How to Read Literature Like a Professor: For Kids: For Kids ― A Fun Literature Guide to Symbols and Metaphors for Children (Ages 8-12) - Softcover

Foster, Thomas C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062200852 ISBN 13: 9780062200853

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2013

Synopsis

The go-to bestselling guide to help young people navigate from a middle school book report to English Comp 101

In How to Read Literature Like a Professor: For Kids, New York Times bestselling author and professor Thomas C. Foster gives tweens the tools they need to become thoughtful readers.

With funny insights and a conversational style, he explains the way writers use symbol, metaphor, characterization, setting, plot, and other key techniques to make a story come to life.

From that very first middle school book report to that first college course, kids need to be able to understand the layers of meaning in literature. Foster makes learning this important skill fun and exciting by using examples from How the Grinch Stole Christmas to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, from short stories and poems to movie scripts.

This go-to guide unlocks all the hidden secrets to reading, making it entertaining and satisfying.

About this title

About the Author

Thomas C. Foster is the author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, How to Write Like a Writer, How to Read Nonfiction Like a Professor, and other works. He is professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan, Flint, where he taught classes in contemporary fiction, drama, and poetry as well as creative writing and freelance writing. He is also the author of several books on twentieth-century British and Irish literature and poetry.

From the Back Cover

Now there's a young readers' edition of the hit New York Times bestselling adult book that's sold more than 750,000 copies!

Did you know the Grinch was on a quest? What does it mean when a hero takes a journey? Or eats green eggs and ham? And what are vampires really about? There's always more to a story than you think!

This is the funny and accessible go-to guide that unlocks the secrets of reading!

Reviews

Gr 6-9-This companion to the author's adult titles is geared toward young people who want to get a bit more out of J.K Rowling or Dr. Seuss. Foster uses both of these authors, along with Shakespeare and Homer (not Simpson), to illustrate various approaches to literature. He argues that there is really only one story, that of a journey or quest, and that it takes shape in many forms, in novels, plays, and poems. The book also delves into symbolism, irony, and the political and geographical aspects of literature. Readers will enjoy seeing Green Eggs and Ham from Foster's perspective of how food is often more than just a meal. Of course, he also touches on how the Bible, folk and fairy tales, and ancient literature form the basis of many of our favorite stories. His passion for literature is evident, and the text is readable and encouraging. While it would be a rare reader who would be familiar with every title the author cites, the arguments that he poses are solid and the examples are always apt. Students won't find literary research here, but they will find some valuable guidance on how to read critically and hopefully be inspired to read more widely.-Carol Fazioli, Barth Elementary School, Pottstown, PAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062200852
• ISBN 13: 9780062200853
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176