Mom says:Sitting on her stoop on 90th street, Eva has writer's block. Fortunately for her, she lives in the city. In Roni Schotter's Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street
, we learn that, with a bit of luck and a colorful cast of characters, fantastic and extraordinary things can and do happen.For me, the most enjoyable aspect of this book was meeting Eva's eccentric neighbors: ballerinas, pizza delivery guys, famous Broadway stars (past and present), moms pushing strollers, etc. The array of individuals passing by a single stoop during the course of the day can only exist in the city. Each offers her advice about writing: "Stretch... Use your imagination..." says the ballerina. "Add a bit of spice," says her neighbor who is making soup. And just as a writer might urge her story along, Eva sets in motion an amusing cascade of events with her simple "what if?" suggestions to her neighbors.
I'm sure that this book can be used in a classroom setting in conjunction with writing exercises. Oh, yes! Look here and here.
Big Kid says: That girl made a lot of stuff happen.
6 comments:
This sounds really good - I'm always looking for books that put a positive spin on extremely urban environments given that we're raising three children in the heart of a huge city. Thanks for the review:)
Sounds pretty interesting. I'll keep it in mind for the next year or so.
This is a wonderful book to teach children how writing ideas live everywhere! Another one you'd like (out of print, but delightful and easy to find used) is MY STORIES BY HILDY CALPURNIA ROSE by Dale Gottlieb. It's a fictional girl who writes vignettes about people in her apartment building. I'm glad to have found you - a blog about city books is a wonderful idea and resource. A.
Thank you so much for the recommendation, I've put it on hold at the library.
Have you ever Read "Nothing Ever Happens on My Block" by Ellen Raskin? About a boy who finds his block boring only because HE is boring and does not notice the amazing, weird things happening all around him.
By the way, I've been going through your archives and have a whole list of books I want to get from the library! Thanks for all the great recommendations.
I've never read Ellen Raskin's book. It sounds good.
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