Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Sunday, April 27, 2025

The Quiet Librarian by Allen Eskens

How I Came Across It... *This novel published for adults has been on my "to-be-read" list for quite some time. I have read other novels by Eskens and enjoyed them. Recently, I downloaded his latest work of fiction and spent the last couple of weeks listening to the story. What It's About - Five Things You Need to Know... *Hana lives a quiet life in a small Minnesota town.

*She has left her past behind, found a more simple and quiet life, and is enjoying her day to day life.

*When she finds out her best friend has been murdered, she realizes her past may be catching up to her.

*During 1995, in Bosnia, Nura is a teenager and living through hell with the war.

*Told in alternating chapters, the reader learns both of Hana and Nura and all they have to endure. What I Thought of It - Five Observations/Reflections... *There was a bit of slow start, but once I settled in, I found myself to enjoy the story.

*Both "sides" of the story were engaging, but I did find myself drawn more to Hana's story set in current times.

*I remembered the overall "events" of the Bosnia War, but I certainly learned a whole lot more by experiencing this story.

*The story reminded me of the resilience of the human spirit and how people can endure the worst of situations.

*Personally, this was an enjoyable read because it was set right here in Minnesota and I knew all the places the author mentioned and put his characters in.

Who Should Read It... *If you are an Allen Eskens fan, you should definitely read this newest story. If you enjoy historical fiction, this would also be a fantastic novel to spend time with. A well told story for all. Happy Reading! Rating... 4 out of 5 stars




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Monday, April 21, 2025

Inside Look #291 (Author Interview)

          

An Inside Look with Lauren Wolk

(Author of Candle Island)

*Season #ONE (June of 2016 to March of 2017)

*Season #TWO (Summer of 2017)

*Season #THREE (School Year 2017/2018)

*Season #FOUR (Summer/fall of 2018)

*Season #FIVE (School Year 2018/2019)

*Season #SIX (Summer 2019) 

*Season #SEVEN (Fall 2019) 

*Season #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

*Season #NINE (Fall 2020)

*Season #TEN (Winter/Spring 2021)

*Season #ELEVEN (Fall 2021)

*Season #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)

*Season #THIRTEEN (Summer 2022)

*Season #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)

*Season #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)

*Season #SIXTEEN (Fall 2023)

*Season #SEVENTEEN (Winter/Spring 2024)

*Season #EIGHTEEN (Fall 2024)



*I'm excited to present season #NINETEEN with brand new interviews/authors.  

*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.

*This is the NINTH interview in which I'm calling Season #NINETEEN.   

*Thank you to Lauren for being the Two Hundred Ninety-First author I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.  




Candle Island

by Lauren Wolk

(April 22, 2025)

How did you come to know Lucretia?
When I write a novel, I always start with a setting I know well—in this case a small island off the coast of Maine—and then spend time there in my imagination until a character appears. In this case: a mysterious, serious girl who seemed to be scrutinizing the world. Quietly. Thoughtfully. The way artists do. I’m an artist, and I spend a lot of time with other artists, so I recognized her as a kindred spirit. And then I entered her story the way I enter every story: with one line and very little idea where it would lead. Getting to know Lucretia was a lot like getting to know anyone. She revealed herself to me a little at a time.


What do you think is her most admirable quality?
I love so much about Lucretia: her creativity, her sensitivity, her compassion, her courage. How hard she tries to understand herself. How her loneliness and sadness make her more empathetic. I guess I admire her strength most. She could spend her time and energy feeling sorry for herself, but she spends them more wisely than that.


Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Writing a novel is a lot like living a life. In both cases, there are thousands of forks in the road—some trivial, some significant—and the choices we make, the directions we take, are influenced by a great many variables. So our options are endless, for ourselves and our characters. It would have been easy for both me and Lucretia to be paralyzed by the possibilities. But since I wrote the book in the first person, I was intimately tied to her, and I trusted her to make her own choices, just as I trusted myself and my intuition as a storyteller to hold her hand and make a leap of faith. We chose the forks that felt right—on an emotional, sensory, and intellectual level. Other forks would have led to a different story, maybe even a better story by some definition, but not her story. Not my story. So no, I wouldn’t change anything she did or didn’t do. Not even her mistakes.


