Reading Round-Up on Kids and Competitive Activities (mix of YA and MG fiction books)

Because of my research on kids and competition (especially beauty pageants and dance, which often bleeds into cheer, and athletics) and my own love of reading, I often read youth literature on these topics-- which I've written about before.  Most of the time this has meant Young Adult (YA) books, but more recently I've noticed more Middle Grade (MG) books on these topics as well.  What's the difference between YA and MG? Here's the best thing I've read about the differences between the two (and, according to a Tweet today by NYT publishing reporter Leslie Kaufman, the NYT will now break out YA and MG books on its children's bestseller list).  I would also add, as someone who has read both of Suzanne Collins' series, that The Hunger Games trilogy is YA (and adult-friendly) whereas her Gregor the Overlander five-book series is clearly MG. In any case, here are my quick takes on these five recent books, some of which may appeal to some special young person in your life for the holidays!

1) Dare Me- The darkest of this group of books, Megan Abbott's latest is definitely YA, with sex, drinking, and death taking center stage in her atmospheric and psychological novel on the young woman's psyche.  Outside competitions take second-place to the internal competition on this high school cheerleading squad.  Even if you don't know anything about cheerleading you can appreciate this book (in fact, some hardcore all-star cheerleaders may be distracted by the way competition operates for this high school squad).  Teen girls will love this, even if it makes mom uncomfortable.

2) Fifteen Love- The latest in the Pretty Tough series, which I've written about before, this installment focuses on twin sisters starting ninth grade who play competitive tennis.  It is definitely the best in the series thus far.  The characters are believable and it is very accurately situated in today's tough scholastic high school environment; for example, one of the main characters asks on page 3, "When did high school become a career?"  And this exchange captures the spirit of the book very well:

"Right. Snowboarding. You know, it's not like you can get a scholarship or win any money messing around with stuff that doesn't matter."

"Uh, not that I care about winning money or medals, but actually, yes, I can. Ever hear of the X Games? Or the Super Jam? How about the Olympics? They're adding more action sports events every year!" I roll my eyes. "But it's not about the fame and glory for me-- it's about having fun." [page 10]

3) Pinned- Sharon Flake's latest also focuses on two ninth graders-- Autumn and Adonis.  The two are very different, but are drawn together.  Autumn is a top wrestler on her high school's team here she is the only female (female wrestlers are quite the topic on this blog and in general these days) while Adonis is the team's manager. He doesn't wrestle because he doesn't have lower legs.  The book will appeal to those who like to read, like Adonis, and those who may struggle, like Autumn.  Autumn's chapters are written as she speaks; I'm not a literacy expert but I did wonder if that might make it more difficult to read for those who find reading challenging already? In any cause, it's beautifully voiced and presents universal themes in a different way.  My favorite passage from the book is at the very beginning, when Autumn explains what she likes about wrestling: "You work hard and discipline yourself, and you can be somebody in this sport. And it don't matter if you big or small. Fat or skinny. Rocking killer grades or not."

4) Prettiest Doll- Set in Missouri this middle grade (in my opinion) novel is quite an accurate portrayal of life in child beauty pageants away from the all high-glitz circuit presented in shows like Toddlers & Tiaras. With elements of From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler  (one of my all time favorite stories), you don't have to be interested in pageants to be interested in this book.  I like that the pageants aren't sensationalized, presenting both the good and the bad, and that other important issues in children's lives are discussed.  The book, which is a quick and enjoyable read, also addresses a variety of complicated parental relationships well and has a lasting and realistic take-away message.

5) Someday Dancer- Sarah Rubin's debut novel will appeal most to young dancers who don't quite fit the traditional ballet mode.  The most interesting feature here is that the book is set in the late 1950s, so it offers a very different perspective on adolescence, art, and dance.  The main character discovers modern dance, just after modern dance is "invented."  Several dance greats make appearances, which means that those interested in the arts will learn something about its history.  That such young girls traveled by themselves, overnight by bus, to pursue their dreams may shock some readers and enchant others.  But such sacrifices are also made by young dancers today (which you can see more of if you watch the STUPENDOUS ballet documentary First Position).

