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more about #finelines more comments → Snowbunny: I feel like I should reread that book, I seem to have missed out on major themes from when I was a child. more » saintestella: this entry made me cry. i love henry sugar that much. to know there was a possibility of escaping the world with a turtle...Roald Dahl was a very la... more » laughingacademy: I adored "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" when I read it as a 10-year-old. My favorite moment was the morning after he’d broken the bank at his ... more » Hana Maru, used up old slutbag on the pole: I wish I hadn't read this, or his other adult stories as a child. Things like The Swan, and a story in another book about the guy murdered for his sk... more » squirrelcop: Do any of these stories involve a boy, at some point in the story, collecting discarded cigarette butts from the side of the road to create a giant ci... more » happysquid: Suggestion suggestion for next FINE LINES: can we look at Eva Ibbotson? I sort of think of her as the mirror image of Roald Dahl - her books are magic... more » stacyinbean: I went through a major Roald Dahl phase in 4th or 5th grade and convinced my parents to buy me all of his books. I'll admit this one and Switch Bitch ... more » dianersb was bit by a zombie: I loved Roald Dahl as a kid, and yet somehow I missed this one. *scampers off to check it out from the library* more » whatwouldjanedo: When I was in fifth grade this was THE book to read. Almost every girl in the class did a book report on it at some point, including one who made a po... more » sallyfloyd: Ben and Maria were my model for what I wanted my marriage and subsequent domestic life to be like. Ben was my template for a husband in 6th grade. Th... more » -
#finelines
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More: Bully for You
The 1945 Roald Dahl short-story classic involving but not limited to a turtle, a yogi, and a terrible swan song.
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#finelines
A Summer To Die: The Nature Of Unleaving
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the feature in which we give a wrinkled look at the books we loved as youth. Today, Lizzie Skurnick rereads Lois Lowry's tearjerker 'A Summer to Die', in which — spoiler alert! — the girl dies.
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#finelines
Fine Lines Quiz Spectacular: Partial Coverage
I'm not sure if you've heard anything about it but...our old, wrinkled pensive Fine Lines feature has spawned a brightly covered book, 'Shelf Discovery, out today! Want to show your YA chops and win a copy? Please click through...
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#finelines
A Taste Of Blackberries: Only The Goofs Die Young
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the feature in which we give a wrinkled look at the books we loved as youth. This week, Lizzie Skurnick rereads Doris Buchanan Smith's A Taste of Blackberries', which gave readers everywhere a fear of hives.
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#finelines
Little Women: The Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the feature in which we give a wrinkled look at the books we loved in our youth. This week, Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'Little Women', Louisa May Alcott's 1868 uber-girl guide to solace through sacrifice and scrubbing.
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#finelines
Down A Dark Hall: Getting The Spirit In The Dark
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the feature in which we give a wrinkled look at the YA books we loved as youth. Today, Lizzie Skurnick rereads Down A Dark Hall, Lois Duncan's thriller about a residence where artists can really colonize.
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#finelines
Nothing's Fair In Fifth Grade: Pleading The Fifth
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade', Barthe DeClements 1981 classic about weight loss, multiplication and mean, mean mamas.
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#finelines
The Eyes Have It
Has Ingrid Grimes-Miles, Michelle Obama's makeup artist, given Ms. O the exact same eyebrows she has? (Does that make them less "angry"?) [NY Mag] -
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#shelfdiscovery
To All Her Fans, With Love From Lizzie
Lizzie's first review: "this...frequently hilarious omnibus of meditations on favorite YA novels dwells mostly among the old-school titles from the late '60s to the early '80s much beloved by now grown-up ladies." Book here. [PW] -
#finelines
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret: How Have I Not Written About This Book Yet?
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the feature where we give a sentimental look at the YA books we loved in our youth. This week, Lizzie Skurnick tackles Judy Blume's 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.'
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#bookends
We Are All 14-Year-Old Girls
Publishers Weekly says that grown women are, increasingly, reading YA fiction. Yeah, we know. (Hides 'Twilight' under mattress.) More » -
#thelongwinter
The Long Winter: Cold Comfort; Or, In Which I Don't Even Try To Fight The Metaphor
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads 'The Long Winter', the Laura Ingalls Wilder classic wherein our heroine Laura twists hay while the sun don't shine.
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#hanginoutwithcici
Hangin' Out With Cici: Time Outs
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads 'Hangin' Out With Cici', Francine Pascal's 1977 story about life before the Wakefield Twins.
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#remembermechristopherpike
Remember Me: After Birth, After Life
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads 'Remember Me', the 1989 story of a murdered girl who will not take ghost for an answer.
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#aringofendlesslight
A Ring Of Endless Light: Eros, Thanatos; Now, Where The Hell Is That Dolphin?
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads 'A Ring of Endless Light', the 1980 Madeleine L'Engle novel about Vicky Austin, who needs a good (dolphin) slap on the ass.
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#bellesontheirtoes
Cheaper By The Dozen, Belles On Their Toes: Mother Knows Best
Welcome back to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, guest writer and novelist Laura Lippman takes on two books, 'Cheaper by the Dozen' and 'Belles on their Toes', and — Sweetheart, get her rewrite! — unearths a major scoop.
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#sisterofthebride
Sister of the Bride: Veiled Messages
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads Beverly Cleary's 1963 novel 'Sister of the Bride', in which Barbara McClane discovers she's more than just a member of the wedding.
