Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts

FINDING DOROTHY by Elizabeth Letts is a LibraryReads choice for February 2019 which will definitely appeal to readers of historical fiction and of works by authors like Lisa Wingate, Paula McClain, and Melanie Benjamin. In Letts’ novel, Maud Gage Baum, the widow of L. Frank Baum, is in Hollywood during the 1938-39 filming of The Wizard of Oz, but the story also moves back and forth in time to recount her childhood and married years. It is a fictionalized account filled with real people and events like Maud’s early life near Syracuse, her stint as an undergrad at Cornell and times with her husband in South Dakota and Chicago. As such, the text also offers an informative look at turn of the century America and a more rural time.  In addition, there is a theme of women’s rights – due to connections to Maud’s mother who was a fairly famous suffragette, to dangers of pregnancy, and to later treatment of Hollywood actresses like the young Judy Garland.   

Booklist called Maud “a fascinating character” and I totally concur; I especially enjoyed seeing how elements of her life story may have found their way into Baum’s books. Publishers Weekly gave FINDING DOROTHY a starred review. There are many surprises and much for fans of the movie to enjoy here.

Talking Pictures by Ann Hornaday

TALKING PICTURES by Ann Hornaday, the film critic for The Washington Post, is a new book that I am excited to share with our Lit and Film teachers and their students. Subtitled “How to Watch Movies” and based on her earlier series of articles, Hornaday says she structured this non-fiction work roughly according to a film’s production, with chapters on The Screenplay, Acting, Editing, Directing and more.  Hornaday offers multiple examples throughout and she argues that “all films have an essential grammar in common: a lexicon of visual, aural, and performance conventions that link them to each other, or, when those conventions are cleverly subverted, constitute an invigorating break.” I particularly appreciated her efforts to reach out to the reader, increasingly perhaps an informal reviewer on social media, and to include some leading questions that “viewers can ask themselves after they’ve seen a movie to ascertain whether it succeeded in particular craft areas.”  For example, she suggests reflecting on: Were the people in the movie complex, unpredictable, believable? Did I care about them? Did they change or stay the same? TALKING PICTURES will be an extremely valuable resource for our students and a copy is available in the library now.

More Young Adult Fiction ...

The list of ABE nominees are here (in a pdf) and this year Susan sponsored students who were reading and voting on selections for the list – that was exciting, especially when they were recognized by the Board of Education for their efforts!  As a group, the Librarians at New Trier will be talking about these books in the next few weeks and I am sure some more reviews will appear here.  In the meantime, here’s a mix of recent Young Adult titles, some of which might appear on the ABE list in the future:

Don’t you love the cover of THE BEAUTY THAT REMAINS by Ashley Woodfolk (March 6; Random House; SLJ: Grade 9 up)? The story is also multi-faceted, being told from three perspectives by racially diverse characters: Autumn, Shay, and Logan each of whom have lost someone they loved (a best friend to a car crash, a twin to leukemia and a boyfriend to apparent suicide). They, too, need to rebuild and reform their lives and get beyond the shocking situations, the panic attacks and the self-medicating with alcohol. Debut author Woodfolk weaves a darker and very emotional tale as these three try to cope with grief, saying at one point, “Lying is the new language we speak. It’s the only way we can talk at all.” Gradually, though, they begin to rely on new friendships and a shared interest in music. THE BEAUTY THAT REMAINS received a starred review from School Library Journal. 

A GIRL LIKE THAT by Tanaz Bhathena (February 27; Farrar, Straus and Giroux; SLJ: Grade 8 up) has another very compelling cover and insightfully explores some heavy themes. This story, told from multiple viewpoints, offers a look at life in Saudi Arabia for a young orphan girl named Zarin Wadia. Her aunt criticizes and restricts her actions constantly and, as Kirkus says, there are “graphic descriptions of assault and sexual abuse.” Zarin has difficulty establishing friendships (unlike her Muslim school mates, she is Zoroastrian) and she rebels, acting out by smoking cigarettes and sneaking around with male friends. Readers will feel compassion for her and anger at her difficulties coping with such a controlling and often sexist society. A GIRL LIKE THAT received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal. Read an excerpt here.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE by Cori McCarthy (April 1, 2018; Sourcebooks; SLJ: Grade 8 up) is an unusual blend of present day movie making and a fantasy story.  As it begins, Iris Thorne (17) and her young brother Ryder are arriving in Ireland to observe the filming of their grandmother’s fantasy epic named Elementia. Iris has a trust fund established by her grandmother and is clearly privileged.  She doesn’t seem to recognize this and spends an inordinate amount of time sulking and bemoaning her in loco parentis role as well as obsessing over the strained relationship she has with her father. Good for her that there are several supportive cast members and an empowering, feminist-leaning director. Seemingly on a quest herself and experiencing romance for the first time, Iris does an amazing amount of maturing in just over a week or so as the filming zigs and zags from one crisis to another. 

Although not too realistic, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE is ultimately an uplifting, hopeful story and I have two favorite quotes:  “My ma has a saying.  It’s a life policy, really. Do something that scares you every day.” And…   “Say that the book is a sculpture. You can walk around the story.  You can touch it. You can view it up close or far away.  That is why people love books.  The stories interact with your memories, your experiences.  They are personalized.  Movies? Movies are a picture of that same statue.  The parameters are set. The characters have defined faces. The scenes artistically rendered to one person’s vision.” Can’t wait to use that description in my next booktalk!  In the meantime, hope you find a book that speaks to YOU.