Sabrina Bowdish

ENGL 112B

Annotated Bibliography

3 December 2008

Fostering Lifelong Reading through Fantasy Literature

I feel that one of my primary purposes in life is to promote the wonders of reading. I have loved reading from a time before the squiggles of ink on paper made any sense to me. Through reading everything I could put my hands on, I have learned so much about the world around me. I have also discovered that the important aspect isn't what is read, just that reading occurs. For instance, I have learned more about the people that I deal with on a regular basis from books about fantastic creatures beyond the realm of what science tells us is plausible than I have learned from books about history. The more one reads, the easier it can become to glean the smallest piece of information from the most ordinary prose, because practice makes perfect, so it is the act of reading itself that must be encouraged. Reading can help so many people in so many ways, but I write this annotated bibliography for purely personal reasons. I "get a kick" out of reading, and I want to share that experience with others.

Why Fantasy? Because of the variability of human experience, the fact that I can learn about others from reading Fantasy does not guarantee that everyone can. But there is more magic in Fantasy novels then the parlor tricks that some characters may be able to do through supernatural means. Fantasy has the ability to capture attention like no other genre. Beloved authors like J. K. Rowling, that would require annotated bibliographies of their own to fully explore, are a testament to this. Fantasy speaks to so many people because it allows them to escape from their lives just far enough to remind them of how wonderful this world is. It allows them to journey far from their homes without leaving their chairs. And it does this so much more effectively than Romance, Historical Fiction, or Sports stories because it speaks to the child-like wonder in all of us that questions, like Shakespeare, just how many more things there are in heaven and earth than we know about. Fantast makes room for all the ifs, ands, and buts while giving its readers enough that they find familiar so that they won't get lost along the way.

The secret to reading is to do it early and often. As someone whose parents can't pinpoint when she started reading because I had my favorite books memorized by age two, I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. While developmental theories have promoted the early part of this statement, the often part gets overlooked by adults who believe they are too busy to read. The best way I can think of to overcome this is to hook children on learning and continue presenting them with wonderful books that they can't put down all through adolescence. This way, by the time they reach adulthood, reading will have become so integrated into their lives that the thought of taking it out again would abhor them.

To help further my goal of lifelong readers in general and Fantasy lovers in specific, I have provided not only some incredible books for young adults, but wonderful books to capture the imaginations of children and adults as well. This way, people of all ages and reading skills should be able to find some book that sparks their interest and use the books from other age categories to expand their mental libraries. I want to tell the world that it's okay for adults to read children's books, and that it's especially great if they're reading those books to a child. I want to remind teenagers that there are books that have been written for their age category that aren't condescending or too childish for them to enjoy. And I'd like to let children know that there are plenty of books for them to continue to love as they grow up. But I think even given all this, my primary reason for writing this specific annotated bibliography is that I hope by sharing some of my old and new favorite books with others, they will feel passionate enough to share their favorite books with me.

Young Adult Literature and Media

Anderson, M. T.. Thirsty. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 1997.

"Chris was your normal run of the day teenager. His life consisted of friends, school, girls, peer pressure, celestial beings, and vampirism. Well, I guess Chris isn't so average after all. Chris appears to be turning into a vampire. While his hometown prepares for the annual Sad Festival of Vampires, an ancient ritual that keeps Tch'muchgar, the Vampire Lord, locked in another world. Chris desperately tries to save himself from his vampiric fate (Book Talk handout by David Goff)."

Vampires interest many teenagers because they are inherently dangerous while still being humanoid and familiar. Turning into a vampire echoes many of the changes that occur in the body when children reach puberty, so Chris is a very relatable character. Anderson's humor helps grab attention and hold it throughout the story. Since humor is so effective at reaching people in general and young adults in specific, this novel is a great way to introduce the Young Adult Fantasy subgenre.

The Golden Compass. Dir. Chris Weitz. New Line Cinema, 2007.

(See: Pullman, Phillip. The Golden Compass, as this movie adaptation follows the same short plot summary given below.)

For those who are new to the story of the His Dark Materials trilogy, the impressive computer graphics and special effects used in the film are so mesmerizing that all other considerations are ignored in order to better praise the high quality visuals. On the other hand, fans of the series may be disappointed by the film. They too will see the beautifully lifelike animations, especially that of the strong and majestic panserbj�rne, or armored bears. But even the best special effects that money can buy cannot hide a poorly written screenplay. Instead of holding to the original story arch, which had already proven to be quite successful, the writers and directors cut massive sections of the story out, removed important characters, and rearranged the chronology of some of the events. The movie could be used as a comparison between books and film, but generally speaking it is an impressive failure.

