Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Red hair, palindromes, vegetarians and diaries

Just stumbled across this post today and I think it's worth sharing.

Joelle Anthony wrote a list of 25 most over-used things in YA and MG fiction. She called the article RED HAIR'S NOT AS UNCOMMON AS YOU THINK, and it came about when she was reading a lot of novels aimed at young readers and noticed some common threads.

First she laughed, then she took notes. She ended up with a list of 25 things that show up repeatedly. Things like best friends with red hair (#2) and the mean-spirited cheerleader (and her gang) as the story's antagonist (#13) and the dead mother (#12) a theme which Disney seems to embrace as well. See if you can name one Disney movie where the main character has two parents. (Cinderella? Nope. Dumbo? Nope. Bambi? Don't go there.)

If you want to read the whole list, check out Joelle's blog HERE.

(more flower photos tomorrow!)

9 comments:

Brinky said...

ya gotta love #14 ;)

nightsmusic said...

Oh, Pam, you've got to watch more Disney movies! Mulan, Nemo, The Lion King, Hercules, all have a two parent theme. And none of the moms die.

And I was informed of that by my 20 & 22 yo DDs who still watch Disney movies, much to their friend's confusion.

And my word verify is ackfu...don't go there... ;)

yutha said...

Oh, Nightsmusic - Nemo's mom dies right at the beginning of the movie. Don't know about the others though....

yutha said...

Brinky - is that dig at me? I can't help it if I'm a genius :))

nightsmusic said...

Well, slap me! They didn't remind me of that. "Oh, yeah, mom. We forgot to mention she's a baracuda's snack"

*sigh*

A Novel Woman said...

Nemo's mom was a snack.

The Lion King, Simba's father Mufasa, is murdered by a rival.

Hercules had parents, but he was abandoned as a newborn by his natural mother and father then sent to Earth to be raised by adoptive parents.

I think Mulan is one of the few Disney movies where both parents are present and loving although the father is described as "old and weak."

A Novel Woman said...

Brinky, I think we should ask Bev and Paul. (#3)

Anne S. said...

Sleeping Beauty has two parents!

A Novel Woman said...

Yes but once again, Sleeping Beauty's parents give her up and let someone else (fairies) raise her to keep her safe.