Bridge to the Stars

Smart Pop Books is running a series of essays, 'Navigating the Golden Compass', on all aspects of Philip Pullman's trilogy. The latest, 'Dismembered Starlings and Neutered Minds' by Naomi Wood, looks at Pullman's treatment of notions of innocence and experience, especially as these concepts relate to our understanding of childhood.

In The Golden Compass, Pullman subverts our notions of innocence by first showing children’s innocence not as guiltless, but rather as uncouth, even feral—as the absence of knowledge and of culture rather than the presence of purity, love, or virtue. Lyra, the spirited heroine, is described initially as “a coarse and greedy little savage,” a “half-wild cat.” [...] And although adults may see children’s play as “pleasant,” “innocent and charming,” children are actually just as political as their elders: Lyra is part of a “rich seething stew of alliances and enmities and feuds and treaties”; as leader of her own gang of children affiliated with Jordan College, she leads the others in “deadly warfare,” delighting in physical combat and tactical victories. In her leadership ability, her physical courage, and her rhetorical power, Lyra possesses the same qualities as her parents, Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter, and has similar power to influence the people around her for good and ill. Being a child makes her no more inherently moral or immoral than any of the other individuals in the series.

http://www.bridgetothestars.net/news/essay-about-his-dark-materials-on-smart-pop-books/

The first World Book Night is taking place this year, on the 5th of March. One million books are being given away for free across the UK and Ireland by book-loving members of the public. With 40,000 copies of Northern Lights being distributed, we hope to have a lot of new readers to the trilogy. It would be great if we could tell them about Bridge To The Stars.

So how can you help support BttS?

If you’re a giver
If you’re giving out Northern Lights, we’d love to hear from you! You could help us by spreading the word about BridgeToTheStars.net – whether it’s telling people about us, or by putting our web address onto a slip of paper inside the books you’re giving. We’d love to hear about your World Book Night experiences, and why you chose Northern Lights to give out.

For everyone else
Even if you’re not a giver, you can still do the above if you find someone giving out Northern Lights! Just because you’re not giving doesn’t mean you can’t attend one of the many World Book Night events being hosted all over the UK and Ireland, so find out if one is happening near you. The biggest will be happening in London on Friday the 4th of March, which Philip Pullman will be attending, and there are 5000 spaces up for grabs for anyone who turns up (doors open at 5pm). angelofboox will be attending, so I hope to see some of you there!

You can discuss World Book Night on our forum here.