I'm looking forward to blogging about some other YA novels soon-- and sharing some new reading news for 2103 soon!

The Similarities Between Honey Boo Boo and Malala Yousafzai (originally posted on The Huffington Post World)

CLICK HERE TO SEE MY THOUGHTS ON THE CONSEQUENCES OF PLACING CHILDREN IN THE PUBLIC EYE, AS THEY ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE HUFFINGTON POST! Alana Thompson and Malala Yousafzai are two seemingly vastly different young women who made headlines this past week. Yousafzai is a 15-year-old Pakistani activist who is recovering from an assassination attempt. Thompson is a seven-year-old American reality television star/child beauty pageant contestant featured on TLC's Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. But these girls are more alike than you think.

Malala Yousafzai started blogging for the BBC Urdu in 2008 when she was 11-years-old. The BBC was looking for a novel way to describe the growing influence of the Taliban in Pakistan. They came up with the idea of having a schoolgirl discuss her life, highlighting the fact that she could no longer pursue an education under Taliban rule. Given the danger of speaking out, the BBC knew the girl would need to remain anonymous -- but the girl's father allowed her to give speeches and Malala increasingly took on a public, activist role. On October 9 the BBC's worst fears were confirmed when Malala was shot in the head by a Taliban group while waiting at a bus stop.

Alana Thompson stepped into the spotlight this past January when she was featured on an episode of Toddlers & Tiaras. Viewers fell in love with the sassy, free-spirited, chubby girl. With her pregnant teenage sister, extreme couponing-mom, and blended family structure it seemed the Thompson-Shannon clan was tailor-made for TLC reality family stardom. "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" premiered in August and it quickly became must-see-TV. (Its fourth episode, which aired during the Republican National Convention, garnered more viewers on cable in the coveted 18-49 demographic).

Recently Alana and her mom, June Shannon, have been in Hollywood promoting their show. On the October 23 episode of Dr. Drew on HLN an exhausted-looking Alana appeared next to June. Alana was clearly fed up with all of their media appearances, pretending to sleep and snore, and swatting at Dr. Drew's face. The most disturbing part of her appearance is when she declares that she doesn't like being on television because "fans come up to me and I hate it!"

Alana's life, like Malala's, is no longer private. While Alana's fans don't hate her the way the Taliban hate Malala, Honey Boo Boo's safety is in question. It's been reported that the Thompson-Shannon family now has difficulty eating in restaurants and shopping. Other reality TV kids, like the Gosselins, have had to resort to hiring private security based on threats to their physical safety.

Clearly there are serious safety concerns about placing real children -- who are not characters, like child performers -- in the public eye. If we are complicit in these children's fame, and their compromised safety, by watching and reaching about their lives, we must be willing to change the underlying social problems that they represent.

Honey Boo Boo reveals deep social inequality in American society that, while not as life-threatening as that in Pakistan, is quite serious. There is a reason Mama June's dining room is filled with toilet paper she got through couponing; there is a reason she makes 'sketti (pasta made with microwaved ketchup and butter); there is a reason she calls the local dump their "department store" where they "buy" clothes. In America, particularly in rural areas like the Georgia county that the family calls home, children still go hungry and they receive an inferior education to that of their wealthier peers. No one is going to assassinate Alana for showing the reality of American families like hers, but in becoming the poster child for that inequality Alana's personal safety has been compromised.

If Alana reflects continued inequality in America, Malala reflects continued inequality in the world. The irony is that Alana and her family are now financially benefiting from their previously impoverished family life. It's been reported that they will now earn five-figures per episode.

Meanwhile Malala is recovering in a hospital in Birmingham, England. The hospital posts status updates about her condition on their website. Clearly we're still reading about and watching Malala and Alana. Hopefully both of their families will end up in better financial positions, but at what cost?

The "Cool" Power of Pageantry

This morning I was on NECN's Morning Show talking about the controversy surrounding the Indian Land Elementary Warrior School Pageant-- a child beauty pageant meant to be a fundraiser in South Carolina that was ultimately canceled after parent protests.

