Book Lists

Besides being classic tales, what else do Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, and Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol have in common? Well, to varying degrees of success, they each portray a child with disabilities. There is Mary Ingalls, Laura’s elder sister, who becomes blind as a result of scarlet fever; there is Colin, the ill tempered and bedridden cousin in The Secret Garden; and of course who can forget the trope of the crutch-using, impoverished but uncomplaining Tiny Tim in the Dickens classic?

Disability studies, a thriving academic field, can be used as a lens to understand portrayals of children with different embodied/cognitive conditions in middle grade literature. One way is to understand the different ways that disability itself is defined. Scholars have suggested there may be at least three historical models/theories of disability:

1. The Metaphysical/Spiritual Model: This is the predominantly historical idea that disability is caused by, or represents, some sort of spiritual failing. Consider, for instance, that in The Secret Garden, the character Colin becomes able to walk once he is befriended by Mary. As soon as his emotional failings (some serious bad attitude) are overcome, so too are his physical disabilities.

2. The Medical Model: This is the notion that disabilities can be primarily understood as physical impairments, and therefore, necessarily have medical solutions. This would be the perspective that all Tiny Tim needs is a visit to an orthopedic surgeon, or a physical therapist.

3. The Social Model: This perspective suggests that we all may have differing physical, emotional, cognitive, etc. abilities, but that environmental and social obstacles – from a lack of wheelchair ramps to prejudicial attitudes – are how disabilities are socially constructed. While Little House is by no means a perfect example of portraying disability, the fact that Mary’s visual impairment is considered in the context of her family, that Laura is often written describing their visual environment to her sister, and Mary, in turn, is an active agent – correcting Laura when she exaggerates, suggests a more social understanding of Mary’s disability.

So where does that leave middle grade novels portraying disability today?

The online “disability scoop”- a source for developmental disability news – suggests that children with disabilities remain underrepresented in children’s literature. Quoting a December 2010 issue of the journal Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, the article suggests that out of 131 winners of the Newbery Medal and Honor, just 31 included a main or supporting character with a disability between 1975 and 2009. According to the article, a similar study in 2006 found that Caldecott Medal and Honor books provided inaccurate views of life with a disability and failed to accurately represent the prevalence of various disabilities.

Even when books do portray children with disabilities, a common critique is that such books sometimes adopt stereotypical ‘movie of the week’ patterns whereby the character with a disability is either overtly extraordinary (Think Rain Man) or pitiably in need of rescue. In the words of disabled poet Mark O’Brien in the documentary of his life, Breathing Lessons, “There are two stereotypes about disabled people: 1. we can do everything. 2. we can’t do anything.”

But there is help out there for writers who would like to portray children with disabilities in their work. Based on various anti-bias curricula, this list of Nine Ways to Evaluate Children’s Books that Address Disability as a Part of Diversity is a great guide for MG writers and readers alike. It asks questions about disabled characters around stereotypes, tokenism, agency and leadership. In other words, in portraying a character with a disability,

• Are stereotypes perpetuated about disablities?
• Is disability a metaphor or an identity? (ie. Tiny Tim’s disability can in many ways be read as a physical manifestation of Dickens’ concerns about the “innocent, suffering poor”, or alternately, Scrooge’s lack of empathy and emotional ‘crippling’.)
• Are children with disabilities portrayed doing things or are things done to them?
• Do they exist as characters in their own right or are they used to ‘teach lessons’ to non-disabled characters?
• What sorts of language does the writer employ – is ‘people first’ language being used in writing disability? (ie. a child with autism instead of an autistic child)
• Is the character with disability only portrayed vis a vis their disabililty – ie. do they have other issues in their life with which they are struggling?
• And finally (although this is more complicated), what is the sociocultural perspective of the author vis a vis disability? While having a disability personally or in one’s family does not guarantee a perfect portrayal, many disability activists use the slogan ‘nothing about us without us’ to suggest that speaking about a community from its outside may be particularly harmful without significant contributions, critique and opinions from within that community.

Some recent award winning MG novels portraying characters with disabilities include:

1. Katherine Erksine’s Mockingbird : 10 yo Caitlin, the protagonist in this National Book Award Winning Book, must deal with grief and loss in the context of her Asperger’s Disease.

2. Jordan Sonnenblick’s After Ever After: 2011 Middle School winner of the Schneider Family Book Award (an award that honors an author or illustrator of a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for a child or adolescent audience), is the story of eighth grader Jeffrey, a leukemia ‘survivor’ who suffers brain and nerve damage after a childhood of intense radiation and chemotherapy.

3. Leslie Connor’s Waiting for Normal: The protagonist of this 2009 Schneider Book Award winner is 12 yo Addie, who is dyslexic, and must confront her new family life after her stepfather’s abandonment.

4. Tracie Vaughn Zimmer’s Reaching for Sun: This 2008 Schneider Award winner is a novel in verse, narrated from the point of view of thirteen year old Josie, a young girl with cerebral palsy.

What are some of your favorite books, or resources for discovering children’s books about disability?

When she’s not writing middle grade novels, Sayantani DasGupta teaches courses on illness and disability narratives at Columbia University and Sarah Lawrence College.

It’s June at last! School is finally out and like lots of families, my kids are looking forward to camp. I have a soft spot in my heart for the traditional American trees-and-dirt summer camp experience. I went often as a child. My favorite job of all time was working at a summer camp. But I confess that as I’m getting my own family ready for their summer I find myself thinking, wait a minute, when is it my turn?

