Kate’s 2¢: “Love and death at the mall: teaching and writing for the literate young” by Richard Peck

“Love and death at the mall: teaching and writing for the literate young” by Richard Peck

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   Reading this book was a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon. Here are a few of the take-aways I found interesting: 

–Students don’t want to read your auto-biography. They want to read about someone they want to become.

–“If I’d known how brief childhood would be, I’d have looked closer.”

–Real life people don’t fit into fiction, until they’ve been edited out of all semblance of themselves.

–Older people provide the grandparents the young people have lost to divorce, mis-blended families, and society.

–Schools have become psychiatric, social welfare clinics with students as out-patients.

–Schools neither lead nor follow; they reflect.

–The protagonist is the young person who acts, not on behalf of the story, but on the behalf of the reader.

–Teaching is the craft of communicating with strangers in a language you can find; of meeting deadlines; and trying to give time a shape.

–Reading is a discipline before it is a pleasure.

–Pay attention to what people do, not to what they say.

–Teaching is a job you never really quit. You just go on and on, trying to turn life into lesson plans.   

–A novel is like making a quilt. We gather bright scraps from other people’s lives and then stitch them together in a pattern of our own.

–Writing is communication, not self-expression

   Peck refers to many of his books as he explains how he writes numerous YA novels. I appreciate his listing the other stories he mentions in his book.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Wayne Peck was born on April 5, 1934, in Illinois (died May 24, 2018) to Virginia Grey Peck and Wayne Peck. His mother was a Wesleyan University graduate, and his father owned a service station. A sister, Cheryl, would later become an administrator at a college. He attended elementary and high schools in Decatur, Illinois.

   Peck was an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature.

   Peck earned a bachelor’s degree in English at DePauw University in 1956. He spent his junior year abroad at the University of Exeter.

After college, he was drafted into the US Army as a chaplain’s assistant and spent two years serving in Stuttgart, Germany. In a 2003 interview he commented, “I think your view of the world goes on—for the rest of your life—as the world you saw as you emerged into it as an adult.”[5]

After his military service ended, he completed a master’s degree at Southern Illinois University in 1959.

Career[edit]

Peck worked as a high school teacher, but much to his dismay, was transferred to a junior high school to teach English. After a while, he decided to cut his career short and write. However, these observations about junior high school students proved excellent material for his books. He said, “Ironically, it was my students who taught me to be a writer, though I was hired to teach them.”[6]

He left teaching in 1971 to write his first novel, Don’t Look and It Won’t Hurt, published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston in 1972, in which “A teenage girl struggles to understand her place within her family and in the world.” He wrote a book each year since then — 41 books in 41 years.

Peck was an adjunct professor with Louisiana State University’s School of Library and Information Sciences.[6]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Love and death at the mall: teaching and writing for the literate young DB41989

Peck, Richard. Reading time: 4 hours, 19 minutes.

Read by Bob Askey. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Young Adult

The award-winning author of books for young adults reflects on how and why he writes. He is often asked, “But how did you get your start?” and “Where did you get your ideas?” In broad answers, he makes wry observations on writing for and teaching teenagers and includes excerpts from his books. By the author of Bel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats (DB 39020). For senior high and older readers.

Download Love and death at the mall: teaching and writing for the literate young

Kate’s 2¢: “Amanda Miranda” by Richard Peck

“Amanda Miranda” by Richard Peck

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   After I read “Love and death at the mall: teaching and writing for the literate young” by Richard Peck, I wondered about his adult novels. I found and read “Amanda, Miranda” and enjoyed it very much.

   It was obvious, from the beginning, that the look alikes were going to pull a swith-aroo, but, the suspense was delightful.

   The character of the narcissistic Amanda reminded me of Amber in Winslow’s “Forever Amber”.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Wayne Peck was born on April 5, 1934, in Illinois (died May 24, 2018) to Virginia Grey Peck and Wayne Peck. His mother was a Wesleyan University graduate, and his father owned a service station. A sister, Cheryl, would later become an administrator at a college. He attended elementary and high schools in Decatur, Illinois.

   Peck was an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature.

   Peck earned a bachelor’s degree in English at DePauw University in 1956. He spent his junior year abroad at the University of Exeter.

After college, he was drafted into the US Army as a chaplain’s assistant and spent two years serving in Stuttgart, Germany. In a 2003 interview he commented, “I think your view of the world goes on—for the rest of your life—as the world you saw as you emerged into it as an adult.”[5]

After his military service ended, he completed a master’s degree at Southern Illinois University in 1959.

Career[edit]

Peck worked as a high school teacher, but much to his dismay, was transferred to a junior high school to teach English. After a while, he decided to cut his career short and write. However, these observations about junior high school students proved excellent material for his books. He said, “Ironically, it was my students who taught me to be a writer, though I was hired to teach them.”[6]

He left teaching in 1971 to write his first novel, Don’t Look and It Won’t Hurt, published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston in 1972, in which “A teenage girl struggles to understand her place within her family and in the world.” He wrote a book each year since then — 41 books in 41 years.

Peck was an adjunct professor with Louisiana State University’s School of Library and Information Sciences.[6]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Love and death at the mall: teaching and writing for the literate young DB41989

Peck, Richard. Reading time: 4 hours, 19 minutes.

Read by Bob Askey. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Young Adult

The award-winning author of books for young adults reflects on how and why he writes. He is often asked, “But how did you get your start?” and “Where did you get your ideas?” In broad answers, he makes wry observations on writing for and teaching teenagers and includes excerpts from his books. By the author of Bel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats (DB 39020). For senior high and older readers.

Download Love and death at the mall: teaching and writing for the literate young

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Amanda/Miranda DB15088

Peck, Richard. Reading time: 18 hours, 5 minutes.

Read by Jill Ferris. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Romance

Story set in the Edwardian period of 1911 moves among the Isle of Wight, London, and New York. It features two women: the wily, beautiful daughter of Lady Eleanor and Sir Timothy Whitwell, who was born to command, and her personal maid and look-alike, hard-working Miranda. Mistress and maid become locked in love and intrigue over chauffeur John Thorne. Some explicit descriptions of sex.

Downloaded: August 22, 2021

Download Amanda/Miranda