You can read more of my thoughts on "Parents against pageants" by clicking here.  In a nutshell I think there are reasons to be concerned about schools sponsoring elementary school-age pageants (as opposed to high school level "pageants" like Prom/Homecoming Queen), but that doesn't mean all child beauty pageants are bad. As I say, there's reason to think it's easier to do a child pageant at 6 months than 6 years.

As Steve, the anchor, mentions about 55 seconds into the clip, Miss USA (the first ever from Rhode Island-- hence her New England connection), appeared about 45 minutes after I did. I know it's easy to confuse us-- ha!

At about 2 minutes and 20 seconds into the above clip Olivia Culpo does address the South Carolina school pageant.  Note that she does so in very stereotypically pageant fashion though, emphasizing that beauty is really on the inside.

I was somewhat surprised to hear Culpo respond in that way because as I was driving to NECN's studios earlier I heard her talking on the radio.  During her radio interview I was a bit shocked by how candid (and fun) she was about a few things.  One of the things she said was a bit negative though-- which I think she herself recognized because she then effectively said, "Whoops, shouldn't have said that on the radio!" While talking about her cello playing the radio hosts asked her why she chose to compete in Miss USA, which doesn't have a talent component.  She responds that she thought about doing the "American" system, but decided to do Trump's Miss USA because it's "cooler."  You can hear this exchange starting around 3:20 here.

Both Miss USA and Miss America have positives and negatives and while there are some cross-over contestants most young women opt for the system that fits them best.  Because Miss America places an emphasis on talent and interview/platform the women who go that route often aren't as "sexy" as Miss USA system contestants.  Trump's system is known for being physically sexier, but both Miss America and Miss USA have done a great job of helping women get into the entertainment industry.

Note that former Miss USAs (like Susie Castillo) are more likely to be entertainment reporters, while former Miss Americas (like Gretchen Carlson) are more likely to be news anchors/commentators.  The difference between Castillo and Carlson reflects slightly different politics (Miss America is known for being more conservative, as I wrote about in June on Slate-- though note that despite Trumps' known conservatism the Miss USA system is noted for being liberal, which helped lead to the first Miss Conservative U.S. Pageant in July).

Of course not all beauty queens go on to entertainment careers. Some go into politics, and I wrote about some of those currently running for political office yesterday at The Hill. You can check out my piece by clicking here: "From reigning to campaigning: Beauty Queen political candidates."  Despite Culpo's comment I found all the women I spoke with for this article to be pretty "cool."  I especially loved that Caroline Bright's (Miss Vermont 2010) mother has a PhD in women's studies and that Lauren Cheape (Miss Hawaii 2011) decided to run for office on her plane ride home from the Miss America Pageant (it is a long flight from Las Vegas to Hawaii, but it's not life-changing for everyone!).  I also loved Lauren's attitude about her noteworthy talent, jump-roping (yes, including a "butt bounce"!), which she uses to help fight childhood obesity and to explain to kids that you will inevitably make mistakes (like stepping on the jump rope) but you just need to keep going.

And, again, while some Miss America contestants may not be considered traditionally "cool" by their Miss USA sisters, many of them are pretty amazing individuals who I'd love to have a conversation with.  Take, for instance, the reigning Miss Montana who will compete for the title of Miss America 2013 in January.  Alexis Wineman could be the first woman with a developmental disorder to win the Pageant. The 18-year-old was diagnosed with autism at age 11.

The name of her platform is pretty clever, by the way: "Normal is Just a Dryer Setting, Living with Autism."

Wineman reminds us that "cool" comes in all different settings and any pageant that can teach children that cool and beautiful come in many different shapes and sizes is probably okay with me-- especially during October, which is Anti-Bullying Awareness Month (for more recent thoughts from me on anti-bullying this month, check out the profile of our little family toward the end of this newsletter).

