THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT

A few weeks ago, I was invited to write a guest post on the website Books4YourKids about my favorite book of 2013: Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli. 

Many might disagree, but I would argue that this is perhaps one of the most important children's books written in my lifetime. Here's an excerpt in which I discuss how this book interacts with Peter Pan: 

It has been observed that I am somewhat obsessive about JM Barrie’s Peter Pan. More than once, people have asked me what I think about Pan adaptations and sequels written by contemporary writers. My usual response is that I think those writers could better use their time creating their own characters to discuss similar themes. Spinelli has done just that. The fugitive shadow of Peter Pan skitters all throughout Hokey Pokey without ever once needing to be mentioned. To every person hoping to write an “updated” version of Oz, or Wonderland, or Grimm’s Fairy Tales, I would direct them to this book. 

The best response to this post came from Tom Angleberger who objected that he didn't actually think this was a book for kids (Betsy Bird wondered as much in her excellent review ... which is what prompted me to pick up the book in the first place). It's an interesting question, and one that I suspect I'll be chewing on for a long time. 

You can click here to read my full review ... better yet, just read Spinelli's book. Because it's AWESOME.