Fourth Grade Journey

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

Monday, September 10, 2018

An Inside Look #60 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with Eric Walters
(Author of Elephant Secret)

*During the summer of 2016, I added this feature to my blog which was called "Season #ONE".  This first season ran from June of 2016 to March of 2017.  

*I started up the interviews again in June of 2017.  It was great to get back to Season #TWO.  This season ran throughout the summer.  

*Season #THREE ran during the school year of 2017/2018.  


*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 of what I'm calling Season #FOUR.  

*Thank you to Eric Walters for being the Sixtieth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.  

*Here are links to the first Fifty-Nine interviews…

SEASON #ONE

























SEASON #FOUR

Interview #53 with Preston Norton (Author of Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe)

Interview #54 with Jonathan Auxier (Author of Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster)

Interview #55 with Sharon Creech (Author of Saving Winslow)

Interview #56 with Stacy McAnulty (Author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl)

Interview #57 with Kelly Yang (Author of Front Desk)

Interview #58 with Jennifer A. Nielsen (Author of Resistance)

Interview 59 with Christina Collins (Author of After Zero)


*I received an advanced copy of the novel from the publisher during the summer of 2018.  I remember picking it up, bringing it out to the deck on a beautiful summer afternoon, and being transported to a world full of elephants and incredible characters.  I reached out to Eric after reading it and asked if he would be interesting in an author interview.  As with most of the authors I contact, he answered back with a great big YES!  

*Eric was kind, gracious, and giving with his answers to the questions.  It is an honor to post his responses here on the blog.  

*Here is a link to my review of Elephant Secret...

*Thank you Eric Walters for writing this story for readers and taking the time to share your thoughts with us here...
Elephant Secret
by Eric Walters (Released August 28, 2018)


How did you come to know Sam?
I had the idea of a girl who had lost her mother at birth so that she could identify with the baby woolly mammoth.  She evolved from there.
What do you think is Sam's most admirable quality?
Sam is strong, she is a survivor, she has great empathy for the elephants - even if she doesn't for people.


Is there anything you wish Sam would have changed or done differently in her story?
Once a story is done I never look back so no changes, no differences.  She is her own person and for me she is so real that I don't even entertain the thought that I can change her.


What do you think Sam can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
Sam is a role model for surviving tragedy.  She was knocked down before she was even  old enough to have ever been on her feet.


How did you research Sam and the circumstances she found herself in?
My mother died when I was four.  I think I understand the emotions.  I also have degrees in psychology and social work and worked as a family therapist and understand the dynamics.


Do you and Sam share any similarities?
Similar histories.  I'm a survivor. 


What was the hardest scene to write about Sam?
The death scene was pretty emotional for me.


Who do you think was Sam's biggest supporter and why?
Her father, the members of the herd, and I think, to her surprise, Joyce.


Why do you think humans and animals have such a special connection?
Elephants probably share more characteristics with humans (compassion, grief, family connections) than almost any other animal.  We apparently share 98.5 % of our genetic information with a chimpanze so how different can we be?  Often animals allow us to show our compassion and caring more than with people. Sam certainly feels more comfortable with the elephants than she was with people.


What do you think Sam is doing as this present time?
She's in high school, caring for the elephants, becoming more comfortable with people.
Posted by at No comments:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (9/10/18)



Thanks to Jen and Kellee for hosting this idea on their site.  Here is a link to the site...
                
Books I Read this Past Week…

 *I can tell I was back to work this past week because I didn't get much reading in and didn't finish ONE book.  That happens to me every fall and I hope I get back into the work and reading groove soon.  I'm missing that summer time reading!  


Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week…


Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner

*My Young-Adult Novel








Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

*My Middle-Grade Novel









Wonderland by Barbara O'Connor

*My Middle-Grade Novel









The Boy at the Keyhole by Stephen Giles

*My Novel Published for Adults









The Perfect Secret by Rob Buyea

*My Middle-Grade Novel









Lions & Liars by Kate Beasley 

*My Middle-Grade Novel









Origin by Dan Brown 

*My Novel Published for Adults (Audio)
Posted by at No comments:

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Wonder Wednesday #236 (Kicking it Off)

Wonder Wednesday - Building a Literacy LIFE

 *I'm only TWO days into the 2018/2019 school year, but we have kicked off our year with a bang and are digging into our "literacy" lives.



*It has been such fun introducing my new fourth graders to all the elements of our day, but especially those elements are involve the literacy learning we will be doing.

*Here are some of the routines I've introduced and exposed my new learners to over the last two days...


#classroombookaday
Our day #ONE picture book

Our day #TWO picture book


Class Read Aloud


Breakfast with Books Book Club Selection #ONE
Posted by at No comments:

White as Silence, Red as Song by Alessandro D'Avenia

How I Heard About It:  As part of the TLC tour, I received a copy of this novel to be reviewed on my blog.  The book was originally published in Italy and now is being published in the United States.  


What It Is About - FIVE Things You Need to Know:  
1.  *Leo is sixteen, hangs with out this best friends Niko and Silvia, and has a huge "crush" on a girl named Beatrice.  

 2.  *When a new teacher, the "Dreamer", arrives at the high school; he changes the way Leo looks at and responds to the world.  
3.  *Leo begins to write his thoughts down on paper; specifically a letter to Beatrice where he confesses his true feelings for her.  