Custody Cases, Child Beauty Pageants, and Reality TV: New Slate Double X piece on Toddlers & Tiaras Justice with update from 11-12

Last Friday a feature story I wrote about the Maddy Verst custody trial appeared on Slate's Double X. You may recall that I also wrote about the now six-year-old Maddy last fall after she appeared on the cover ofPeople.  

Like many others, including hundreds of pageant moms, I think the TLC series Toddlers & Tiaras is pretty harmful to the child beauty pageant community and to many of the kids.  I've written about kids and reality TV before as well (like here and here), so know just being on camera in front of a national audience can be problematic for some children-- let alone shown in a prostitute outfit, in a costume with "enhancements," or smoking a cigarette.

Now there's legal evidence that the show is being used in family court, as my Slate piece details. Here's a short excerpt, but click HERE to read more:

Even if the Verst case shouldn’t be a referendum on whether or not child beauty pageants are a form of abuse for all children, family lawyer Mark Momjian acknowledges that most people will “impute” to all child-beauty-pageant families. In other words most people will assume this means that child beauty pageants are now legally recognized as a form of abuse and can be the basis for altered custody arrangements and other legal action.

What sets the Verst case apart, according to Momjian, is not just that Maddy participates in child beauty pageants, but that she has done so on a television show with her story broadcast to the world. Momjian knows a thing or two about children on reality TV, having represented Kate Gosselin, former star of another controversial TLC show, Jon & Kate Plus 8, in her divorce and custody case. He believes that regardless of the outcome, the fact that child beauty pageants have become such a public issue in this case does not bode well for future participants on this show, or others featuring girls in competitive activities like dance (see: Dance Moms) and cheerleading (see: Cheer Perfection).

Jackson has asserted that, within the context of pageants, costumes like Maddy’s police-officer getup and the dance moves that accompany them are not considered sexual. Having studied child beauty pageants for over a decade, I agree with her. Within that world, they are just seen as “cute,” not sexual, and are what you must do in order to win the biggest crown. They are just moves. But that shared understanding in the pageant ballroom isn't present in the wider world, and once these routines are broadcast to a wider audience, they are rightly seen as having sexual elements in them—batting eyelashes, blowing kisses, and thrusting hips. Which is why allowing young children to be on these television shows is problematic.

In my opinion the Verst case should worry many moms, not just pageant moms.  Especially divorced moms like Melissa Ziegler whose two daughters, Maddie and Mackenzie, star on Lifetime’s Dance Moms.  In Season 1 her ex-husband appears saying that he will no longer allow his daughters to compete with their dance studio—though nothing has yet come of that threat in Season 2.  It's the combination of being involved with a controversial activity (especially those that can sexualize young girls like pageants, dance, and cheerleading) and being on television that is the real issue.  Either on their own can cause problems though—just ask Amber Portwood of MTV’s Teen Mom who lost custody of her daughter and is now in jail after footage of her hitting her child’s father in front of her daughter aired.

According to a source close to Lindsay Jackson who was present at the Campbell County Courthouse this past Friday, the judge closed the court proceedings to outsiders (including media).  Given his previous gag order and the increasingly high profile nature of the case, this wasn't surprising.  Maddy and her parents are still awaiting a decision from the judge though, and it is unclear when that decision will now be announced.

I personally am not surprised that more time is being given to make a decision.  When I spoke with Mark Momijan for the piece he told me that in 25 years of practicing family law he had never heard of a parent releasing a custodial evaluation, especially one that was less complimentary than it could be toward the mom.  He thought that would worry the judge.  Seems Judge Woeste has a lot to process, and his decision will impact not only Maddy but lots of little girls like her, so it's good that he is taking time to consider all aspects of the custody case.

UPDATE: It was reported on November 30, 2012 that Jackson and Verst will share custody, with Jackson as the primary custodian.  Maddy will be allowed to compete in pageants, so long as both parents agree in writing-- but this is expected to continue to cause legal issues.