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#bridgetoterabithia
Bridge To Terabithia: Troubling The Waters
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads Katherine Paterson's 1977 book 'Bridge to Terabithia', the story of Jess Aarons, the second-fastest runner in the fifth grade.
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#flowersintheattic
Flowers In The Attic: He Ain't Sexy, He's My Brother
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads 'Flowers In The Attic', the 1979 story of a brother and sister who keep it all in the family.
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#alittleprincess
A Little Princess: Reversal Of Four Buns
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads 'A Little Princess', Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1905 story of Sara Crewe, who's both a princess and a pauper.
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#tigereyes
Tiger Eyes: Cuando Los Lagartijos Corren
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads Judy Blume's 'Tiger Eyes', the story of 15-year-old Davey, who has a new hole in her shoes....and in her life.
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#cynthiavoight
Homecoming: A Dicey Prospect
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads Cynthia Voight's 'Homecoming', the 1981 story of a girl on a quest for fire.
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#goaskalice
Go Ask Alice: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads 'Go Ask Alice', the "anonymous"ly-written, 1971 story of a girl who keeps the worst kind of diary.
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#thewolvesofwilloughbychase
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase: Life’s A Bitch, And So Is The Governess
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, novelist/drunken folk art collector Laura Lippman reads 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase', Joan Aiken’s 1962 novel in which two cousins pretty much kick ass all across England, with a little help from loyal retainers and some very brave geese.
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#strangerwithmyface
Stranger With My Face: Stop Projecting
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads 'Stranger With My Face', Lois Duncan's 1981 novel in which Laurie Stratton gets every girl's wish: to be adopted, and to have a secret twin sister.
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#happyendingsareallalike
Happy Endings Are All Alike: The Price Of Fault
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads 'Happy Endings Are All Alike', the 1978 Sandra Scoppettone novel about two young lesbians who want to be together in the worst way.
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#finelines
Well lookee here. An eagle-eyed tipster points out that the main feature on Style.com is a summer reading primer called "Fine Lines." I can't imagine where they got the idea for the headline! See the full screen shot by clicking on the image at left. More » -
#thepigman
The Pigman: A Day No Friends Would Die
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads Paul Zindel's 1969 novel 'The Pigman', in which two teens, John and Lorraine, discover that life is no day at the zoo.
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#bookmarks
To All Our Fans, With Love, From Lizzie
It's never fun to return to work after a sojourn in the South Pacific, but my arrival back on American soil has been made sweeter with this news: Jezebel contributor Lizzie Skurnick has sold a nonfiction title inspired by her increasingly-popular Friday feature about beloved, classic children's and young adult books, Fine Lines. (Congratulations, Lizzie!) The lucky suitor? Publishing behemoth HarperCollins, which, thanks to editor Carrie Feron and agent Kate Lee, will be publishing the book — featuring work that has appeared on Jezebel as well as new content — sometime next summer. And Jezebel readers can help, namely, telling Lizzie what sort of accompanying online content and reader participation opportunities you'd love to see — "book clubs, podcasts, interviews, e-book downloads and cover galleries are things we're kicking around," she says — and, of course, title suggestions. More » -
#finelines
Julie of the Wolves: The Call of the Wild
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick reads Jean Craighead George's 'Julie Of The Wolves,' which won a Newberry Medal in 1973.
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#judyblume
Deenie: Brace Yourself
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'Deenie', the 1973 story of a girl whose newly set back proves only a minor setback.
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#finelines
A Wrinkle In Time: Quit Tesseracting Up
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wizened look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'A Wrinkle In Time', Madeleine L'Engle's 1962 novel of Meg Murry, who is too young to have wrinkles.
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#finelines
Love Is One Of The Choices: No, Not That 'Sex And The City'
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'Love is One of the Choices', Norma Klein's 1978 novel of close encounters of the first kind.
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#finelines
The Girl With The Silver Eyes: Little Pitchers Have Big Pharma
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'The Girl With The Silver Eyes', Willo Davis Roberts' 1980 book about a girl in search of silver-eyed bookworms.
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#finelines
Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself: Springtime for Hitler, Part II
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself', Judy Blume's 1977 story of Sally Freedman, who, following WWII, spends a year in Miami and triumphs over Hitler and Man O' Wars.
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#finelines
Summer of My German Soldier: Springtime for Hitler (Part I)
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'Summer of My German Soldier', Bette Greene's 1973 book about Patty Bergen, who fears her father more than an escaped Nazi.
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#finelines
From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler: City of Angels
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler', E.L. Konigsburg's 1967 novel about extremely unaccompanied minors run amok at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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#finelines
A Gift of Magic: Totally Psyched
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'A Gift Of Magic, Lois Duncan's 1971 story of 11-year-old Nancy Barrett, whose grandmother bequeaths her a totally ESPecial legacy.
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#finelines
The Secret Garden: Still No Idea What a Missel Thrush Is
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, writer / reviewer / blogger Lizzie Skurnick rereads 'The Secret Garden', Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1909 novel about an orphan who gardens her way to a good character.
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#finelines
The Chocolate War: Life's Tough, Kid
Welcome to 'Fine Lines', the Friday feature in which we give a sentimental, sometimes-critical, far more wrinkled look at the children's and YA books we loved in our youth. This week, New York Observer reporter, blogger and Postcards From Yo Momma co-creator Doree Shafrir rereads 'The Chocolate War,' Robert Cormier's 1974 novel about a 14-year-old boy who stands up to the bullies at his high school.
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