What do you think Lucretia can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
If you’re talking about the loss she experienced, I would say that she offers them an example of how to be patient with grief. It can be debilitating, but finding an outlet for grief can help, as it helps Lucretia. If you’re talking about how she first hides and finally reveals her secrets …. So many children are afraid to show who they really are. How they really feel. What they really love. What they can DO. I hope Lucretia offers them an example of how powerful young people can be, in a positive way. Which we all desperately need, to counter all the negative power in the world.


How did you research Lucretia and the circumstances she found herself in?
My writing process relies on a blend of memory and experience combined with imagination and, as needed, research … but without letting it steer the story too much. Research is important, since I write historical fiction and need to get the details right. Authenticity is essential. But fact is less important than truth. They aren’t the same thing. I rely on research to provide me with facts, but I rely on other things to help me tell the truth as I know it. In Candle Island, I did research to fill in the gaps in my personal experience and knowledge—like whether there was a police presence on the islands off the coast of Maine in the 1960s, or whether lobstering was permitted on Sundays, or whether sea-robins are common in Maine waters … and I certainly listened to a lot of opera as I was writing the book—but I relied on my own experiences with living in a coastal tourist destination and with art and color and relationships to tell the story.


Do you and Lucretia share any similarities?
There’s some of me in all of my protagonists, to varying degrees. In Lucretia’s case, there’s a lot. We’re both sensitive (maybe too sensitive) and creative (no such thing as too creative). We both spend a lot of time alone (and happily so) but crave the right kind of companionship. We both want to fix what’s broken. And we both love nature. Family. Having soul mates in our lives. We’re both fortunate that way.


What was the hardest scene to write about her?
Hmm. That’s an interesting question. It was emotionally demanding to write about her sadness—especially when she’s remembering her father—but it was creatively “easy” to write those scenes, since they are so much a reflection of what I’ve felt in my own life. Every part of writing a novel is difficult because I’m trying to put the right words in the right order, tell the truth as I know it, trust my characters and myself, capture their voices, invent fresh language, engage the senses, evoke emotions … all of which are critically important to me as a writer and, I believe, to readers. But all of that work is “easy,” too, since it brings me joy.


Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
Lucretia is her own biggest supporter, but her mother is a close second. They have a very solid relationship built on a lot of trust and shared experience. I love how they are a terrifically strong pair of two terrifically strong individuals.


Why do you think some young people can show such resilience, strength, and courage during difficult life situations; sometimes even more than the adults in their lives?
I think all young people have the capacity to be resilient, strong, and brave in the face of challenges … until we convince them that they don’t. And by “we” I mean the whole world. Especially our reliance on technology for knowledge, entertainment, companionship, and virtual experience. Any strength, courage, or resilience I have come from doing things for myself, spending time in the natural world, and creating. Especially creating. Especially writing poems and stories. They all helped me cope with the hurt of rejection—of being misunderstood—and to gain confidence along the way. As a result, I learned to love and respect the parts of me that made me different from everyone else. Lucretia has no cell phone, no tablet, no social media handles. But she has a vast palette of tools and experiences that lead her into the kind of friendships all children (and all people) crave: the kind that don’t ask us to be something we’re not.


What do you think Lucretia is doing at the present time?
I’m quite certain that she’s making friends, making art, knocking the socks off people who underestimate her, and figuring life out as she goes.


SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

























SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)






















SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)













SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)







SEASON #SEVEN (Fall 2019)




















SEASON #EIGHT (Winter/Spring 2020)

Interview #121 with Melissa Savage (Author of Nessie Quest)

Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)

Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)

Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)

Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)

Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)

Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)

Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)

Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)

Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)

Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)

Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)

Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)

Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)

Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)

Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)

Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)

Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)

Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)

Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)

Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)

Interview #142 with Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin (Authors of Seven Clues to Home)



SEASON #NINE (Fall 2020)

Interview #143 with Jacqueline Woodson (Author of Before the Ever After)

Interview #144 with Sharon Creech (Author of One Time)

Interview #145 with Barbara Dee (Author of My Life in the Fish Tank)

Interview #146 with Kim Ventrella (Author of The Secret Life of Sam)

Interview #147 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of Closer to NoWhere)

Interview #148 with Alyssa Hollingsworth (Author of The Invisible Boy) 

Interview #149 with Rob Harrell (Author of WINK)

