come together with their more established peers, which will provide opportunities for eager novices.
Shakespeare on the Syllabus 90s style
Is Shakespeare boring? According to these 90s kids, a bit, yes. But an afro-clad Fintan O’Toole begs to differ here.
Author criticised for homophobic comments
Robert Muchamore, author of CHERUB, a book series for young adults, has been slated by his peers for his strong comments against protestors of the recent film Fifty Shades of Grey. Muchamore, who was making his way to a showing of the movie, was berated by protestors and proceeded to update his personal Facebook account where he wrote about a:
‘Small but noisy group of lesbians (well, ugly women with short hair who I assume were lesbians, and surely hadn’t had a penis anywhere near them in some considerable time) shouting: ‘You’re all rapists,’ to men entering the cinema.’
I recommend that anyone with a copy of Muchamore’s book put it down immediately. I prefer to read writing by those who think before publicly announcing such ill-considered, homophobic statements.
What Pet should I Get?
24 years after the adored author’s death, a hidden manuscript from children’s writer and illustrator Dr Seuss has been uncovered. The book is to be published by Random House this July. What Pet Should I Get? will treat young and old readers to the story of a child choosing his first pet.
Calling all Kid Lit writers
Claire Hennessy, Kid Lit author, editor with Penguin Ireland and founder of Big Smoke Writing Factory in Dublin writes here with very practical, helpful advice for other children’s writers who need a bit of direction.
The Happiness just keeps on coming
Pharrell Williams really knows how to milk a song to the last drop. Happy, his ludicrously popular 2013 hit (which quite frankly grates at this point), was initially written for a children’s movie and will now be made into a children’s book. According to this news, pictures will make up a large part of the book, featuring big pictures of happy, smiling children. How outlandish. God only knows how they came up with that one.
