Favorite book from school?

[alyxen]

Pix, please explain. Intriguing title.

Perdita

Here is some more info for you, Perdita:

http://www.buy.com/retail/books/pro...i&Type=PI&Keyword=&Category=Books&dcaid=17282

 

[alyxen]

'A Wrinkle in Time' by Madeline l'engle. Beautifully written story, and something that you don't see everyday. It was a fantasy adventure, but It had many scientific premises along with it, and was a touching story, at that. I loved it.

I don't think I read any of her books in school, but I did read a couple of them for enjoyment. I can hardly remember them now.

I think my wife reminded me at one point, but I have forgotten again. One of my favorite books had a character in it that was a poly-dodecahedron. Not sure if that is even a realy shape as in the book, the character had 100 sides. Each side was a separate face and personality. Of course, I could also be remembering the name incorrectly as well.

 

[Guest]

Thanks! Alyxen. Here are the blurbs in case anyone else is interested:
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About the Author: Zindel's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, THE EFFECT OF GAMMA RAYS ON MAN-IN-THE-MOON MARIGOLDS, brought him to the attention of Charlotte Zolotow, an editor who encouraged him to write young adult novels. His first work for young adults, THE PIGMAN, appeared in 1968. Zindel is often credited with changing the face of young adult literature, creating more realistic works that reflect such themes as loneliness, eccentricity, and sexuality.

Annotation: Encouraged by Liz, her more outgoing friend, Maggie agrees to go on a date with Dennis, a friend of Liz's boyfriend, Sean. Both shy and awkward, Maggie and Dennis slowly stumble their way into a relationship. Meanwhile, Liz and Sean, misunderstood by their parents and looking for affection, begin having sex. As the four friends prepare to graduate from high school, a tragedy occurs that changes all of their lives forever.
---------------

I don't intend to read the book but am interested in the tragedy mentioned. Would you PM and tell me about it, please. Actually, I am also interested in more good books for 'young adults', e.g., my soon to be 13 years old niece.

Perdita

 

[RenzaJones]

To Kill a Mocking Bird, Shabbanu,Hamlet and One Flew Over The Cukoos Nest were all favorites of mine and While I didn't really enjoy Catcher in the Rye it sticks to me. Go figure.

Edited to add The Giver.

 

[R. Richard]

If you live in the United States and have not read 'The History Of The American Frontier' by J. Frank Dobie, you have no idea of the history of your own country. (No, it is not about cowboys, indians and shoot 'em up.)

 

[Guest]

If you live in the United States and have not read 'The History Of The American Frontier' by J. Frank Dobie, you have no idea of the history of your own country.

Well, RR, I haven't read it but I'd need more from you if I'm to knock anything off my never-ending 'to read' list.

I might say the same as you above for those who have not seen the documentary, The West.

Perdita

 

[R. Richard]

perdita:
'The History Of The American Frontier' is an old book, possibly out of print. In the book, J. Frank Dobie attempt to analyze the history of the United States in terms of the continuing migration toward the American frontier.

Settlers (many with stolen farming equipment/wanted by the law) would go into the frontier and set up a farm. Later, civilization would catch up with the pioneers. Civilization had a lot to offer the pioneers and, strangely, the pioneers had a lot to offer civilization. The interaction between civilization and the pioneers meant great advances socially, technologically and even advances in the way Americans lived their day to day lives.

As far as I know, 'The History Of The American Frontier' is still the only United States history book available. (I am not referring to the lists of dates and events as chronicled by the victors that pass as history texts.)
R. Richard

 

[Guest]

Animal Farm, To Kill A Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, Great Expectations, The Scottish Play p), Romeo and Juliet, A Town Called Alice, Moonfleet, My Family and Other Animals, heck, there were loads. I enjoyed almost every single "required reading" book that was placed in my grubby little hands. Came away with a good grade, too.

Lou

 

[herecomestherain]

My Darling- My Hamburger was sensational, thanks for the blast from the past .

Other faves from school not necessarily on the official reading list, but I spent lots of time in the library...

Two books that were read to out loud in primary school that I loved- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Island of the Blue Dolphin.

Brave New World, The L Shaped Room, Pride and Prejudice, and about a squillion others.

 

[The_old_man]

"Ghinkus Kahn" (Pardon the spelling) by Harold Lamb
"I Married Adventure" by Osa Johnson
A series of factual accounts of WW1 German Hero's by a man who was a top pre-WW2 radio commentator. The one I remember the clearest was "Sea Adler, The Story of Count Luckner."

I practically learned to read from my grand fathers COMPLETE collection of National Geographic magazine. It was from issue 1, volume 1.

 

[R. Richard]

"Ghinkus Kahn" (Pardon the spelling) by Harold Lamb
"I Married Adventure" by Osa Johnson
A series of factual accounts of WW1 German Hero's by a man who was a top pre-WW2 radio commentator. The one I remember the clearest was "Sea Adler, The Story of Count Luckner."

I practically learned to read from my grand fathers COMPLETE collection of National Geographic magazine. It was from issue 1, volume 1.

Genghis Khan is the correct spelling. It is not a name but a title. The title means Khan of Khans or Emperor. The man's name was actually Temujen/Temujin (the Mongols did not use our alphabet and speelings may vary).

