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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'Pearl's life is decidedly wonky. Her dad's run off, her mum doesn't love her, her cousin Mitch is mad and her guinea pig's in the freezer. The only thing she can think of to straighten things out is a grandmother. A sweet, gentle, apple-pie grandmother. All the other kids have one, fussing, knitting and leaving lipstick slobber marks on their cheeks, so why doesn't she? Then she inherits Gran, and things are never quite the same again...'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Sound recording.
- Braille.
- Large print.
Works about this Work
-
Subversion or Socialization? : Humour and Carnival in Morris Gleitzman's Texts
2004
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Children's Literature in Education , December vol. 35 no. 4 2004; (p. 367-379) "Like their counterparts elsewhere, Australian children favour humorous novels; comedic writers consistently dominate the preteen and early teen fiction market in Australia. Regardless of its popularity, however, in comparison to more serious writing, humorous literature has received little critical attention. Of the studies aimed at this area, most have tended to concentrate on the various stages of development in childrens preferences for humor, its strategies, forms and appeal, with very few examining the ideological assumptions informing particular texts. Yet, this article argues, humorous books are no less concerned with culture, value and meaning than any other kind of fiction for children. As Morris Gleitzmans texts illustrate, by highlighting the cultural processes involved in the construction of language and meaning, inviting readers to play with ideas about language, social roles and behaviors, and creating characters who act in ways which are oppositional to usual socializing expectations, humorous literature, especially in carnivalized forms, has the potential to problematize unquestioning acceptance of various ideological para-digms, values, social practices and rules." -
Treading a Fine Line : Morris Gleitzman's Provocative Fiction
1999
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Something to Crow About : New Perspectives in Literature for Young People 1999; (p. 157-170) This work examines how readers understand popular fiction as opposed to literary fiction. "Using Gleitzman's two most challenging works, Water Wings and Two Weeks with the Queen, as benchmarks, I investigate this issue, looking particularly at how he balances humor and pathos in his treatment of sensitive material." (Kroll, Jeri, 1999, p. 157) -
Untitled
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , May vol. 41 no. 2 1997; (p. 38)
— Review of Water Wings 1996 single work novel -
In Search of a Suitable Grandmother
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 4 January 1997; (p. C9)
— Review of Paris and Sandylands 1996 single work novel ; Javta's Ghost 1996 single work children's fiction ; Water Wings 1996 single work novel
-
Untitled
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: Reading Time : The Journal of the Children's Book Council of Australia , May vol. 41 no. 2 1997; (p. 38)
— Review of Water Wings 1996 single work novel -
In Search of a Suitable Grandmother
1997
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 4 January 1997; (p. C9)
— Review of Paris and Sandylands 1996 single work novel ; Javta's Ghost 1996 single work children's fiction ; Water Wings 1996 single work novel -
Treading a Fine Line : Morris Gleitzman's Provocative Fiction
1999
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Something to Crow About : New Perspectives in Literature for Young People 1999; (p. 157-170) This work examines how readers understand popular fiction as opposed to literary fiction. "Using Gleitzman's two most challenging works, Water Wings and Two Weeks with the Queen, as benchmarks, I investigate this issue, looking particularly at how he balances humor and pathos in his treatment of sensitive material." (Kroll, Jeri, 1999, p. 157) -
Subversion or Socialization? : Humour and Carnival in Morris Gleitzman's Texts
2004
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Children's Literature in Education , December vol. 35 no. 4 2004; (p. 367-379) "Like their counterparts elsewhere, Australian children favour humorous novels; comedic writers consistently dominate the preteen and early teen fiction market in Australia. Regardless of its popularity, however, in comparison to more serious writing, humorous literature has received little critical attention. Of the studies aimed at this area, most have tended to concentrate on the various stages of development in childrens preferences for humor, its strategies, forms and appeal, with very few examining the ideological assumptions informing particular texts. Yet, this article argues, humorous books are no less concerned with culture, value and meaning than any other kind of fiction for children. As Morris Gleitzmans texts illustrate, by highlighting the cultural processes involved in the construction of language and meaning, inviting readers to play with ideas about language, social roles and behaviors, and creating characters who act in ways which are oppositional to usual socializing expectations, humorous literature, especially in carnivalized forms, has the potential to problematize unquestioning acceptance of various ideological para-digms, values, social practices and rules."
Awards
- 1997 winner KOALA Awards — Senior Book
Last amended 26 Mar 2020 14:18:07
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