SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

February 28, 2015 by Travis Jonker

Something Different: WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?

February 28, 2015 by Travis Jonker   2 comments

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

I received a book in the mail the other day called WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?, and I’ve never really read a book like it. It’s published by 826michigan, a non-profit “dedicated to supporting students (ages 6 to 18) with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.”

It contains twelve stories, twelve funny, strange, absurd, and joyous stories. It’s illustrated in black Sharpie by Dave Eggers (founder of the 826 National program).

But here’s the best part: all the stories are written by kids between the ages of six and ten – students of the Boggs School in Detroit.

We often talk about authors who are able to see the world from the perspective of a child. What first struck me about these stories is how they so clearly sprung from the minds of kids. In the notes at the beginning of the book, Eggers says “almost no words were altered” from the original student stories. It doesn’t come off like children’s writing filtered through adults, it’s straight from the source.

I think kids will love reading it. It speaks their language.

Note: kids’ language sometimes includes sharks named Jerry getting punched:

It contains stories about:

  • The pride that comes from a dad who doesn’t need to stop the car for a bathroom break.
  • The weird smell of grownup zebras.
  • A fireman who is literally a fire man.
  • A very self-aware snowman.
Some have a beginning, middle and an end, others more closely resemble non sequiturs than anything else. Some stories end with a moral, while others end abruptly, leaving the reader to figure out what just happened.

The book costs $17.99 and all proceeds go directly to Boggs School and 826michigan. It’s the sort of book that should be all over the place, but I can see it finding a nice home in school and classroom libraries.

Click the image below to order a copy.

Filed under: Articles

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

May 2022

2022 Books from American Indian Youth Literature Award Winners

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

Ditched Dewey? I Have an Oddly Specific Question for You

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

'This crap really fires me up' FRED GETS DRESSED Gets Challenged

by Travis Jonker

May 2022

2022 Books from APAA Winners

by Travis Jonker

April 2022

Book Vandalism or The Most Deeply Appropriate Thing I've Ever Seen?

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Read Aloud Hall of Fame #5: THE FULL BELLY BOWL by Jim Aylesworth and Wendy Anderson Halperin

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Cover Reveal and Interview with Candice Fleming and Eric Rohmann: POLAR BEAR!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Tails of the Super-Pets | Review

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

Many May Suggestions: First Quarter Mock Newbery Possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Post-It Note Reviews: Gothic tropes, post-apocalyptic friendship, small town Minnesota, and more!

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

Farewell From The Classroom Bookshelf

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Grant Snider Visits The Yarn!

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

A Starter Manga Set: 15 Titles for Children and Tweens

Beth Doesn't Die in This One: 11 Companion Titles that Remix 'Little Women'

More and More Manga: An Updated Primer on Japanese Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Good News for Fans of Charlotte Bronte: 6 Substitutes and Read-Alikes for 'Jane Eyre'

29 Books that Celebrate All Aspects of Jewish Life | Jewish American Heritage Month

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sally says

    February 28, 2015 at 5:34 pm

    I LOVE this.

  2. Sarah Lamstein says

    March 1, 2015 at 4:57 am

    Great, Travis. Thank you!!!!!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2022


    COPYRIGHT © 2022