 4.  *After Leo is in an accident, he ends up in the hospital where he learns that Beatrice is also in the hospital.  She is there for something much more series than Leo is; and he wants to do everything he can to help her.  

 5.  *Leo is conflicted with his self, his friends, and his true feelings for the girl he is completely in love with.  Through his writing he tries to find the answers he is looking for and that will him contentment, love, and satisfaction.  
What I Thought Of It:  The writing is his young-adult novel was beautiful, poetic, and thoughtful.  The style was unique.  It was interesting how the author reflected the feelings of the characters through the use of colors.  After reading the novel I will never look at or think about colors in the same way.  Leo was a complex, sensitive, and real character.  He was one of those characters that was so real that I could feel what he was going through and experiencing.  I've become a reader that enjoys novels that contain short chapters.  This story was broken up into short sections and that made for a quick and easy read.  The emotions felt while reading ranged from humorous/silly to painful/sorrow.  


Who Should Read It:   I  think this novel would be perfect for both the young-adult and adult reader. High school readers will definitely be able to relate to Leo and everything he experienced and dealt with.  Happy Reading!  



Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars
Posted by at 1 comment:

Monday, September 3, 2018

An Inside Look #59 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with Christina Collins
(Author of After Zero)

*During the summer of 2016, I added this feature to my blog which was called "Season #ONE".  This first season ran from June of 2016 to March of 2017.  

*I started up the interviews again in June of 2017.  It was great to get back to Season #TWO.  This season ran throughout the summer.  

*Season #THREE ran during the school year of 2017/2018.  


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

*This is the EIGHTH interview of what I'm calling Season #FOUR.  

*Thank you to Christina Collins for being the Fifty-Ninth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.  

*Here are links to the first Fifty-EIGHT interviews…

SEASON #ONE

























SEASON #FOUR

Interview #53 with Preston Norton (Author of Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe)

Interview #54 with Jonathan Auxier (Author of Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster)

Interview #55 with Sharon Creech (Author of Saving Winslow)

Interview #56 with Stacy McAnulty (Author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl)

Interview #57 with Kelly Yang (Author of Front Desk)

Interview #58 with Jennifer A. Nielsen (Author of Resistance)


*I was lucky to receive an ARC of After Zero this summer.  I knew nothing of the story, but once I opened the book and began reading; I couldn't stop.  It was such a unique and special story.  I was drawn to the character and felt such compassion for her.  I was thrilled to get in touch with Christina and even more happy when she agreed to an interview.  

*Christina was kind, gracious, and giving with her answers to the questions.  It is an honor to post her responses here on the blog.  

*Here is a link to my review of After Zero...

*Thank you Christina Collins for writing this story for readers and taking the time to share her thoughts with us here...

After Zero
by Christina Collins (Released September 4, 2018)


How did you come to know Elise?
I came to know her first through my discovery of the Grimm folktale "The Twelve Brothers" and its variants (in one of which the heroine is actually named Elise), and then by reflecting on some of my past experiences in school. The folktale heroine merged with parts of my past self, and then somehow it was pretty easy for me to get to know Elise and find her voice. She felt like an old friend when I was writing her.


What do you think is Elise's most admirable quality?
She puts her all into everything she sets out to do, whether it's counting her words or running a race in track or uncovering the truth about a family secret. 


Is there anything you wish Elise would have changed or done differently in her story?
I wish she could have spoken in all those situations where she wanted to or needed to. But sadly that's not how selective mutism (an anxiety condition that Elise suffers from) works, and there wouldn't be a story then, would there?


What do you think Elise can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
Selective mutism is a lonely experience, especially when it's undiagnosed and unrecognized (as is all too common), and I think (or at least hope) that Elise's story can comfort kids like Elise, who are struggling with anxiety and speaking, and let them know that they’re not alone, that help is available, and that their silence does not define them—that they are so much more than a textbook term like “selective mutism” or a label like “quiet.” 


Do you and Elise share any similarities?
Absolutely. Though she is different from me in many ways (her homeschooling and family background among them), I had a similar personality to her as a kid--introverted, highly sensitive, poetry-loving--and around Elise's age I struggled with unrecognized low-profile selective mutism, as Elise does in the first half of the book. (Luckily my selective mutism never progressed to the extreme point that Elise's does). Also, fun fact: I ran the mile race on my school's track team just like Elise.


What was the hardest scene to write about Elise?
The climax scene in which Elise is on the school bleachers in a threatening situation was certainly tough to write, just like it's tough for Elise to get through it. It was also hard to write scenes like the class discussion with Mr. Gankle and the encounter in the pastry shop, where Elise finds herself unable to speak in a social situation, because I had to relive those feelings of verbal paralysis from my past -- but at the same time it was also cathartic.


Who do you think was Elise's biggest supporter and why?
Probably her English teacher, Miss Looping. She never penalizes Elise for not talking, she encourages Elise's interest in poetry, and she reaches out to ask Elise if she is all right when she seems upset (while most others overlook her). It's no coincidence that some of my biggest supporters have been English teachers/professors.


What do you think Elise is doing at the present time?
I bet she's either reading or writing some awesome poetry :)  

Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)