Call the Pageant Muskers

I learn a lot of random things thanks to The Learning Channel. Recently TLC taught me that muskers is the "gypsy" word for the police.  After watching Season 2 of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, and Season 1 of My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding, I think some of these people need the fashion police as much as the actual police. I've written before (in one of my most popular posts ever, natch) about the outlandish dresses Traveler girls wear and how similar some of these styles are to those worn in the child beauty pageant world. In addition to the outfits there are other similarities which were spotlighted in the UK version of the show. Those similarities include young girls getting fake nails and spray tans, wearing make-up, and curling their hair into impressive styles.  Both versions of the show feature girls with interesting names like Boo, Nan-Girl, and Pookie, to name a few; anyone who has watched Toddlers & Tiaras knows that many pageant girls sport unusual names or more traditional names with unconventional spellings. (The men featured on the show, especially the American version, have their own fashion sense as well. Think Pauly D's blowout and spray tan from Jersey Shore, minus the real diamonds and gold.)

The US version of the show, which aired its final episodes last week, featured some brides who looked like they had absconded with the loot from a Southern child beauty pageant. Check out the crowns these ladies wore on their special days:

Crowns aren't the only things blinged out at American gypsy weddings-- so is the footwear.  These boots would almost surely help a girl win an Ultimate Grand Supreme on the pageant circuit:

And I'm guessing baby shoes-- and pacifiers!-- like this one will soon start showing up on TLC's other mega-hit Toddlers & Tiaras.

Baby Jackson pictured above was featured on what I thought was the most interesting episode of the American series set in Murphy's Village in South Carolina. Murphy's Village is a prosperous, but insular, community of Irish Travelers (as opposed to European Roma) who are resistant to outsiders.  I found the traditions featured in the wedding of this boy's parents (whose mother was marrying into the Murphy's Village community) fascinating, like the original poems that are linked to the oral tradition of the Irish and the jewelry party that is meant to help find a future mate for a baby.

But most of the series focused on the extended Stanley clan of women who live in West Virginia.  The Stanley women like to fight and in many ways they reminded me of the White family, the subject of one of the most haunting documentaries I've seen, The Wild Wonderful Whites of West Virginia which makes me wonder if the Whites share a similar immigrant background.

So I'm wondering if some child beauty pageant participants have Romany or Traveler roots/blood? Do you know of any who specifically identify as "gypsy" eitherin SC, WV, or in other states?

I also wonder if Sondra Celli, the dressmaker featured in the TLC show, is now getting requests to make child beauty pageant dresses. She stumbled into making gypsy dresses and I'm guessing she could stumble into a pageant dress career and still make top dollar (her occasion dresses for gypsies, though worn once and made in just a few days time, cost thousands of dollars).

Not all Romani or Travelers behave like the Stanleys and others featured in the series. Even in the US the population is quite mixed.  Oksana Marafioti's memoir, American Gypsy, just released last week, paints a much more complex picture of her childhood as an Armenian gypsy in the former USSR and in Los Angeles. Marafioti had some pretty negative things to say about the TLC show over on Slate's Double X.  Marafioti writes about bright colors and dresses and skirts, but nothing like Sondra Celli's creations.  Her story focuses much more on the magic and fortune-telling that many associate with "gypsy" culture.  Mikey Walsh's memoir, Gypsy Bot: My Life in the Secret World of the Romany Gypsies, recently released in the US after it was a hit in the UK, helps tell the boys' side of the story about growing up gypsy in the UK.  For boys the ability to fight is key, hard for Walsh in general and especially after he came out of the closet.

Both memoirs talk more about the colorful traditions around funerals than those around weddings. The UK show featured celebrations at elaborately decorated gravesides so I can only imagine what a funeral looks like. Could that be TLC's next series: My Big Fat Gypsy Funeral?!

ETA: The day after I posted this I read an article about opposition to child beauty pageants in Ireland (this isn't new, as I wrote about last year, though I do find it somewhat surprising given Irish dancing fashions).  Some hotels are now refusing to host the events in Ireland, yet another thing to add to the growing list of similarities between child beauty pageants and Roma/Traveler events (the TLC series show venues in the UK routinely canceling on gypsy events).