An Inside Look with Amy Sarig King
(Author of Me and Marvin Gardens)
*This was a new feature I added to the blog during the summer of 2016. It was a shot in the dark that it would work, but much to my surprise; it took off and over first season I conducted 22 interviews with a variety of authors.
*It has been such an honor to connect with authors and "chat" about their novel, characters, and thoughts about the story.
*I ran a series of interviews for Season #TWO over the summer of 2017. It was great to get back to these conversations, that I decided to run Season #THREE during the 2017/2018 school year.
*Thank you to Amy Sarig King for being the SECOND author of the third season. I truly appreciate it.
*Here are links to the first THIRTY-FOUR interviews…
SEASON #ONE
SEASON #ONE
SEASON #TWO
*I read this novel over the summer of 2017. I so enjoyed the story and knew my fourth grade readers would like it as much as I did.
*Amy Sarig King was kind, gracious, and giving with her answers to my questions. It is an honor to post her answers with my "Inside Look" feature.
*Here is a link to my review of Me and Marvin Gardens...
*Thank you Amy Sarig King for writing this novel for middle-grade readers and taking the time to share your thoughts with us here on the blog...
by Amy Sarig King (Released January 31, 2017)
How did you come to know Obe?
I’d
known for a long time that I would write about the construction destruction of
my childhood cornfield. I’d even tried to write it from a different point of
view for a different age group once but it didn’t work. I still hadn’t gotten
over the loss. It’s not like the land was mine or ours—it was the cushion where
I grew up. So Obe is a lot of me. I got nosebleeds, got sucker punched, got
covered in mosquito bites, and I grew up in nature. The original land was my
family’s land. The creek was my best friend’s creek. The trash everywhere
belonged to me, too—or that’s how it felt. So when Obe showed up at first, nose
bleeding, mosquito-bitten, fishing trash out of the creek, I thought I’d met the
mirror of me. But as he told me more about himself, I realized that he’s really
the little brother I’d always wished for. He came to remind me to be fearless,
daring, and brave, I think.
What do you think is Obe's most admirable quality?
I
guess if I was to pick one, it’s his unrelenting quest to keep the creek clean.
Which relates to his unwavering belief that the kids on his bus shouldn’t treat
Annie poorly.
Is there anything you wish Obe would have changed or done differently in his
story?
I
wish Obe would have spoken up about Marvin sooner, but I also understand why he
didn’t. Characters do what they do. My job is to allow them the space to do it.
What do you think Obe can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
Well,
if any other children encounter a slimy never-before-discovered animal who
poops toxic waste, I think they should let someone know. (Drop me a line!) As
for losing the field, I hope Obe offers a new understanding of how change can
help people grow, even if it’s not the kind of change we want to see in our
world.
How did you research Obe and the circumstances he found himself in?
Since
this was a very personal book, I didn’t need to research Obe’s situation or location
that much. But I did talk to a few animal experts and they answered my
hypothetical questions about Marvin even though they thought I was really weird
for asking.
Do you and Obe share any similarities?
Nosebleeds,
getting sucker punched, losing a friend to “cooler” kids, the land, the creek,
the trash, a passion for the environment, a half-hearted disdain for
Monopoly…the list goes on.
What was the hardest scene to write about Obe?
I
suppose the hardest scene was toward the end—when Marvin and Co. were swimming
downriver.
Who do you think was Obe's biggest supporter and why?
Ms.
G., Obe’s science teacher, was probably his biggest supporter. She believed
him. She helped him. She shared his concern for the environment. In second place
is Obe’s mom, who does all these things, too, but later.
Why do you think humans and animals have such a special connection and bond?
I
have no idea why humans and animals share a bond. I don’t think it’s true for
all humans because I know humans who don’t have any bonds with any animals. But
if I was to guess why Obe and Marvin shared a bond, I’d say it’s because they
both needed a friend.
What do you think Obe is doing as the present time?
I
think Obe is in his first week of school, taking weekends to go visit Marvin,
and secretly dreaming of becoming a teacher.
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