Conocimiento común

Fecha de nacimiento: 1935-08-20
Género: female
Nacionalidad: USA
Lugares de residencia: New York, New York, USA
Ocupaciones: art dealer
editor
Relaciones: Herzig, Alan (husband)
Organizaciones: Editors Ink
Premios y honores: National Book Award (1981)
Biografía breve: From "Contemporary Authors":

"On my thirteenth birthday I asked my parents to paint my bedroom dark green and build bookcases on every available wall. My mother was horrified. It seemed like living in a cave to her. But it felt like a library to me and I loved books. Louisa May Alcott, Felix Salten, E. B. White, Marjorie Rawlings, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Dumas, Kipling, Stevenson, Harper Lee, Mary O'Hara, Eric Knight. The list goes on and on. I read at meals and under the covers at night and dreamed of growing up to be a story teller..."

Miembros

Reseñas

Mystery on October Road por Alison Cragin. Herzig

00002105

Denunciada

lcslibrarian | Aug 13, 2020 |

The Boonsville Bombers por Alison Cragin. Herzig

00002070

Denunciada

lcslibrarian | Aug 13, 2020 |

Thaddeus por Alison Cragin Herzig

This is a short chapter book and definitely under appreciated. Thaddeus Quimby Jones was born on Christmas, and named for his great-great uncle Thaddeus Quimby. Each birthday is recorded in a book created by the elderly Thaddeus, complete with illustrations and reminiscences. The continuities from one year to the next, and the bond between the two make for a remarkably lovely story. Well done!

I have to say that the subtleties of the story might make it more appreciated by adults than children.… (más)

Denunciada

2wonderY | Aug 22, 2019 |

A Word to the Wise por Alison Cragin Herzig and Jane Lawrence Mali

I read and reread this book frequently as a child, and my recent reread as an adult reminded me why I used to enjoy this book so much. It's about a small group of kids who are reading-challenged and have to be in "O Group," the group for the slower kids. They aren't allowed to use the big shelves in the library, and aren't motivated to learn to read better. But one day one of the books from the big shelves is accidentally left on the O Group table. It has all the allure of forbidden fruit, and the children steal it on a whim. It turns out to be a thesaurus, and the children take turns with it. The power of language and knowledge found in the thesaurus helps each of the children deal with some problem in his or her life. For Henry, the overweight boy, it gives synonyms for "fat" that inspire him to start exercising and go on a diet. For Beegee, the synonyms for "stupid" give him ammo to use on the bigger kids when they push him around at school. For Jonathan, the thesaurus provides a strong speech for his father who is running for a city office. For the rich girl Amanda, it gives all the words that mean "friend." And so on.

I love how this story is so character-driven. Each child is depicted with a realistic personality and believable dialogue. The story is a bit younger than I remember (the kids are in fifth grade), but I thought their interactions with each other and their teachers were age-appropriate. I'm convinced the teacher who made all the fuss about the O Group not being allowed to have the book and then questioning them sternly about it when it was missed had plotted the whole thing from start to finish. And the culminating scene, of the O Group leading a campaign against the disgusting school lunches, shows that words have the power to effect change, and it doesn't matter how old you are if you have an idea to make things better.

This is a fun little story and one that I will be sure to share with my children. Recommended.… (más)