Pullman, Phillip. The Amber Spyglass. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 2000.

This is the third and final adventure for the characters from The Golden Compass. The Amber Spyglass reaches a new level of complexity by following multiple characters at the same time. Lyra is kidnapped by her mother and hidden away in a cave. A woman named Mary leaves her world and enters one filled with strange creatures who ride wheels along roads for transportation. Will travels in search of Lyra and finds an armored bear she knew, convincing him to come to her aid. Will and Lyra travel into the underworld and try to rescue the ghosts, and the series culminates in a massive battle.

This is by far the most action packed novel in the series. Thankfully, it retains Pullman's beautiful descriptions, well developed plot lines, and full characterizations. His transitions from one character's story to another's very easy to navigate. This back and forth movement through story lines is important to Young Adult Literature because it helps young adults become familiar with navigating information that is not presented linearly. Pullman's choice to have Will and Lyra part presents a sad but realistic representation of the way the world works.

Pullman, Phillip. The Golden Compass. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1995.

Lyra lives with the scholars of Jordan College in a world much like ours, but in an earlier time with one major exception. Everyone in Lyra's world has a daemon—their soul takes an animal form that lives beside them as a companion. Children's daemons can take any form they want, but when the children grow up, their daemon settles on a form that reveals much about its person. One day, Gobblers come to town and kidnap one of Lyra's friends to perform terrible experiments on him to investigate a substance called Dust. Lyra sets off to rescue Roger and track down her uncle, the mysterious Lord Asriel, who has also been studying Dust.

A well paced adventure story with plenty of magic and mystery, The Golden Compass is a delight to read. Pullman has been criticized for the anti-church sentiment in his novels, but in this series, it seems that Pullman is simply questioning societal norms. This first book also questions what a family is. Since Lyra's mother is evil, and her father has been lying to her, she must figure out who she really believes to be her family. It is a wonderful read as a stand-alone novel, but the cliffhanger at the end might prove too strong to resist finishing the series.

Pullman, Phillip. The Subtle Knife. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1997.

In the second book about Lyra, she journeys into another world and befriends Will, who had journeyed there from his world. Together they travel back and fourth through various worlds in the search for answers. Lyra's most prized possession, an alethiometer which acts like a combination of compass and deck of tarot cards, is stolen. To get it back, they search for a subtle knife, very thin and very sharp, which can cut through anything. Will becomes the master of the knife and uses it to cut through space into different worlds as they continue their adventure.

As in many second books in trilogies, the main purpose of The Subtle Knife seems to be plot and character development. This novel could not stand on its own, as it is tightly tied to the events that take place just before and just after it. Still, it is an interesting read in and of itself. Pullman's descriptions of the other worlds are a real treat because they give enough details to spark the imagination, yet don't limit themselves to only one interpretation. Will's world is as much like our world as possible, so it is easily compared to the other worlds in the novel.

Children's Literature

Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1964.

Like many of Dahl's characters, Charlie Bucket comes from less than ideal circumstances. He lives with his mother, father, and four bedridden grandparents in a small house and on very limited means. One day, he is able to get enough money to buy a chocolate bar which happens to contain a winning ticket for a trip to see the inside of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Charlie brings his grandpa Joe with him to see the wondrous things inside the factory. The other children who win the contest aren't as good as Charlie, so one by one they are asked to leave until only Charlie remains to inherit the magical factory.

A mystical story filled with wonder and excitement, the novel also teaches fairy tale like lessons in good behavior through the removal of naughty children as the story progresses. The Oompa Loompas in secondary versions of the book provide a more politically correct characterization of these creatures, while still allowing discussion on freedom and rights. The two films (1971 and 2005) add great points of comparison when discussing a film's relationship to the books it is based off of and creative interpretations of literature.

Dahl, Roald. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1972.

The novel begins right where Charlie and the Chocolate Factory left off—Charlie, Grandpa Joe, and Mr. Wonka shoot through the ceiling of the factory in the magical elevator. They go to bring the family back to the factory, but accidentally leave the earth's atmosphere. They dock at a new hotel in space, but soon fall under attack from vermicious knids which are horrible blob-like creatures. The plan that is concocted to outwit them is daring and dangerous, the perfect set-up for Dahl's creativity to flourish.