 

[Clare Quilty]

The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde, our class was that small that we all had separate characters.

I went to a high school that was so small (total student body of approximately 125) that I one semester in a course called reading lab, I was the only student. It was just me and Mrs. Pascalone and whomever happened to drop by, shooting the shit and occasionally napping. (reading lab was a decidedly unpopular elective course at my all boys prep school, wherein students (or student) read books of their choosing and then wrote papers about them. It was an automatic A, assuming you actually read something.)

Edited to say: There were bean-bag chairs in the reading lab, which kind of rocked.

 

[DarkDuchess]

The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, Antigone by Sophocles and of course, The Scottish Play and An Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. I had this great class, it was called British Writers, and you passed, maybe if the instructor liked you. It was the hardest I ever had to work at anything, and I loved it.

 

[Joe Wordsworth]

The Old Testament.

 

[yui]

"White Fang" by Jack London stands out from grade six for me. Wanted to live in Alaska, too...not so much with that idea now.

 

[alyxen]

And of course, the gosling remembered the book I was talking about. She's pretty handy to have around.

The dodecahedron (according to the index title) is in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

Might be a bit young for what you are looking for for the soon to be 13 year old, but it was a great book.

Here is a bit from the description:

"It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time," Milo laments. "[T]here's nothing for me to do, nowhere I'd care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing." This bored, bored young protagonist who can't see the point to anything is knocked out of his glum humdrum by the sudden and curious appearance of a tollbooth in his bedroom. Since Milo has absolutely nothing better to do, he dusts off his toy car, pays the toll, and drives through. What ensues is a journey of mythic proportions, during which Milo encounters countless odd characters who are anything but dull.

Norton Juster received (and continues to receive) enormous praise for this original, witty, and oftentimes hilarious novel, first published in 1961. In an introductory "Appreciation" written by
Maurice Sendak for the 35th anniversary edition, he states, "The Phantom Tollbooth leaps, soars, and abounds in right notes all over the place, as any proper masterpiece must." Indeed.

As Milo heads toward Dictionopolis he meets with the Whether Man ("for after all it's more important to know whether there will be weather than what the weather will be"), passes through The Doldrums (populated by Lethargarians), and picks up a watchdog named Tock (who has a giant alarm clock for a body). The brilliant satire and double entendre intensifies in the Word Market, where after a brief scuffle with Officer Short Shrift, Milo and Tock set off toward the Mountains of Ignorance to rescue the twin Princesses, Rhyme and Reason. Anyone with an appreciation for language, irony, or Alice in Wonderland-style adventure will adore this book for years on end. (Ages 8 and up)

edited to add link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0394815009/104-3289823-8761517

 

[Belegon]

The Phantom Tollbooth is one of my fav books from childhood! Bloody Brilliant!

 

[Guest]

I don't really have a favorite book from my youth, but there was a short story in on of the english lit textbooks that I loved and wish I could find a copy of. It was about a young, rather stupid knight who hunted dragons. He was terrified of them at first but someone gave him some sort of fake charm and he killed dozens of dragons thinking he was invincable. Then one day a tired old dragon told him the charm was a fake. he was never seen again.

If anyone knows the story or the author I would love to have it.

 

[alyxen]

I remember enjoying The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis as a..child for lack of better memory.

I don't recall reading any others, but apparantly they are making a movie out of it now.

The Walt Disney Studios Enter Into Agreement With Walden Media to Produce "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"

7/31/02: "Shrek" Director Andrew Adamson To Helm "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe" For Walden

12/06/01: Walden Media To Produce C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe"

http://www.narnia.com/movie/news/movienews_030104.htm

The link contains the full stories for the above items and was a bit long to copy and paste here.

 

[Boota]

We weren't forced to read very many books. Most of our reading was for books of our own choosing. Back in school I liked it that way, but after I got out I felt a huge gap in my education, so I read some of the classics on my own. The last book I had to read was The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which I hated. In seventh grade we read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. My fourth grade book report was of my choosing and I did it on The Amityville Horror. My teacher was horrified that my parents would let me read stuff like that. I told her that it was either going to be The Amityville Horror or The Exorcist. I hadn't seen either movie at that point, but my teacher had. The first book I remember being assigned in school was in first grade and it was Mike Milligan and His Steamshovel.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

My Darling My Hamburger - Paul Zindel

Is it about Eating Disorders?

 

[Guest]

Is it about Eating Disorders?

And she does it again (cracked me up). P.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

Originally posted by perdita

___________________________________
Originally posted by pixiesjuice
My Darling My Hamburger - Paul Zindel
___________________________________

Pix, please explain. Intriguing title.

Perdita

Sturm und Drang surrounding teenage dating, which inevitably leads to sex, which inevitably leads to pregnancy, which inevitably leads to heart burnings and a search for a back alley, illegal abortionist.

Written in 1969, three years before Roe v. Wade, and still found in some highschool curriculums.

Latest media connection: Was the preferred literature textbook in Dangerous Minds the film version of My Posse Don't Do Homework.

 

[Wildcard Ky]

I don't know that either had any profound effect on me, but the two books that I enjoyed the most were the oddysey of Homer and Macbeth.

 

[cpk50]

To Kill a Monkingbird Harper Lee