The good news is, there are plenty of summer camp experiences especially for writers of middle grade fiction.

Perhaps the best known is the Writers Workshop at Chautauqua held each year for a week in mid July in a beautiful small town in southwestern New York State. This is probably the largest summer workshop geared specifically for the needs of children’s authors. Chautauqua is designed for individuals at all levels of experience, from beginning to published, who are interested in writing and illustrating for children.
The conference includes seminars, small-group workshops, and one-on-one sessions with some of the most accomplished and prominent authors, illustrators, editors, critics, and publishers in the world of children’s literature.
The faculty is large numbering 23 members this year and their depth and breadth of experience is impressive. They include award winning authors, editors, illustrators, poets and publishers. Faculty are chosen not just for the strength of their published work but for their dedication to teaching and mentoring fellow writers. Workshops cover the range from the basics of craft for beginners to advanced writing techniques and information about the book industry and the needs of the child reader.
If you are looking for a workshop focused solely on children’s books and you prefer the ambiance of small town more than the great outdoors, Chautauqua might be the perfect choice for you. You can learn more about the Writers Workshop at Chautauqua here.

On the other hand, if you love the mountains and are longing to get away from it all and immerse yourself in a community devoted to all types of writing from memoir to poetry slam, the Fishtrap Summer Workshop might be what you are looking for. Nestled in the Wallowa Valley with breathtaking views of the Eagle Cap wilderness, it is the Switzerland of Oregon and the setting for a 25 year tradition of celebrating western writing.

Each year there is a theme that all the genres revolve around. This year it’s Migrations and Passages. Thirteen faculty members will lead week long workshops in poetry, historical fiction, memoir, essay, and nature writing. I’m very honored to be among the faculty, teaching coming of age fiction. This is the only writers workshop that I know of that encourages families to attend and has workshops especially for the young writer and teens.
For people who just can’t break away from work for an entire week, the Fishtrap Workshop ends with a long weekend Gathering with special guests, extra workshops, faculty readings and discussions, and of course music and campfires! It is a magical collaboration across genres, generations and cultures. Many participants come back year after year. There is still room to register for this year’s  workshop in which begins July 10th. For more information go to the Fishtrap website.

Maybe it’s just not summer to you without a trip to the beach. In that case the Oregon Coast Children’s Book Writers Workshop might be just what you’re looking for. It’s a more intimate workshop focused on children’s books exclusively. Dan Greenburg, the affable and enthusiastic host of the workshop, gathers an award-winning mix of authors, agents and editors to lead a week of writing workshops in an ocean front classroom.
The hallmark of the workshop is its retreat-like atmosphere with ample opportunity for one on one consultation with faculty members, and a mix of community and independent mealtimes. It’s hard to beat the Oregon coast in July for great weather and spectacular views. And it’s hard to beat $800 for a week of writing workshops. For slightly more money graduate credit is available for this workshop. Still undecided? Check out the view!
For more information, look here

These three workshops are only the tip of the iceberg. You might also look up Kindling Words West in New Mexico, The Iowa Summer Writing Festival in Iowa City or the Book Passage Children’s Writers and Illustrators conference in San Francisco. Oh the possibilities of summer!

Hi Mixed-Up Readers! It’s me, M.G., and I’m back to update our Kid’s Page after a very busy spring. This year has been full of excitement as I hibernated and transformed and I spent the spring getting used to the new me.  Who knew growing and learning was such hard work?  I have come to appreciate the everyday challenges of being a kid. It was much easier when I thought I knew everything I needed to know!

But it’s also fun to learn new things. I’ve lived at the library for as long as I can remember and was so used to being here that that I’d stopped looking around.  But recently I’ve been examining things I’d previously overlooked and I rediscovered the travel section. I’ve spent the last month taking pretend vacations all over the world just by opening a book.  I’ve gone to Rome and Antarctica, Australia and Peru, and now I have the itch to explore the world in person, so to speak. But when you are a library creature like me, transportation is a huge problem, as I imagine it is for most kids.

But then I stumbled across a book about all about my own city and got a great idea. I’ve called a truce with the library mice. It’s time for an adventure and I need their help. I want to figure out a way to take a vacation that allows me to come home to the safety of my library every night. So we are working together to figure out a plan to check out the treasures near our very own library. The mice have some intriguing ideas. Perhaps I have underestimated them.

As part of our research, the mice and I have been reading family newspapers, magazines and books searching for thing to do while we explore our town.  But you have another resource! The Mixed-Up authors have created some fun and tasty activities for you to do while vacationing at home this summer.

To get a head start on places to visit this summer (or a virtual vacation, too), check out our Destination: Books! book list. If you want to exercise your mind while thinking of other exciting destinations, try our Summer Travel Word Search.  Weather not cooperating with your plans for outside fun?  No worries. The Mixed-Up Authors have you covered with ideas for lemon science in the kitchen. While you are in the kitchen, try out these tasty kid-inspired smoothie recipes. And as long as you have the snacks ready, invite some friends over for a summer lemonade party. And last but never least, we are back to books with these links for summer reading clubs. After all, you have the food, the friends and the fun—why not bring the books?

So, my Mixed-Up friends, let’s all have a wonderful summer, whether we travel far or create a vacation at home.  I’ll be back in the fall, ready for fresh, new school year. Have fun and most of all   . . .

Keep reading!

M.G.