megan, are you around on Saturday?

Could I talk you into sitting with Matilda for an hour some time that day?

I can give you treats!

I am around doing little projects and getting some things done before my family descends on Tuesday. Should be no problem, just let me know when.

I remember being told that the two different numbers on US kids books were one for reading level and one for content appropriateness. So, in Anne of Avonlea (which I just grabbed off my shelf), it says, "RL 6, age 10 and up" which would mean sixth grade reading level, and appropriate for kids ages 10 and up in terms of content. I don't have any sources for that, though -- I just remember hearing it somewhere.

Verra nice review of Knut's book: [link]

So it is-- although I wish the Vector blog would indicate who made the post. I've met Niall and Liz, at Wiscon last year--they're both great people. Which is actually where I met Knut for the first time, too, despite having "known" him as a Buffista for years.

The previous post on the Vector blog is also interesting: it's a discussion of that multi-author online fiction project, Shadow Unit: [link]

When I finally invested the time into reading them, I really liked series 1 of Shadow Unit, and I'm intrigued to see where they go with the characters and the mytharc.

Looks like Niall -- the byline appears on the main page of the blog but not the invididual entry pages.

Thanks for the help!

Huh. There's a new prequel to Anne of Green Gables: [link] I'm not so sure about this. It's getting decent reviews, and it's by a well-known author, but I still kind of feel like the brief description that Anne give Marilla is enough to know about what happened before.

I really need to re-read the whole AoGG series. My childhood copies of the books are back at my mom's and not in great shape, so I think this may call for a library run this summer.

After I finish reading the other 10,000 books I actually have to read for work.

Oh, speaking of, I read Across A Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande last night and loved it (which is good since I'm teaching it next year). It's a very quick read and very compelling.

I've been rereading it the past week or two. It's reminded me of my serious dislike for the story of Leslie. Not only is it a completely unbelievable story, with one tragedy after another, with a completely unbelievable ending (just like Miss Stacy always told Anne not to write), it also happens entirely "offscreen." Cornelia tells Anne the backstory, and then all the things that happen during the book happen in Montreal, and Anne (and the reader) find out about them through letter or through second- or third-hand reports. I do love Captain Jim, though. He makes Anne's House of Dreams bearable.

Have you seen the annotated edition of the first one? Someone gave it to me a few years ago, and it's absolutely beautiful. Plus, in the back, it's got a section of all the poems and recital pieces that are mentioned.