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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow: Four Novellas by Daniel Nayeri

Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow: Four Novellas by Daniel Nayeri. Okay, no, this book isn't released until October, so I am jumping the gun. But from what I can tell it really doesn't have anything to do with fairy tales other than its borrowing the concept of straw, wood, brick and blow from The Three Little Pigs. That was enough to intrigue me.

Here's the publisher's description:

Written entirely on an iPhone, this quartet of YA novellas by Another Pan and Another Faust author Daniel Nayeri showcases four different genres.

This bold collection of novellas by Another series author Daniel Nayeri features four riveting tales. These modern riffs on classic genres will introduce young adult readers to a broad range of writing styles that explore universally compelling themes such as identity and belonging, betrayal and friendship, love and mortality.

Straw House: A Western sizzling with suspense, set in a land where a rancher grows soulless humans and a farmer grows living toys.

Wood House: This science-fiction tale plunges the reader into a future where reality and technology blend imperceptibly, and a teenage girl must race to save the world from a nano-revolution that a corporation calls "ReCreation Day."

Brick House: This detective story set in modern NYC features a squad of "wish police" and a team of unlikely detectives.

Blow: A comedic love story told by none other than Death himself, portrayed here as a handsome and charismatic hero who may steal your heart in more ways than one. With humor, suspense, and relatable prose, this hip and cutting-edge collection dazzles.

About the Author

Daniel Nayeri is a writer and editor in New York City. He loves pastry chefing and was once an award-winning stuntman.

And, no, I don't find it impressive this was written entirely on an iPhone. Toilet paper, paper, computer, iPhone, I don't care how or where it was composed, only if it is good. I hope it is because I am in love with the concept and the story descriptions are interesting, too. The kitschy stuff I can leave behind.

Lily Collins on Her Snow White

From Lily Collins: 'Snow White will be epic' by Tara Fowler:

Collins said that she is thrilled to have landed the coveted role, confessing that working on the movie feels like a fairy tale itself.

"I keep saying to everyone I feel like I'm walking into a snow globe, a fairy tale, every single day," Collins told Entertainment Weekly. "It's so epic. I was part of a costume ball today, so you can only imagine the outfits."

The actress went on to describe her take on the character, claiming that her version of Snow White will not be a weakling.

"She's very much that fairy tale princess we've all read about in books," she explained. "She's been modernized in a way that she becomes a fighter in the end."

Game of Thrones star Sean Bean was recently cast in the role of Snow White's father.

Singh's Snow White is scheduled to open in cinemas on March 16, 2012.

Monday, August 8, 2011

The Three Little Cowboy Builders and Maybe fairy tales should be kinder, gentler?

Follow my journey here....

From Maybe fairy tales should be kinder, gentler by Sis Bowman, dated yesterday:

When I read last week that a digital remake of "The Three Little Pigs" cartoon was being rejected because "the use of pigs raises cultural issues," I was flabbergasted.

I realized the politically correct crowd had outdone themselves in restructuring our language. But I had no idea our fairy tales also were in jeopardy.

Not only is "The Three Little Pigs" offensive to Muslims, but also to builders. That's right. When the story substituted the pigs for cowboys and was published as "The Three Little Cowboy Builders," it also was rejected.

Apparently the story stereotypes builders as cowboys who construct shoddy structures. Sounds like I am making this up? Look in "The Telegraph" published in the United Kingdom.

So I went looking and discovered the article was from 2008: Three little pigs 'could offend builders, Muslims' by Graeme Paton, Education Editor. Not cutting edge news, but an amusing article all the same. No new ground for here in the op ed piece, but the original article about the offensive elements in the Three Little Pigs remake was interesting.

Here's an excerpt from the original article, too:

They also said that the subject was "questionable for certain groups within the UK" and that "only an exceedingly creative teacher could find this innovative".

The story for primary school pupils replaces pigs with "cowboy builders" as part of a light-hearted tale designed to spark interest in reading and design technology skills.

Young children are encouraged to read the story and create their own versions using the software.

But its authors were also told that it portrays the building industry in a bad light.

Judges said "retelling a story" was acceptable, but it "should not alienate parts of the workforce", adding that builders should be "positive" role models for young children.

"Is it true that all builders are cowboys, builders get their work blown down, and builders are like pigs?" the judges asked.

Wow. Just wow. So then I had to see The Three Little Cowboy Builders. Here is the link to its product page with Shoo Fly Publishers. Which claims:

Two times ERA winner for Primary Resources and Equipment and Innovation awards 2007, The Three Little Cowboy Builders I-Fly POP-UP Book uses ICT to develop key literacy and design technology skills.

Looks interesting. And I'd never heard of it before, so that's why I'm sharing it here... Fascinating controversies and products. And my brain is too tired after all the searching to really say more than that...