This book works very well for children as a sequel because it familiarizes them with multiple books about the same characters that take place on a timeline. Many children's books follow the same cast of characters from one book to another, but the idea of sequential events taking place across different books is more commonly found in Young Adult and Adult books. This is a great sequel because it tells a distinct story from the original while developing the characters more fully than space in the original book allowed.

Dahl, Roald. James and the Giant Peach. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1961.

Young James meets a terrible fate when his loving parents are killed by a rhinoceros that has escaped from the zoo, causing him to be sent to live with his awful aunts. His aunts treat him poorly until a strange man brings him magical creatures that will solve his problem. When James falls on his way back to the house with the strange creatures, they escape and burrow into the ground at the foot of a peach tree. The peach that grows as a result is massive, and filled with interesting and helpful creatures. They help James escape his aunts in a fantastic and unexpected way.

James shows that even accidents can turn out for the best if only they are seen with hope and courage. James' interactions with the insects in the peach teach acceptance because even little bugs can be helpful. The story also deals with the sense of loss and abandonment that accompany the loss of a parent in a gentle way that children will find reassuring. The Fantasy elements of Dahl's work help to further the story without distracting the careful reader from the overarching themes of family, kindness, and courage.

Adult Literature and Media

Herbert, Frank. Dune. Philidelphia: Chilton, 1965.

"Dune is... about a 15 year old boy named Paul who must move with his father Duke Leto Atreides, the Atreides military and his mother Reverend Jessica to the planet Arrakis a.k.a. Dune. The Atreides attempt to prevent evil Harkonnen warriors from taking over the planet for its drug like substance called Spice, which maintains human life on the desert planet and is used for advanced space travel.... After Paul's father is killed, Paul becomes the Duke and leads his mother and the people of Arrakis known as Fremen to safety by overcoming the corrupt and evil Harkonnen and Sardukar invaders (Book Talk handout by Robert Perry)."

While Perry classified Dune as a Young Adult book, cursory research does not support that this was Herbert's intended audience, despite the main character's young age at the beginning of the series. In many Fantasy and Science Fiction novels, a 15 year old may be considered a full adult due to different life expectancies than in our post-industrial era. Herbert's work is typically considered adult Science Fiction, though its many elements of Fantasy warrant its inclusion here. This beloved classic creates a new world, as expected of science fiction, but the politics, environmental focus, and interactions between the characters contain a level of realism commonly associated with high quality Fantasy.

Huff, Tanya. Summon the Keeper. DAW, 1998.

While Summon the Keeper centers on Claire Hansen, her younger sister Diana is a vocal teenager who refuses to be thrown out of the spotlight. In this world, Keepers are people who maintain the balance between good and evil in the universe by patching up all the little holes where evil begins to seep into the real world from the "Otherworld." No family had ever produced two Keepers before, but a prophesy tells that the younger sister of a Keeper will be the most powerful one of all. All this power runs straight to Diana's maladjusted head, but she learns a lot about herself and her relationship with her sister while she attempts to fix her magical mistakes.

Huff is a self-identified lesbian, and her acceptance of a wide variety of sexual orientations shows throughout all of her novels, encouraging tolerance and harmony. The presence of a realistic young adult character in a story for adults provides a good way for older teenagers to bridge into adult books. This novel and the rest of the Keeper Chronicles are humorous and light, which may make readers feel more comfortable with an unfamiliar genre. Those more experienced with fantasy will find anecdotes about vampires and werewolves familiar and inviting.

Pan's Labyrinth. Dir. Guillermo del Toro. Esperanto Films, 2006.

During a period of unrest in Spain, young Ofelia travels to begin a new life with her mother and step-father at his home. While wandering the grounds, she stumbles into a large hedge maze, or labyrinth. In the center of the labyrinth she meets a satyr who recognizes her as a princess from another world. He gives her three tasks to complete to prove that she is the princess, and can be brought home to her father. A mistake in one of the tasks and violence in her non-fantasy life bring Ofelia much hardship as she tries to discover where she belongs.

This Spanish-language film with English subtitles has won multiple Academy Awards in America and was released in many countries worldwide to much acclaim. Foreign language films are powerful because they urge the reader to get lost in the unfamiliarity of another language while they watch the story unfold, enriching the experience. It's dark and violent nature make it too frightening for many young children, giving it an 'R' rating. But for adults and mature teenagers, the Burton-esque depiction of a fantastical story set in a historical time period make it a thrilling and original Fantasy.