Forget-Me-Nots: Ordinary Jack

This is a feature on my blog for highlighting books I enjoyed in childhood and the teenage years that I don't see getting much attention nowadays.

Ordinary Jack by Helen Cresswell

This may have been the cover of our copy (though I have this memory of it being bright red...oh well):

Apparently it's been re-vamped a few times since then:

Goodreads' description:


"Everybody in Jack's family seems to be brilliant - apart from Jack and his downtrodden dog Zero. Even his little sister can beat him at swimming. But Jack's uncle Parker has come up with a plan to make him and Zero shine: they'll pretend that Jack can tell the future! If only they could foresee what chaos the plan will cause . . ."
 
One comedic incident after another occurs when Jack, feeling depressed that he has no apparent talents as his siblings do, pretends — helped along by his mischief-making Uncle Parker — that he has psychic abilities. I'm warning you now: this one will make you laugh until it hurts! There are so many quirky characters in Ordinary Jack and when they are all in the same place at the same time there's no telling what will happen. This is actually the first in the "Bagthorpe Saga" and I've only read one or two others...must get around to reading some more!

Did anyone else read and love this one?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!

The Rites and Wrongs of Janice Wills by Joanna Pearson

Goodreads' description:

"For anyone who's ever survived a rite of passage or performed a mating dance at Prom . . .

The Japanese hold a Mogi ceremony for young women coming of age. Latina teenagers get quinceaneras. And Janice Wills of Melva, NC ... has to compete in the Miss Livermush pageant.
Janice loves anthropology--the study of human cultures--and her observations help her identify useful rules in the chaotic world of high school. For instance: Dancing is an effective mating ritual--but only if you're good at it; Hot Theatre Guys will never speak to Unremarkable Smart Girls like Janice and her best friend, Margo; and a Beautiful Rich Girl will always win Melva's annual Miss Livermush pageant.
But when a Hot Theatre Guy named Jimmy Denton takes an interest in Janice, all her scientific certainties explode. For the first time, she has to be part of the culture that she's always observed; and all the charts in the world can't prove how tough--and how sweet--real participation and a real romance can be.

Funny, biting, and full of wisdom, this marks the debut of a writer to watch."

I love the sound of the anthropological angle on this one. High school culture could be very interesting and funny analyzed from an anthropological perspective! Plus the pun in the title just adds to the awesomeness :D

Also, I am being interviewed today by Tiger at All Consuming Books! If you'd like to see my answers to some great bookish questions, then check out my "Better Know a Blogger" interview.
 

Top Ten Tuesday: Characters You Would Name Your Kids After

The "Top Ten Tuesday" meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is characters we'd name our kids after.

It's been a while since I've done a Top Ten Tuesday post so I'm glad to be joining in the meme again, and the topic this week is such a fun one!

1.) Alanna of Trebond (The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce) — I totally idolized Alanna when I was a kid. She's so full of energy and courage and can do anything she puts her mind to! Plus I just like the sound and spelling of the name.

2.) Elinor Dashwood (Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen) — Elinor embodies a quiet strength and perseverance that is very admirable. Also, I prefer this spelling to Eleanor.

3.) Meliara Astiar (Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith) — Meliara has plenty of faults but there is much to look up to in her character as well. She's extremely determined to do what is right (even when she doesn't know exactly what that is) and tries hard to educate herself so she can make better decisions as the novel progresses. And I really like the way her name rolls off the tongue.

4.) Taran of Caer Dallben (The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander) —I love Taran, he grows from an impetuous boy into a steady leader and we get to see this development through the series! His name isn't fancy, but it's solid and dependable, like him.

5.) Cassia (Matched by Ally Condie) — Her name just sounds really beautiful. And Cassia may start out blind to the problems in her society, but she gradually gains a greater awareness of everything that's going on around her, and I'm looking forward to seeing her character develop even further in the next books.

6.) Ophelia (Hamlet by Shakespeare) —Okay, um, I wouldn't really name my kid Ophelia because the name is way too famous and her character doesn't exactly meet a pleasant end. But I do like the way it looks and sounds.

7.) Eleda (The Truth-Teller's Tale by Sharon Shinn) — I like that her name is "Adele" backwards (Adele is her twin) and I much prefer her character to her sister. Eleda is a truth-teller, so she is honest, forthright, and she takes things seriously.

8.) Jasmyn (Jasmyn by Alex Bell) — I wasn't that thrilled with her character, actually, but I absolutely love the spelling of her name. Jasmine ordinarily is quite pretty anyway, but Jasmyn just makes it a little more exotic.

9.) Kent — there are two fictional Kents I like, actually. One is from Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, and the other is from Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn. And interestingly enough they both are honourable guys who try to do the right thing and have to deal with girls who need to learn to be a bit more aware of themselves and others.

10.) David (the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld) — I've always really liked the name David, I think it's my favorite guy name, so perhaps I was already a little biased towards his character when we first meet him in Uglies. Nevertheless, he's got some great qualities: he's competent and confident living in the wild, he's extremely loyal and trustworthy, and he never gives up.

Judging from this list it looks like if I have a daughter she'll end up with a three-syllable name ending in 'a', and if I have a son he will get a shorter and perhaps old-fashioned-sounding name, LOL.

Head's-Up: Inkpop Writing Challenge for A Touch Mortal

I know there are a lot of bloggers anticipating Leah Clifford's A Touch Mortal and a lot of bloggers who enjoy creative writing, so some of you might be interested in a writing contest going on at inkpop.com this week.

The challenge? "Write a story, poem or essay that take a paranormal creature or character and puts them in a more mortal setting. Now werewolves don't roam the woods, but rather shop on the streets of Paris. Or Angels are finding themselves stuck in art museums rather than heaven. Write a poem, short story or essay that takes something or someone out of their natural element."

You can find all of the details about how to enter HERE. Prizes include A Touch Mortal and the winner's choice of other HarperTeen books! The deadline is Feb. 10th. Good luck! :)

Find the Gap: Characters

Last week we discussed settings that we'd like to see more of in YA. This week: characters! There are some types of protagonists that are very common in YA these days. There's the kick-butt heroine in fantasy novels, the geek who gets dissed by all the 'cool kids' in contemporary, and the girl who just can't stay away from that bad boy who might be a vampire or werewolf in paranormal. But what are some character traits or qualities you think are missing?

Here are a few to start things off:

- Tall people. I am decidedly taller than average (um, I'm about 6', actually) and I would love to see more YA novels where the protagonist is tall and has to deal with the problems of living in a world made for people of average height. (Trust me, there are some definite disadvantages. Like finding jeans that are long enough, and dealing with extremely cramped legs in buses and airplanes.)

- People of color, particularly in genres outside of contemporary. It would be great to have more protagonists of Asian or African background, for instance, in fantasy, sci-fi, and dystopian novels. I think this is becoming a little more common (for instance, Silver Phoenix springs to mind) but they are still few and far between.


- Characters with fairly functional families and close relationships with their parents. I've seen this brought up by other bloggers and I have to say I agree - not every teen has a family that is wildly dysfunctional! If you went by contemporary YA, though, you'd think that it was normal to have either daily confrontations with your parents or ones who never appeared involved in your life at all.

- Individuals who stutter or have some kind of speech impediment. It's rare to have a protagonist who stutters, particularly if that is not the 'point' of the book but rather just a trait of the character. But hey, in real life some people stutter!

The King of England stuttered! (I haven't seen this movie yet, but I want to).

What are some types of characters you'd like to see pop up more often in YA? And any books you'd like to suggest that might help to fill some of these gaps?