We don't do stars...
We don't do thumbs...
We read children's books and grade them in 10 categories:
literary quality
plot
voice
originality
descriptive ability
humor (if attempted)
illustrations (if present)
believability of characters
believability of situations
overall reading enjoyment

There is no grading curve. There are no points for classroom participation. There is no extra credit.
If you disagree, come speak to us after class.

The Grading System

A+.....this means (guess what) we think it's great. So great it surprised even us.
A.....this means it's pretty darn good. A book we'd recommend to just about everyone we know.
B.....better than most. Not exactly Shakespeare for kids, though, if you get our drift.
C.....mediocre. Like the color beige, it didn't stand out.
D.....we didn't like it. There were more bad aspects than good ones.
F.....it reeked of badness. We read it over and over when we are in dire need of hysterical laughter.
F-.....We're pretty sure Dante had a circle of hell for the people who wrote these...and a lower circle for those who published them.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Reporter's Review: Anything But Typical, by Nora Raleigh Baskin


Simon and Schuster; 2009

Overall Grade: A

Even for a typical kid, it can be hard getting by from one school day to the next. Hard to relate. Hard to figure out the right thing to do at the right moment. But Jason is anything but typical, and for him, every day is a battle to be the best version of himself he can be. He finds release and happiness in writing short stories and sharing them with an online friend from a creative writing website--but will his happiness last when he gets the chance to meet her in person where he can't hide behind his stories?
Anything But Typical is well-written, with a cast of great characters, all very believable and well-developed. Nora Raleigh Baskin's story is touching as well as important, and she brings it masterfully to life with excellent metaphors and descriptions, great pacing, and a wonderful first-person voice. The one drawback was a slight difficulty following the plot in a few moments; because the story is told from Jason's viewpoint, there are times when it was hard to tell whether what he was revealing was his daydreams or actual events.
This is one for the Newbery watch list.
Literary Quality: A-
Plot: A-
Voice: A+
Originality: A-
Descriptive Ability: A+
Humor: n/a
Illustrations: n/a
Believability of Characters: A+
Believability of Situations: A+
Overall Reading Enjoyment: A+

Possibly objectionable topics*: bullying
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1 comment:

Writing101 said...

I love Anything But Typical!
I just finished it today, and I cried so much!! Good book, I reccomend it to everyone!

December 10, 2011 at 7:41 AM

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