Greetings, fellow reader guys. This is the Iron Guy and I'm really excited about this interview with the great
Ms. Yingling. She's a school librarian in Ohio and one of the best book bloggers I know. I've heard about a lot of great books from her and am always hearing about more at her terrific blog,
Ms. Yingling Reads. And,
wow, does she ever read! She reviews two or three books almost
every day and still runs a school library! How does she do it? Why, one year she read
every fiction book in her library!! That's a feat that would make even a MANLY MAN like the Iron Guy quiver in his manly boots. But she has also been a friend to this blog for a very long time, making comments and sharing ideas. I think we may have influenced her because she started a Guy Friday every week in which she recommends books for boys--does
that sound familiar? In fact, she has been such a good friend and done so much for guy reading that we once gave her our very highest honor and made her an Honorary Guy. But enough intrduction--let's get into the interview.
There's a nasty rumor
out there that says it's uncool for boys to read. How do you think it got
started?
I think that some boys find it hard to read, and it's easier to
say it's not cool than to say it's hard. It's hard to sit still, the words are
tiny, and their mother keeps handing them The Secret Garden. Their
teachers are girls, their librarians are often girls, and there are just not
enough MEN out there to make it cool.
That’s why you have
the Iron Guy in blogland, making reading cool for boys. What would the boys at your school say to the answer to the first
questtion? And why do you think
it's cool for boys to read?
We have an awesome 6th grade teacher, Mr. Buxton
(http://buxtolicious.blogspot.com/) who is very influential. If he book talks
something, 50 students come in to request it. Reading is highly encouraged in
our school, so the boys see each other reading. Also, we have a good selection
of books with action, dog poop, robot decapitation, etc. that boys actually
enjoy reading.
I think it's cool for boys to read because it makes
them smarter, and smart guys are THE coolest.
Yes, indeed. What are the favorite books of the boys at your school?
Notebook novels like Wimpy Kind, Big Nate, and Dragonbreath, any
sports books that are about basketball or football, and the world record books.
If you became Queen of the Universe and could tell every librarian everywhere
what the 5 best books for boys of all time are, what
would you say?
Did someone take my
crown away? I would have to say Horowitz's Stormbreaker, Riordan's The
Lightning Thief, Korman's Ungifted, Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak
and Mack's Mathlete vs. Athlete.
You used to be a Latin teacher. What made you choose to be school
librarian? What are the best and hardest parts of it?
I didn't exactly choose to leave the field-- there were just no
jobs. I have always loved to read, and I could get an MLS and not have to get
another bachelor's degree. The best part of my job is when I am riding my bike
home and a student who is hauling garbage cans back to the garage runs
out to say "Ms. Yingling! The book you gave me is AWESOME!!"
(happened just last night!), or when I am describing a book to a student, and
another student pipes up "That book is great. You have to read
it!" I also like my little slice of internet "fame" and all the
interesting authors, librarians and teachers I have met.
The hardest part is that it's a ton of work. It's a 24/7 kind of job. I'm at
school for ten hours a day, and do another 3-5 hours of work at home, which
leaves very little time for other things. I even dream about overdues. I
wouldn't spend the time if I didn't enjoy it, though, so I can't complain!
Ms Yingling believes that a librarian should LOOK like a librarian!
How would you say, "Boys are awesome" in Latin?
"Pueri optissimi sunt" would be "Boys are the very
best!"
How about "The Iron Guy is king of MANLY MEN”?
"Vir ferri Carolus rex viri virilissimi est." (Man
of iron Carl the king of the manly men is! The Romans used a slightly different
order. I'd drop the "est" and use "Ave" at the beginning so
you have "Hail, Iron Guy Carl!")
That said, it's been 20 years since I have
taught Latin; I just ripped Ned Vizzini about the Latin in House of Secrets,
so feel I should be careful!
Because of your excellent blog and your great work for guy reading, we
gave you the highest honor we could possibly bestow and made you an Honorary Guy. Have you ever gotten
over the shock of receiving such a great award?
I
have never gotten over the shock, but I attribute my current reading tastes
(romance and dog poop? Fantastic!) to this award. I feel honored every day when
boys trust me to get them a book they will enjoy.
I ask these final questions of everyone I interview--Which do you
prefer, cheeseburgers or pizza? What do you like on them?
Girly answer to this one: I don't care for
either! Also, I'm an old person, so I eat more grilled vegetables and hummus!
The Iron Guy is putting on a few years too (as well as trying to keep from putting on a few pounds), so I'm trying to eat more veggies as well. But I still like GUY food of no nutritional value, like cheeseburgers and pizza. And be proud of your girly answer. We're proud of our MANLINESS--be proud of your GIRLYNESS!!
Well, all kidding aside, we really appreciate your taking time for your hectic schedule and answering all our questions. You are truly one of the coolest librarians I know and I wish you and your boys (and girls) the best.
Check out her blog, guys, and be especially sure to read her Guy Fridays! (Same thing for all the grownups who are looking for good books for your boys)
Here's a survival story along the lines of Island of the Blue Dolphins, except that it doesn't take place off the California Coast but in the frozen Arctic Sea. In the 1860's, two Inuit boys and their dog are hunting for seal when an iceberg hits their ice floe and sends it drifting into the Greenland Strait. They have no kayak and swimming to shore is impossible--even if they were close enough, the freezing water would kill them almost instantly. And it's October. They're about to go into the coldest and darkest part of the year when it can get to 40 below. And there are bears. And even if they survive the winter, what will happen in the spring when their ice floe thaws and breaks up? This is a good and suspenseful story, just the sort of thing for a guy to enjoy. You'll really wonder if survival is possible. This is one you're going to enjoy. Besides, it's good to read about the frozen Arctic when it gets so hot during the summer!
This is another terrific book in the Alvin Ho series. These books are funny, funny, funny and each one should come with a You-Will-Laugh-Out-Loud guarantee. All of them feature second-grader Alvin Ho, who is scared of everything. Lighting storms. Getting stuck in trees. Speaking up in class. Dead authors who give tours of their houses. He evesn carries a Personal Disaster Kit which contains like like Band-Aids, a whistle (in case you're so scared you lose your voice) and Garlic for "fending off vampires and teachers." In this one, Alvin's mom is expecting a baby. She shows him the ultrasound pictures but he says it looks like an alien. Then he notices that his tummy is getting big too. Oh, no--that must mean HE'S pregnant!! He doesn't want to have a baby! Not only THAT, there's also a burglar in the area. Now Alvin's got something ELSE to be scared of! Wait--he's home alone after he fell asleep in the closet and his mom had to go to the hospital. Who's that coming up the stairs?? Could it be the BURGLAR??!! Alvin's brother rigged up a trap for burglars--WILL IT WORK??? Oh, man, you've got to read this one!! You will laugh out loud when a TV reporter shows up at Alvin's school and a classmate says Alvin's pregnant! Or when the other boys in class learn that they're pregnant! Or when Alvin solves the baby-crying problem. Or when he eats six ice cream cones and a lick in a minute and a half. So get this and have some good summer fun.
