I check your “caught my eye” sidebar probably every day. I wish there was a way to comment on it. I really loved the article “Middle Grade Saved My Life”. The question of providing profound and engaging but safely age appropriate books is so important and something I think about a lot.
I’m always so happy to hear that sidebar is useful to someone! 🙂 I enjoyed the Jeanne Birdsall piece very much too. As a lover of middle-grade (both as a reader and a writer), I’m always happy to see someone championing its importance. It’s been a bit irksome, these past few years, to see so many mainstream articles blurring the distinction between middle-grade and YA (or indeed, seeming entirely unaware a distinction exists).
I had the same reaction you did about the idea of a mole in an attic, and she said it’s exactly what SHE had said to the exterminator, who swore it happens. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard of, though!
I can’t find a kangaroo rat that looks quite right—their shape is more round-backed, nose less pointy, ears too small, and they have that tuft of fur at the end of the tail. This thing had more of a ridged, naked-looking tail. Like a rat. The pictures of roof rats (shudder) look close (but not quite right), and their habits fit. But the whole point of Miss J’s story about this critter was the surprise of its having been IDd as a mole by the pest control guy. Odd, eh?
maria says:
Love this photo! See, things like this that you post make me realize that we are in deed normal here at my house. 😀
On May 3, 2013 at 3:47 pm
selvi says:
I check your “caught my eye” sidebar probably every day. I wish there was a way to comment on it. I really loved the article “Middle Grade Saved My Life”. The question of providing profound and engaging but safely age appropriate books is so important and something I think about a lot.
On May 6, 2013 at 9:02 pm
Melissa Wiley says:
I’m always so happy to hear that sidebar is useful to someone! 🙂 I enjoyed the Jeanne Birdsall piece very much too. As a lover of middle-grade (both as a reader and a writer), I’m always happy to see someone championing its importance. It’s been a bit irksome, these past few years, to see so many mainstream articles blurring the distinction between middle-grade and YA (or indeed, seeming entirely unaware a distinction exists).
On May 7, 2013 at 7:33 pm
Shonda says:
Your mole post vanished…. I came on to see if you thought it was a Kangaroo Rat.
On May 8, 2013 at 5:35 pm
Melissa Wiley says:
I had the same reaction you did about the idea of a mole in an attic, and she said it’s exactly what SHE had said to the exterminator, who swore it happens. It’s like nothing I’ve ever heard of, though!
I can’t find a kangaroo rat that looks quite right—their shape is more round-backed, nose less pointy, ears too small, and they have that tuft of fur at the end of the tail. This thing had more of a ridged, naked-looking tail. Like a rat. The pictures of roof rats (shudder) look close (but not quite right), and their habits fit. But the whole point of Miss J’s story about this critter was the surprise of its having been IDd as a mole by the pest control guy. Odd, eh?
On May 8, 2013 at 5:48 pm
Melissa Wiley says:
Actually now I’m wondering if it’s just a California mouse.
On May 8, 2013 at 5:58 pm
Ellie says:
So I wasn’t imagining things? There was a post here and then gone? #invisibility
(Moles we don’t mind: rats? NoThankYou)
On May 9, 2013 at 4:52 am
Shonda says:
Yes, very odd! I have never seen the tail tuft. There are different kinds of kanga rats and I don’t think they all have the tail thing.
On May 9, 2013 at 6:08 am