Interview #150 with Shelley Pearsall (Author of Things Seen From Above)

Interview #151 with Anna Staniszewski (Author of The Wonder of Wildflowers)

Interview #152 with Lorelei Savaryn (Author of The Circus of Stolen Dreams)

Interview #153 with Linda Sue Park (Author of Prairie Lotus)

Interview #154 with Lauren Wolk (Author of Echo Mountain) 

Interview #155 with Mae Respicio (Author of Any Day with You)

Interview #156 with Audrey Vernick (Author of After the Worst Thing Happens)

Interview #157 with Ernesto Cisneros (Author of Efren Divided)


SEASON #TEN (Winter/Spring 2021)

Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)

Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot) 

Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)

Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave) 

Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)

Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)

Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero) 

Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)

Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)

Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas) 

Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There) 

Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)

Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)

Interview #171 with M. Evan Wolkenstein (Author of Turtle Boy)

Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)

Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)

Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)

Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)

Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)

Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)

Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)


SEASON #ELEVEN (Fall/Winter 2021)

Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow) 

Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)

Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)

Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)

Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)

Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy) 

Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)

Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)

Interview #187 with Joseph Bruchac (Author of Rez Dogs)

Interview #188 with Kathryn Erskine (Author of Lily's Promise)

Interview #189 with Elly Swartz (Author of Dear Student)

Interview #190 with Heather Clark (Author of Lemon Drop Falls)

Interview #191 with Veera Hiranandani (Author of How to Find What You're Not Looking For)

Interview #192 with Elizabeth Eulberg (Author of The Best Worst Summer)

Interview #193 with Cathy Carr (Author of 365 Days to Alaska)

Interview #194 with Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard (Authors of REAL)

Interview #195 with Gillian McDunn (Author of These Lucky Stars)

Interview #196 with Alyssa Colman (Author of The Gilded Girl) 

Interview #197 with E.L. Chen (Author of The Comeback)

Interview #198 with J.M.M. Nuanez (Author of Birdie and Me) 


SEASON #TWELVE (Winter/Spring 2022)

Interview #199 with Jamie Sumner (Author of One Kid's Trash)

Interview #200 with Chad Lucas (Author of Thanks a Lot, Universe) 

Interview #201 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Where We Used to Roam)

Interview #202 with Rebecca Caprara (Author of Worst-Case Collin) 

Interview #203 with Leslie Connor (Author of Anybody Here Seen Frenchie?)

Interview #204 with Caroline Gertler (Author of Many Points of Me)

Interview #205 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of Susie B. Won't Back Down) 

Interview #206 with Shawn Peters (Author of The Unforgettable Logan Foster)

Interview #207 with Aisha Saeed (Author of Omar Rising)

Interview #208 with Adrianna Cuevas (Author of Cuba in my Pocket)

Interview #209 with Jennifer Swender (Author of Stuck)

Interview #210 with Brenda Woods (Author of When Winter Robeson Came)

Interview #211 with Danya Lorentz (Author of the Book Of a Feather)

Interview #212 with Saadia Faruqi (Author of Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero)

Interview #213 with Ellen Hopkins (Author of What About Will) 


SEASON #THIRTEEN (Summer 2022)

Interview #214 with Nora Raleigh Baskin and Gae Polisner (Authors of What About the Octopus)

Interview #215 with Lauren Wolk (Author of My Own Lightning)

Interview #216 with Rebekah Lowell (Author of the Road to After)

Interview #217 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Honestly Elliott) 

Interview #218 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Midnight Children)

Interview #219 with Melanie Conklin (Author of A Perfect Mistake) 

Interview #220 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Different Kinds of Fruit)

Interview #221 with Tracy Edward Wymer (Author of The Great and Mighty Benjamin Teller)

Interview #222 with Louise Hawes (Author of Big Rig)

Interview #223 with Paul Acampora (Author of In Honor of Broken Things)

Interview #224 with Shannon Doleski (Author of Gabe in the After)

Interview #225 with Jennifer Ziegler (Author of Worser)

Interview #226 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Hummingbird)


SEASON #FOURTEEN (Fall 2022)

Interview #227 with Celia C. Perez (Author of Tumble

Interview #228 with Greg Howard (Author of The Visitors)

Interview #229 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Daredevils)

Interview #230 with Sashi Kaufman (Author of Sardines)

