Scieszka,
J. (2005). Guys write for guys read. New
York: Viking. 0670060275. P 272.
Summary:
Ninety-one
popular authors and illustrators, all men, have contributed stories from their
childhood about growing up as a boy.
Readers, especially boys who can relate, will enjoy stories of
adventure, playing pranks, embarrassing moments, difficult parents, being
different, and wanting to fit in. Pretty
neat artwork is included too!
Analysis:
Guys Write for Guys Read is a nonfiction book as it
provides true stories from guy authors and illustrators. Many favorites are included such as Gary
Paulsen, author of Hatchet; Dav
Pilkey, author of the Captain Underpants series; and Daniel Handler, author of
A Series of Unfortunate Events books. Many others will be recognized as
well. Compiler and author, Jon Scieszka,
carefully gathered stories boys will love from boy’s favorite authors. In this review, the following traits will be
analyzed: audience, theme, and information, and weaknesses.
Guys. The intended audience for this book; not
boys, not men, but guys! The connotation
of the word “guys” is positive. It makes
boys feel cool, carefree, young, but not too young, and old, but not too old,
like almost a man. According to The
Online Slang Dictionary (1999), the term “guy” can also refer to an expert
which fits this title perfectly. Experts
on being boys write for readers who are experts at being boys and together they
can share in the experience. Not only is the boy’s point of view interesting to
the readers, but also the ease of reading.
The vocabulary and reading level are on point for the audience. Also, the book includes some emotional stories
but nothing too deep. Nilsen and
Donelson (2009) write that “young readers, however, are just as busy as their
parents and most likely go to informative books for quick information…” (p.
285). This book can be read in any order
or readers can stop and pick back up later. Each story is about two to three
pages in length, leaving no time for readers to become bored.
The
theme and tone of Scieszka is one of fun, relatability, and amusement. His goal was to reach out to a familiar
demographic, give them an enjoyable glimpse into the life of a
writer/illustrator, and possibly inspire readers to do something. They may write, like Timothy Basil Ering (Triplets, p. 54) who began writing poems
in fifth grade. Readers may also be
inspired to mind their mothers, unlike Jack Gantos (The Follower, p. 79) who got himself into plenty of trouble with
his friend Frankie Pagoda against his mother’s directions. Other cautionary tales include Ted Arnold’s Reading Can Be Dangerous (p. 30) and
Neil Gaiman’s Why Books are Dangerous
(p. 74). What’s not amusing about the family’s white cockatoo sailing right
into a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, flinging sauce around the room, and
sporting an orange-dyed tail for weeks? Boys
will also be nodding their heads when they read Darren Shan’s ManGuyifesto – Who We Are! (p.
217). Shan lists qualities boys can appreciate such as the noble art of
wrestling and the proud, unapologetic quality of farting (p. 217 - 220). I can see my own husband agreeing and
laughing with the rest of the young readers.
Another
purpose of this book is to provide the reader with information. Many readers may be familiar with books such
as Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer) or Bunnicula (James Howe) but rarely
familiar with the author himself. This
book is a rare look into the lives and backgrounds of these
authors/illustrators. For easy
reference, Scieszka includes a contents page.
Each story also includes where the person grew up, where he lives now,
and a fun fact. It also lists three
works by that creator for readers to refer to if interested in that person’s
writing/artwork.
While
many of these stories are short and sweet, some are so short that they hardly
give any look into the person himself.
For example, Peter Sis’ artwork (p. 200 - 201) is impressive but I cannot interpret it. Maybe that is because I am not a boy or maybe
it needed more explanation. If I could
add to this compilation, I would make the book more appealing to today’s
generation. Along with the information
at the end of the story, I would have also included the author’s website, Facebook
page, and/or Twitter account. Think
about it, if a reluctant reader read this book and was sparked by Gary Paulsen,
he could add him to his Twitterfeed.
Then he would get comments from Gary, other things that might spark
interest in the reader, and also information regarding upcoming book releases
and summaries of books. This generation
is visual, adding more artwork would help but how about a picture of each of
the authors? While reading about James
Howe, I was interested to know what a 6’ 2’’ man who sits like an Aunt
Pricscilla looks like (p.120). Readers may also be curious about the look of
adventurer Gary Paulsen, and sports writer, Rick Reilly. It gives readers something else to relate to
or use as a frame of reference.
The
weaknesses of this nonfiction piece are just possibilities that are only my
opinion. Boys of all nationalities, Native
American, Hispanic, Canadian, Italian, and so on will enjoy reading about
authors of the same heritage. Whether
they relate to heritage, farting, or fun friendships, there’s a writer in this
book that every boy (and even girls) can relate.
Reference
List
C. M. (1999). Definition of guy. Retrieved July 29,
2012 from http://onlineslangdictionary.com/meaning-definition-of/guy
Nilsen, A. P. & Donelson, K.
L. (2009). Literature for today’s young
adults (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
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