Newbery Books discussion

There are only two things in my life that I don't put off until the last minute. One is doing the payroll for work and the other is reading a Newbery Award winner each month. But if someone else doesn't post here first it's hard for me to remember how and when to do it. Anyway, here's my review: The real hero of this story is Jerry Spinelli. What beautiful writing. This is a modern day legend about homelessness. Maniac is so upbeat, turning every bad situation into a good one. The chapters about Grayson learning to read are so vivid, the characteristics of the alphabet, the comparison to baseball, so poetic. My favorite paragraph: "I'm reading," yipped the old man. His smile was so wide he'd have to break it into sections to fit it through a doorway.
Did we skip May 2010?

this is the May discussion, so we're on track. Next month is the 2010 winner.

I loved this book. I thought the writing and characterization were brilliant, and I loved that Spinelli made the story feel like a myth instead of fiction. It's like he captured one of those fun urban legends down on paper to keep the tradition alive. Maniac is such a wonderful character and the way he is written just brings so much of the story to life.