The Landry News (urspr publ 1999; utgåvan 2000)

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It was on a list of summer reading for my fourth-grade daughter. Plus, I used to write an “underground” newspaper, so I couldn’t pass this up.

But it reads like it was meant to be used for curriculum. It reeks of “written to be taught”, not because the author had something to say or a good story in mind. I deduce this because it’s padded badly. The beginning doesn’t match the ending–it switches themes partway through. After about a third of the way, it stops being about the student-published newspaper and becomes about the “evil principal” trying to “get” the teacher. And then the news story he hides behind is reprinted word for word in the book. And it has nothing to do with either idea. Its content is about a kid’s divorce. It has nothing to do with the themes of the main plot. I don’t know what its meant for. I think it’s trying to cover different themes at once so there’s plenty for the class to discuss.

The inciting incident is also too implausible — I cannot believe that at teacher would sit at his desk for eight hours a day, reading the paper, while the kids futz in the classroom semi-supervised and not being taught. From 7AM to 3PM. Teachers have been fired for less, tenure or not.

It’s so instructive I expected there to be a study guide in the back. Just skip this one. ( )

While it contains an introduction of sorts for middle readers to censorship and the First Amendment to the Constitution, this story is only adequate. Because of its brevity, there's not much room to develop characters, but the discussions on the First Amendment, especially as they apply to student writing, create more heft and momentum. The book does, like its titular newspaper, contain truth and mercy, but it also provides a primer as to why so many writers skirt technology. The passages about computer use will seem (not surprisingly given the 1999 copyright) primitive to today's 10-year-old digital natives.

As a teacher, I find it hard to believe the premise that the burnt-out teacher, who reads the newspaper during his classes, is allowed to continue for seven years before 5th grader Cara Landry revivifies his classroom & salvages his pride & his career. Might this premise might fly for its intended audience? Not likely. ( )

While it contains an introduction of sorts for middle readers to censorship and the First Amendment to the Constitution, this story is only adequate. Because of its brevity, there's not much room to develop characters, but the discussions on the First Amendment, especially as they apply to student writing, create more heft and momentum. The book does, like its titular newspaper, contain truth and mercy, but it also provides a primer as to why so many writers skirt technology. The passages about computer use will seem (not surprisingly given the 1999 copyright) primitive to today's 10-year-old digital natives.

As a teacher, I find it hard to believe the premise that the burnt-out teacher, who reads the newspaper during his classes, is allowed to continue for seven years before 5th grader Cara Landry revivifies his classroom & salvages his pride & his career. Might this premise might fly for its intended audience? Not likely. ( )

This book would most likely be read individually by the students. In a fifth grade class, the students could write about an event or something they deem to be an issue in their school in a journalistsic way. Each writing would be about a page or two long. When complete, the entires would be places in a binder, and would become a newspaper for the whole class to read. For younger grades, such as 3rd or 4th, students could discuss the differences between a school newspaper and a real newspaper, such as the Chicago Trubune. The students could then bring in a current event clipping from a newspaper, and describe the journalistic qualities of the writing based off what they learned from The Landry News book.