Interview #231 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of The Real Deal)

Interview #232 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of New Kids and Underdogs)

Interterview #233 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of The Hope of Elephants)

Interview #234 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Rover's Story)


SEASON #FIFTEEN (Winter/Spring 2023)

Interview #235 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Thirst)

Interview #236 with Torrey Maldonado (Author of Hands)

Interview #237 with C.C. Harrington (Author of Wildoak)

Interview #238 with Margi Preus (Author of Windswept)

Interview #239 with Dayna Lorentz (Author of Wayward Creatures)

Interview #240 with Katrina Nannestad (Author of We are Wolves)

Interview #241 with Anika Fajardo (Author of Meet Me Halfway)

Interview #242 with Chrystal D. Giles (Author of Not an Easy Win)

Interview #243 with Gregory Maquire (Author of Cress, Watercress)

Interview #244 with Will Taylor (Author of The Language of Seabirds)

Interview #245 with Gillian McDunn (Author of When Sea Becomes Sky)

Interview #246 with Ann Braden (Author of Opinions and Opossums)

Interview #247 with Jarrett Lerner (Author of A Work in Progress)

Interview #248 with John David Anderson (Author of The Greatest Kid in the Universe)

Interview #249 with Aubrey Hartman (Author of The Lion and Lark-Hayes Manor)

 

Interview #250 with Sally J. Pla (Author of The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn)

Interview #251 with Chris Baron (Author of The Gray)

Interview #252 with Dusti Bowling (Author of DUST)


SEASON #SIXTEEN (Fall 2023)

Interview #253 with Sarah Everett (Author of The Probability of Everything)

Interview #254 with Andrea Beatriz Arango (Author of Something Like Home)

Interview #255 with H.M. Bouwman (Author of Gossamer Summer)

Interview #256 with Kaija Langley (Author of The Order of Things) 

Interview #257 with Elaine Vickers (Author of Half Moon Summer)

Interview #258 with John Gaspard (Author of The Curious Mysteries of Eli Marks)

Interview #259 with Dana Kramaroff (Author of The Do More Club)

Interview #260 with Jessica Vitalis (Author of Coyote Queen)

Interview #261 with Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko (Authors of Dog Town)


SEASON #SEVENTEEN (Winter/Spring 2024)

Interview #262 with Chad Morris and Shelly Brown (Authors of The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry) 

Interview #263 with Anne Ursu (Author of Not Quite a Ghost)

Interview #264 with Erin Soderberg Downing (Author of Just Keep Walking)

Interview #265 With Kate Albus (Author of Nothing Else But Miracles)

Interview #266 with Robin Gow (Author of Dear Mothman)

Interview #267 with Toni Buzzeo (Author of Light Comes to Shadow Mountain) 

Interview #268 with John Schu (Author of Louder Than Hunger)

Interview #269 with Allie Millington (Author of Olivetti)

Interview #270 with Amanda Rawson Hill (Author of Once Upon a Family)

Interview #271 with Lynne Kelly (Author of The Secret Language of Birds)

Interview #272 with Lisa Yee (Author of The Misfits)

Interview #273 with Lisa Fipps (Author of And Then, Boom)


SEASON #EIGHTEEN (Fall 2024)

Interview #274 with Jasmine Warga (Author of A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall) 

Interview #275 with Lois Lowry (Author of Tree.Table.Book)

Interview #276 with Rob Buyea (Author of Carter Avery's Tricky Fourth Grade Year)

Interview #277 with Gayle Forman (Author of Not Nothing) 

Interview #278 with Kate O'Shaughnessy (Author of The Wrong Way Home)

Interview #279 with Shifa Saltagi Safadi (Author of Kareem Between)

Interview #280 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Deep Water) 

Interview #281 with Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic (Author of Hummingbird Season)




SEASON #NINETEEN (Winter/Spring 2025)

Interview #284 with Kimberly Newton Fusco (Author of The Secret of Honeycake)

Interview #285 with Alison McGhee (Author of Telephone of the Tree)

Interview #286 with Anica Mrose Rissi (Author of Wishing Season)

Interview #287 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of The Witching Wind)

Interview #289 with Maria Scivan (Author of Nat a Chance)

Interview #290 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Safe Harbor) 

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