Last week I spent 40 minutes every morning reading CINDERSKELLA to my daughter's 4th grade class. The book was, of course, met with rave reviews.
I love children. They are so non-discriminating. They probably would have loved it if the story was horrible. But the fact that they laughed, raised their hands and made predictions about plot lines and characters really told me they were listening. And that can't be faked.
Even the boys liked what was ultimately a girls story.
So I asked the children to fill out questionaires about the story. The following are my favorite responses that I received.
Q: What was Awesome?
A: EVERTHING! (thank you, thank you. *bows*)
A: When Cindy turns into a skeleton. (yes, that happens a lot. guess most of it was awesome then :D )
A: When Cindy's foot comes off. (i think a boy must have liked that)
Q: What was Boring?
A: Nothing! (i agree.)
Q: What was Confusing?
A: Nothing! (so glad! i happen to think it's pretty un-boring myself.)
Q: What was your favorite part?
A: When Cindy eats the pickled pigs feet. (that's my favorite part too)
A: When Cindy was talking about "once upon a time" thing. It was funny. (i think that's funny too. you really hear cindy's voice.)
Q: Use one word to describe this book.
A: Awesome! (i like awesome)
A: Bestseller! (i like bestseller even better!)
Q: Could you relate to the main character, Cindy?
A: No. Because she's a girl and I'm not a girl and I don't turn into a skeleton. (well, that's a good reason to not be able to relate.)
A: Yes. Because she finds out she's not weird and accepts herself. (AWWW! Seriously!! This is why I write!!)
One child wrote me a note at the end of the questionaire (but I don't know who since these were done anonymously). It said, "KEEP WRITING!"
Thank you sweet child. I do believe I will.
Friday, June 18, 2010
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6 comments:
god, what awesome feedback. the power of a great story. we humans are fueled by stories, yes we are. kids prove it. all these silly distinctions our culture makes about what boys are into and girls are into, blue versus pink, is crap for the most part. give us a good story, of overcoming. great post.
i think you're right, ed. it's human nature to want to see how others overcome trials and struggles. it's even better if you can laugh along the way!
LOL! I love the answer to "Could you relate to the main character, Cindy?" I cracked up. xD
the kids were great! love their answers!
That's just awesome. Like your story. Kids are terrific.
awh. thanks angie. you're sweet. i just need an agent to think it's terrific too!
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