[ABCDE] VOLUME 8, IssUE 4 Reviewing a Whirl of Books CLEMENTE BOTELHO Study and respond to an author’s work from many perspectives — feature, interview and review. INSIDE The Book Writing Literary Preparation Writing Charts A Book of a Great President 5 Life 12 16 Review 29 December 8, 2008 © 2008 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program About Reviewing a Whirl of Books Lesson: Writing a book review enhances Book World is awhirl with possibilities. Book reviews appraise reading skills; critical thinking; analytic, the latest releases and, occasionally, remind us of works that evaluative and explanatory abilities; and deserve dusting off for a second reading. Works for young composition fluency. adult readers, works of fiction and nonfiction, biography, global Level: Low to High affairs, society, science and travel. Subjects: English, Reading Related Activity: Journalism, AP English The Book World staff and guest critics direct busy readers to Language and Composition books that are excellent uses of their time or are questionable purchases. Books that would make great gifts, engage a child or please a Sinophile. Their reviews are mini-lectures, introducing new topics in history, culture, and the arts and sciences to be explored. In The Writing Life, authors share insights, inspirations and demons they have confronted as writers. They tell how a phrase mesmerized, a good pen directed, a translator improved and style developed. Book World editor Marie Arana provides a short bio that reveals another dimension of each writer’s life. This guide’s content includes book reviews to study as models, a close reading technique, guidelines to writing a book review, and exercises in reading charts and doing online research of publishing companies. Book World editors and reviewers chose their ten Best Books of the Year. Three of them are included in these activities — A Mercy, 2666 and Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer. e- A reminder to Post INSIDE program teachers: If Replica you plan to use articles in this guide in the e-Replica format more than three months after their publication date, remember to bookmark them to use this school year. NIE Online Guide Editor — Carol Lange Art Editor — Carol Porter Send comments about this guide to: Margaret Kaplow, Educational Services Manager, [email protected] 2 December 8, 2008 © 2008 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, IssUE 4 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Reviewing a Whirl of Books The Write Word Enter Book World where you will discover book reviews, a schedule of Having a pool of words to consider when reviews to appear in the coming week in the Style section, and writers writing a book review can be very helpful. talking about writing. Online the Book World staff writes a “daily blog, These terms were used more than once in Short Stack, a conversation about literary news, gossip, history and Book World reviews. trends” and posts podcasts of interviews. Readers are encouraged to join Michael Dirda’s Reading Room, an ongoing discussion of books Accessible (washingtonpost.com/reading room). Attempt Competent Conventional Get Acquainted with Authors in dialogue with the author, asking Credible, credibility Both Book World and the questions and staying after to do a Discrepancy Style section of The Washington follow-up. Droll Post provide opportunities to Before or after attending one of Excruciating get acquainted with authors these events, students could read Exemplary through books about and by them, the featured work and write a book Flaw, flawed interviews, features such as The review. The review might include Genre Writing Life, and reviews. Collect comments made by the author in Imaginative, imaginable these for use with your students. his or her opening remarks and Inconsistent Older students should be Q and A. Interweaving encouraged to read the Style section In this guide, we provide a Juxtaposition and Book World. In addition photo pairing that could be done by Lucid galleries, podcasts and blogs found teachers with other authors Miss, near-hit, winner on www.washingtonpost.com that appear in The Post: a Narrative enrich the experience. December 4, 2008, feature and Nuanced KidsPost includes interviews with the November 9, 2008, Book One-dimensional authors of children’s and young World review. Toni Morrision is Ostensibly adult works to encourage students the only living American Nobel Over-simplification to begin the habit of reading and laureate in literature. In “Window Protagonist getting acquainted with authors. to the Soulful” Post writer Bob Sentimental Two of these features are included Thompson interviews Morrison Setting in this guide: “Giving Girls a Voice who has published a new book, Slow-paced in History,” an interview with A Mercy. Strategy “American Girl” author Valerie To add another dimension to Style, stylistic, stylist, stylings Tripp, and “‘Inkheart’ Comes to an the study: On washingtonpost. Syntax Emotional End,” an interview with com, teachers can also download, Trenchant Cornelia Funke. the first chapter of the novel to do The Literary Calendar in Book a close reading, discuss style and World indicates where and when consider Morrison’s establishment authors will be reading from their of time, setting and characters. recent works in the D.C. area, most Also use the podcast of a Book at no cost. Also included are special World interview and view a photo events such as the annual PEN/ gallery. Malamud Award Memorial Reading at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Read a Chart These can be great enrichment and “Washington Area Bestsellers,” beyond-the-classroom experiences near the back of Book World, for teachers, students and their families. Often students can engage CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 3 December 8, 2008 © 2008 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, IssUE 4 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 • In what ways does the teaser Read About It provide information beyond what charts ten bestsellers in each of the title provides? (If the title Dillard, Annie four categories: Paperback Fiction, and other information fill three The Writing Life Paperback Nonfiction/General, lines, no teaser is provided.) Harper Perennial. 1990 Hardcover Fiction and Hardcover • What information is provided Nonfiction/General. Discuss the in the key at the bottom of the Hass, Robert organization of the chart with chart? What validity is added Now & Then: The Poet’s Choice students. to the information knowing the Columns, 1997-2000 Before sending students to this source is an outside company? Counterpoint. 2008 page in the current Book World, • Why is the information provided you might use the reproducible in the charts helpful to busy King, Stephen found in this guide: “Focus on readers? On Writing Washington Area BESTSELLERS,” Before writing a book review, Pocket. 2002 one of the four charts found in this students could be asked to write a standing column. Note the format chart entry for the books they have Paris Review and information provided. Teachers read. This would be a lesson in The Paris Review Interviews II might also spend more time brevity and finding the right word Picador. 2007 discussing the two- to ten-word as well as following a format. After teaser, a short note that captures the entries are completed, students Prose, Francine an aspect of the book. could determine the categories Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Give students “What Books Are for the charts (or use The Post’s Who Love Books and for Those Who Want People in the D.C. Metropolitan categories) and classify their to Write Them Area Buying?” Answers are books. Harper Perennial. 2007 found at the end of these lesson suggestions. This reproducible Learn More About Publishing New York Times might be used to enhance reading Use the information in the Writers on Writing, Volume II: More or as a quiz following discussion of “Washington Area Bestsellers” Collected Essays from The New York Times the charts. charts or have students compile Times Books. 2004 In addition to the questions a list of publishers of the books found in the reproducible, you reviewed in Book World. Do small could discuss: publishing houses as well as large • Distinguish “paperback” and ones have titles on the lists? “hardcover.” Are books reprinted Divide students into groups as paperback after being popular to complete a Web search to hardcover titles? Which types of learn more about the publishing books are more likely to begin as companies. Give each group paperback books? three to four book companies • Some of the top sellers have to research. After completing been on the chart for many the online inquiry, classify the weeks and others are new. What publishers. factors might keep a book more Contact a published author or a than 90 weeks on the bestseller writers group in your community list? for a guest speaker. Topics would • Which three books have been on include how to get started as a the Washington Area Bestsellers published author, the benefits/ list more weeks than any others? drawbacks of smaller versus a Why might so many people in large publishing company and self- the D.C. area have purchased these titles? CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 4 December 8, 2008 © 2008 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 8, IssUE 4 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 students to think about a book’s The Writing Life content and readers. publishing/vanity press, and advice Book World provides a column, Book World editor Marie Arana conceived on overcoming writer’s block. “For Young Readers,” that gives a column written by writers about their short reviews of recent releases.