A.B. Longstreet’s “The Turn Out” presents a story of eager young children who desire a holiday, or more specifically, a break from school due to Easter. Determined to adhere to their plan, the children plan a “turn out” in which they plan to kick their teacher out of the school (note: the girls are allowed to know about it, but are not allowed to engage in any scandalous activity). The teacher, deciding that he is going to outsmart his scheming young pupils, finds their Easter eggs and places them on the ground in front of the school house in anticipation of stepping on them. While hesitating at first, the kids stand firm in their resolve and determine that their mothers will simply make them more. After this does not work, the teacher proceeds in breaking down the door, and enters the classroom, where he is assaulted with sticks and punches and kicks. In the end, the children get their holiday, but only for a half a week, as a compromise is made.

Zipes, Jack. “The Phenomenon of Harry Potter, or Why All the Talk?” Sticks and Stones:     The Troublesome Success of Children’s Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter.        1. New York: Rutledge, 2001. pp. 170-189.

Zipes begins his article with the lens “phenomenon” with which he chooses to critically analyzes Rowling’s Harry Potter. Referring to the books immediately as “formulaic and sexist” (171), Zipes continues to wonder “why such a conventional work of fantasy has been fetishized” (172). Zipes’ first response to his idea of “phenomenon” is to engage in the various myth’s: Rowling’s rags-to-riches story, the rejection of the first novel by several publishers, the astonishing appeal of the “postmodern whiz kid” (174), and the strange conservative controversy. Zipes goes on to discuss the four tedious and grating repetitive story lines: prison, the noble calling, the heroic adventures, and the reluctant return home which define at least the first four Harry Potter books and finishes with the following criticism regarding the literary quality of Rowling’s novels: “The field of children’s literature did not need, nor does it now need these books to become more visible. Do these books prove the quality of children’s literature? Certainly not. Books of quality—including those for young adults—are unfortunately not being read as wide as the ‘phenomenal’ books… This reminds me of the old argument that it does not matter what children read as long as they read. (We want them functionally literate. That is all that matters)” (188).

Bucher, Katherine T. & M. Lee Manning. “Taming the Alien Genre: Bringing Science Fiction into the Classroom.” The Alan Review. 28.2(2001): 1-9.

Bucher and Manning’s article provides a solid definition for the difference between science fiction and fantasy using the broader term “speculative fiction” to encompass both: “If the story is set in a universe that follows the same rule as ours, it’s science fiction. If it’s set in a universe that doesn’t follow our rules, it’s fantasy” (as cited in Card, 22). The story works to discuss various teacher’s reluctance to read or teach science fiction, thus disengaging students from potentially literary speculative fiction, offering suggestions to overcome the fear of recommendations to students. Most importantly, the article acknowledges that, “a novel which is taught for its literary concepts is judged differently than one which is taught for other concepts such as ecological or social awareness” (6).

 Charlotte Temple!

Rowson has created a sentimental and moralistic text that both interacts with her readers and asks them to engage in the dialogue of the dangers presented to young middle class American women (circa eighteenth century). Taking on a motherly persona, the narrator continuously pushes the reader in the direction that will gain him or her the most knowledge, while representing the “moralness” of the readers by inserting a variety of metafictional insertions. At its core, the novel recommends various appropriate kinship relationships, and disdains others. The sisterhood is seen as appropriate, as there is danger in aloneness, especially with men. However, there can also be danger in sisterhood, and really the only safe place is in listening to one’s parents. Rowson’s story is a vehicle for helping her readers know how and what they are pursuing as the novel itself dictates what is meant to be story, and what is meant to be instructive.