Presenting Avi (Young Adult Authors Series) - Hardcover

Susan P. Bloom; Cathryn M. Mercier

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805745696 ISBN 13: 9780805745696

Publisher: Twayne Publishers, 1997

Synopsis

Profiles author Avi, his beliefs about the interpretation and significance of literature, his friendship with YA author Chris Crutcher, and the various roles Avi has assumed as a writer.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

The author of some thirty-five books for children and young adults, Avi has been praised for his versatility and willingness to experiment. His books encompass historical fiction, mysteries, comic-book novels, picturebooks, comedies, ghost stories, and animal fantasies. With Presenting Avi, Susan P. Bloom and Cathryn M. Mercier provide the first full-length biocritical study of this notable writer. The book's approach actually evolved from a graduate course Avi taught in the late 1980s at Simmons College's Center for the Study of Children's Literature, wherein the focus was on a writer's oeuvre as a way of establishing links between one work and another. Presenting Avi concentrates on the intertexuality of Avi's work: viewing each book in the context of all his works, and all his works in the context of a single book. In these lucid discussions the authors trace recurrent patterns, themes, ideologies, and images. Informing the analyses are the comments of critics and scholars, and Avi himself, who made early journals and other important source materials accessible to the authors during the study's development.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6 UpAThese two series entries exhibit the meticulous research and scholarly but approachable style of earlier entries. Of the two, Avi reads slightly more like a well-researched paper that carefully dissects the necessary issues and draws all the logical conclusions. Bloom and Mercier devote limited space to Avi's early life, exploring at length their subject's varied and stated beliefs about the interpretation and significance of literature. Touching on many aspects of this multitalented man, the authors organize their book by focusing each chapter on a role Avi has assumed as a writer, whether it be storyteller, stylist, magician, or historian. The text shows painstakingly careful reading of Avi's work. Davis achieves similar goals with a more conversational tone and style. He readily acknowledges his 24-year friendship with Crutcher, which may explain the warmth and admiration that often permeate his narrative, yet he maintains the necessary objectivity for a thorough, honest, and sharply accurate analysis of Crutcher's major works and themes, a study made all the more engaging by a gifted storyteller's unique and appealing style. Both books have bibliographies that include critical reviews from sources such as English Journal, Horn Book, Kirkus Review, and School Library Journal. All collections serving young adults will benefit from the addition of these fine books. Not only do they offer thoughtful and critical evaluations of these authors and their respective contributions to young adult literature, but they also may serve to elevate the best of young adult writers to their rightful place among all authors of notable modern American fiction.APhyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Twayne Publishers
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0805745696
• ISBN 13: 9780805745696
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 228