The Buzz...About Books

Governor General Literary Awards Children's Finalists

The Governor General's Literary Award celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2011.  This year, 68 finalists were selected from the 1684 books that were submitted for consideration.  The awards are given in 14 categories for English, French, adult and juvenile literature.  This is the list of finalists for the juvenile categories.

Children's Text (English)

Blink and Caution, Tim Wynne-Jones

From Then to Now: a Short History of the World, Christopher Moore

A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk, Jan L. Coates

No Ordinary Day, Deborah Ellis

This Dark Endeavour, Kenneth Oppel

Children's Illustrations(English)

Along a Long Road, illustrations by Frank Viva

Fishing with Gubby, illustrations by Kim La Fave

Migrant, illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault

Red Wagon, illustrations by Renata Liwska

Ten Birds by Cybèle Young

Children's Text (French)

Les aventures de Radisson. 1, L'enfer ne brûle pas, Martin Fournier

Enigmae.com. 3, L'orteil de Paros, Anne Bernard-Lenoir

Un massacre magnifique, Camille Bouchard

La saison des pluies, Mario Brassard

Sous le signe d'Exu. 1, Initiation, Pierre Marmiesse

Children's Illustrations(French)

Bill Chocottes: le héros qui avait peur, illustrations de Élisabeth Eudes-Pascal

Haiti, mon pays, illustrations de Rogé (Roger Girard)

Lili et les poilus, illustrations de Caroline Merola

Quelle pagaille! Illustrations de Sophie Casson

Tarantelle, illustrations de Shea Chang

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That nasty Nellie Oleson!

Like many kids in the 70s,  I was a huge fan of Little House on the Prairie - both the book series and the TV series.   I remember looking forward to my weekly visit to Walnut Grove and being very happy when Nellie, once again, received her just rewards for being mean to Laura.  If only real life was that simple.

Another fan of the books and TV series, Wendy McClure, took her obsession with all things Little House to a whole new level.  In her book,  The Wilder Life: my adventures in the lost world of Little House on the Prarie she describes her quest to retraces the steps of the Ingalls family across the prairie, from the Big Woods to Plum Creek and Silver Lake.  In a constant search for the "Laura experience", she tries hand-grinding wheat, churning her own butter and uncovers the facts and the fiction behind the popular books and TV series.  This is a funny first-person account of the trials and joys of trying to enter the world of a beloved book.

 

Several of the actors in the Little House on the Prairie TV series, which ran on NBC from 1974 - 1983,  have published memoirs in the last few years.  Melissa Gilbert's memoir, Prairie Tale: a memoir, is her look back at her life, from her early childhood as the adopted daughter in a well-known show-business family, through her Little House years, her difficult teenage and early adult years in the glare of the press and her current happiness with her second husband, Bruce Boxleitner (of Scarecrow and Mrs. King and Babylon 5). It also available in Large Print.

Alison Arngrim's hilarious memoir, Confessions of a prairie bitch: how I survived Nellie Oleson and learned to love being hated, details her constant, continual and, for the most part,  failed attempts to move beyond the Nellie Oleson character in the minds of Little House fans.  To this day, almost thirty-years after the end of the show, people still react to her as it she actually is Nellie.  As a comedienne, her wonderful sense of humour is evident throughout the book - even in the stories of her most difficult times.  It is also available as an eBook.

While Laura and Nellie battled it out on screen, behind the scenes Melissa and Alison were actually very good friends.  However, the one cast member that both of them remembered less-than-warmly was Melissa Sue Anderson.  Melissa Sue played Laura's big sister, Mary, and was the only cast member to be nominated for Emmy. She has published her own memoir of her Little House days.  In The way I see it: a look back on my life on Little House , she recalls her memories of Michael Landon, of specific episodes and of many of the well-known guest stars that appeared on the beloved series.

If you would like read the books series again, or for the first time, they are available to borrow. Just click on the book cover to see if a copy is available at your local branch.  If not, click on Place Hold and copy will be delivered there for you.

If you would like to watch the tv series again,  Season One and Season Two are available to borrow as well.