Comments on: Rural juror http://www.hbook.com/2013/03/blogs/read-roger/rural-juror/ Publications about books for children and young adults Mon, 13 May 2013 16:01:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: fairrosa http://www.hbook.com/2013/03/blogs/read-roger/rural-juror/#comment-34132 fairrosa Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:20:38 +0000 http://www.hbook.com/?p=23648#comment-34132 Sorry for my poor terminology -- hmm... practitioners? field experts? Perhaps you can host an expose of some of our previous judges and make them "confess" their true feelings? :p Sorry for my poor terminology — hmm… practitioners? field experts? Perhaps you can host an expose of some of our previous judges and make them “confess” their true feelings? :p

]]> By: Roger Sutton http://www.hbook.com/2013/03/blogs/read-roger/rural-juror/#comment-34128 Roger Sutton Fri, 08 Mar 2013 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.hbook.com/?p=23648#comment-34128 I wasn't sure because as a Media Source employee I couldn't be paid anyway! Interesting that you call writers "industry insiders." Really? But I have no doubt they will have valuable things to say. I just want to know why they tend to be so wimpy. (As was I, not confessing straight-out that I found Kingdom on the Waves worthy but boring.) I wasn’t sure because as a Media Source employee I couldn’t be paid anyway!

Interesting that you call writers “industry insiders.” Really? But I have no doubt they will have valuable things to say. I just want to know why they tend to be so wimpy. (As was I, not confessing straight-out that I found Kingdom on the Waves worthy but boring.)

]]> By: fairrosa http://www.hbook.com/2013/03/blogs/read-roger/rural-juror/#comment-34127 fairrosa Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:47:18 +0000 http://www.hbook.com/?p=23648#comment-34127 Roger, All the judges who are invited to judge for BoB volunteer their time and thoughts without any compensation. (I'm surprised that you aren't sure about this, since, after all, you were our inaugural judge, in 2009!!) This is a link to that year's matches and judge statements - http://battleofthebooks.slj.com/2009-battle/ with yours on the very top :) As to your last question -- SLJ definitely invites noteworthy creators of books for young people and I believe many, of not all, of them have the ability to employ critical skills in comparing two worthy children's books. Just because they don't write book reviews for a living doesn't mean that they can't figure out literary merits and flaws in books. There is something to be said about reading the industry insiders' views on a particular craft. I think it offers something different and allows the readers a few new angles to consider the same books. Roger,

All the judges who are invited to judge for BoB volunteer their time and thoughts without any compensation. (I’m surprised that you aren’t sure about this, since, after all, you were our inaugural judge, in 2009!!) This is a link to that year’s matches and judge statements – http://battleofthebooks.slj.com/2009-battle/ with yours on the very top :)

As to your last question — SLJ definitely invites noteworthy creators of books for young people and I believe many, of not all, of them have the ability to employ critical skills in comparing two worthy children’s books. Just because they don’t write book reviews for a living doesn’t mean that they can’t figure out literary merits and flaws in books. There is something to be said about reading the industry insiders’ views on a particular craft. I think it offers something different and allows the readers a few new angles to consider the same books.

]]> By: Roger Sutton http://www.hbook.com/2013/03/blogs/read-roger/rural-juror/#comment-34121 Roger Sutton Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:55:47 +0000 http://www.hbook.com/?p=23648#comment-34121 Thanks, Fairrosa I fixed it. As far as no. 2 goes, I do think these are non-professional critics despite whatever virtues or job descriptions they may have otherwise. (I was going to call them amateurs in the term's strictest sense but I don't know if they're judging BoB for love or money.) It doesn't mean they can't/won't do a great job, merely that they come to it from a different place. Did you sign these people up for their critical skills or because they are noteworthy creators of books for young people? Thanks, Fairrosa I fixed it. As far as no. 2 goes, I do think these are non-professional critics despite whatever virtues or job descriptions they may have otherwise. (I was going to call them amateurs in the term’s strictest sense but I don’t know if they’re judging BoB for love or money.) It doesn’t mean they can’t/won’t do a great job, merely that they come to it from a different place. Did you sign these people up for their critical skills or because they are noteworthy creators of books for young people?

]]> By: fairrosa http://www.hbook.com/2013/03/blogs/read-roger/rural-juror/#comment-34119 fairrosa Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:41:44 +0000 http://www.hbook.com/?p=23648#comment-34119 Roger, just a couple of things: 1. The BoB's first match starts on TUESDAY, March 12th... not Monday :) 2. I'm not so sure that authors are not "professionals" -- they write professionally, right? and they definitely can think critically and professionally when reading someone else's work. They are not professionally paid critics, that's true. And Wendy, perhaps you'll see who wins Roger's best judge prize and at least read THAT one? Roger, just a couple of things:

1. The BoB’s first match starts on TUESDAY, March 12th… not Monday :)

2. I’m not so sure that authors are not “professionals” — they write professionally, right? and they definitely can think critically and professionally when reading someone else’s work. They are not professionally paid critics, that’s true.

And Wendy, perhaps you’ll see who wins Roger’s best judge prize and at least read THAT one?

]]> By: Wendy http://www.hbook.com/2013/03/blogs/read-roger/rural-juror/#comment-34104 Wendy Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:11:51 +0000 http://www.hbook.com/?p=23648#comment-34104 This is cool. To be honest I stopped reading the SLJ BoB a couple of years ago because the judges' decisions seemed so bland and squee-y, and I was getting more irritated than seemed reasonable. This is cool. To be honest I stopped reading the SLJ BoB a couple of years ago because the judges’ decisions seemed so bland and squee-y, and I was getting more irritated than seemed reasonable.

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