Jacob

@classtweets285 Agreed sometimes it’s hard to connect actual people to the stories we here through the news but when those people got out of their way to tell their own narratives it allows the stories to hold a lot more weight

#285WLU10 I think stories like Beah's are told on such a removed basis, at the UN for example, that it can be hard to fully understand the extent of it. I think putting this book in the Tween genre opens kids up to a deeper sense of compassion and understanding of these issues

Beah’s text really holds a lot of respect for its audience. He doesn’t shy away from telling the details of his story while others might have tried to lessen the the severity of the details he knows tweens can handle it as he did himself #285WLU10

@jennaajackson I think that’s a great point to make to young readers. I know when I was younger I wanted nothing to do with my family but I think reading something like this would’ve made me realize the love you can feel from family

The poem "sometimes, no words are needed" made me think of experiences with my own grandfather & the concept of finding comfort with those you love. The poet becomes lost in her experiences & hopes that this peace will always be here, breaking away from harsh realities. #285WLU9

Brown Girl Dreaming is a really interesting tween text. I imagine that the segmented poems would be appealing to tweens who wouldn’t want to read long stretches of novel and can instead pick small sections to read at a time #285WLU9

@JeffEn285 @EmilySavoie3 In the edition I have there’s a bit at the back where Gaiman specifically cites his love of The Jungle Book as a driving inspiration for his novel even the titles match

@EmilySavoie3 Yes I completely agree with the similarities and I think the author even did it purposely! Like the comparison with the ghouls and the monkeys from The Jungle Book are almost mirror images of each other. They both are seen as minor antagonists and kidnap the main characters.

The use of Jack is a really good example of why kids shouldn’t always trust adults. He appears nice and kind to Scarlet and her mother only to achieve his end goal of finding Bod. People are not always what they make themselves out to be #285WLU8

@MaiaWLU I also noticed that the chapters were way longer than other tween novels. I think it allows Gaiman to explore a central emotion or theme much more in-depth than if the chapters were shorter

The chapters in this book are similar to those in the Mary Poppins series, as they conclude with Bod unsure of what truly occurred in his adventures while the adults keep the full story from him, though his tales are never brushed off like the Banks kids #285WLU7

I remember hearing Gaiman talk about how you have to be a lot more intentional with words when writing for children, I really get a sense of that in this text. Everything is laid out clear for a young reader and I love how time isn’t wasted explaining how the world works #285WLU7

@En285Gtobe Possibly, I didn’t really have a limit for what I was looking at online so I’m sure I’ve saw different ads than other kids that age

@JacobLasby Interesting; do you feel like you had a more unadulterated childhood because you grew up with - at least a little - less exposure to targeted advertising? #285WLU6

It’s easier to say limit a child’s exposure to marketing than actually put it into practice. I was raised without a tv for the majority of my childhood and still had lots of exposure to ads even without the commercials my peers experienced #285WLU6

@emmadav78039083 I think Swifts first few albums set unrealistic expectations at how love is easy and takes little effort between partners. It’s through her more recent songs that I feel a better representation of life and love appears. Even Taylor has bad days and bad relationships

It’s interesting the read the New Yorker article praising Swift on being perfect for being drama free... but I think most tweens actually relate to experiencing drama and identity changes - so more similar to Swift’s album “reputation”, which occurred because of drama #285WLU6

@JeffEn285 I noticed the same thing Jeff because Ella has always had to obey orders if she wanted to or not it would make sense for her to ask if is someone is comfortable

Ella always asks for the consent of others but only a few give it back. Consent should be a 2 ways street and this is an important concept. Ella being under this “blessing” is an over exaggeration of consent and shows the importance of obtaining before actions are made. #285WLU5

It’s interesting that Lucinda isn’t great at her job. It presents the idea to tweens that even though an adult may have power they may not be capable of making the best decisions. Encouraging readers to question the authority of adults and make their own decisions #285WLU5

@SamanthaPrior8 Great point! The curse isn’t inherently bad until someone takes advantage of it. So really if the people were all kind there could be no conflict

When Mandy said that Ella's father was human because only humans could be as selfish as he is, it made me think about how humans are the "real monsters" in this text because they are the ones who take advantage of, are cruel, and pass judgement. #285WLU4

Since the book is a play on Cinderella and obedience I feel it necessary to share this clip #285WLU4 youtu.be/CwQrEUZDJCk

I enjoy that no one puts Ella at fault for her curse. It’s almost treated as a disability as it’s something she’s had since birth and is a part of her. I especially like they way her mother was conscious of it and was careful with her words #285WLU4

@ChrisXu_ It really is fun to see how capable they are when given the means to do so. Especially that they beat the Olaf by just reading and figuring things out themselves!

I love how the explanations of words are played off as jokes in the text. It doesn’t feel belittling until it’s done by an actual character in the story, really fun bit I enjoyed. #285WLU3

I like how much independence Harriet has to do her own thing. I’m sure that if the book was more modern the range of independence,especially in New York, would be way smaller. Probably not as interesting either