1.) Matthew meeting Anne Shirley at the
train station. I didn’t have the pleasure of reading this one until adulthood,
when it was required for a mother/daughter book club I’d joined. Never have I
been more impressed by an author’s ability to convey such a realistic change in
perception in so short a time. I saw Matthew fall in love with Anne, and had a
premonition of how she’d enrich his life. Pure magic.
2.) The death of Severus Snape. I loved
not only how this one gave a tidy explanation for the animosity the Potions professor
showed toward Harry but also how it effortlessly patched things up. There was definite
forgiveness in Lily Potter’s deep green eyes. Which is why we love her son so
much. The only down side was that this scene made it hard to hate Snape with
our previous fervor. There goes one of the guilty pleasures of the series.
3.) The moment the phrase “Some Pig”
appeared in Charlotte’s Web. White’s depiction of how he thought the down-home
folk would react to such an occurrence struck me as downright realistic,
brimming over with respect. This is saying something, since it was the perfect
opportunity to poke fun at a whole class of people who might, under different
circumstances, be construed as simple. Let’s face it, Charlotte was a snob, and
she was sort of slumming in her relationship with Wilbur. But the author never
falls into the web of condescension. What starts out as the cautiously optimistic
compliment burgeons into words like “Radiant” and “Terrific” as Charlotte and
Wilbur discover mutual appreciation. Theirs is one of the purest and most
memorable partnerships in literary history—but if you look back at its evolution, they are careful never to overpromise. Let's not mince words here. This is some story.
4.) The moment Colin Craven rises from
his wheelchair in “The Secret Garden”. Whoo yah! The power of love, the innocence
of childhood, mind over matter culminating in one small step for man. Colin
might as well have been walking on the moon.
5.) Nat’s announcement that he has purchased
his first fishing skiff in The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George
Speare. This is when it becomes clear that he and Kit will end up together. A very
important moment in a book that formed my view of romance, for it marked the
first time I’d been subjected to the strong-willedgirlmeetsboyshehatesatfirstandthengrowstolove
formula. It is a formula that has been used again and again over the years, but
never better than by Speare. In fact, I read this one to my daughter recently
and didn’t remember there being so much historical shit in there. That’s how
entranced I was by soul mates Nat and Kit. Gotta hand it to the author. She covered
her bases, including history for those of us who weren’t duddle-headed
romantics back in grade school.
6.) The moment Lucille Applewhite
declares Jake Semple a “radiant light being” in Surviving the Applewhites. Hands down the best of, like, a million
great moments in this book. See for yourself: Jake picked up his bag, but she didn’t move. She just stood looking at him, her hands on her hips, her head to one side. Jake intensified his scowl. The combination of this particular expression and this T-shirt, even without the spiked leather collar, had totally unnerved the principal at Traybridge Middle School.
Lucille
sighed a long, appreciative sigh. “A radiant light being, that’s what you are.
A radiant light being!”
Jake very nearly
dropped his duffel bag. Radiant light
being!
“And don’t ever
let anyone tell you different.”
End of excerpt. Now
right there is a passage that will give non-traditional students and
misunderstood kids all over the world hope that they will someday find the one person
who appreciates them despite their quirks. Middle grade done right.
7.) The heroine’s death in Shel
Silverstein’s Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony. Bet kids (not to
mention, parents) never saw that one coming. Ponies for everyone!
8.) The kids ambushing the author in The
Children’s Hour and throwing him, chair and all, over the balcony. Something
tells me this wasn’t really in the poem, but hats off to the illustrator of the
version in my childhood library. He made Grave Alice, Laughing Allegra and
golden-haired Edith into a trio of manipulative little monsters never before
seen on any bookshelf that I was aware of. Now that I have kids of my own, I figure
he was drawing from experience. Back then, however, I thought it a feminist
depiction—and it gave me a little thrill to see those girls getting the best of
their dad or uncle or whomever. I probably exited stage left to burn my
training bra.
9.) Princess Sabra getting lashed to the
tree (although I remember it being the mast of the ship) in St. George and the
Dragon. Proof that the fascination with bondage (evident in the viral
acceptance of 50 Shades of Grey) begins at an early age.
10.) The
last sentence of The House at Pooh Corner. Beautiful as a sunset, it seeped
into my soul and stayed for good. Bear of little brain, my foot. More like a furry Emily Dickinson.
So they
went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the
way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest a little boy and his Bear
will always be playing.
Yeah, I still have my dog-eared, tear-splashed copy of that one. It would almost be a downer if it weren’t so damned
poignant. Anyway, I’m a better person for reading it for the first time as a
child and every ten years or so thereafter. At the very least, it makes a good case for allowing kids
to keep their stuffed animals in their rooms.
All of this shows how much harder it is to write for kids
than for their bigger, dumber counterparts. Responsibility, responsibility,
responsibility. We are forming psyches, people! Pen accordingly.
