Fourth Grade Journey

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

Monday, November 25, 2019

An Inside Look #116 (Author INTERVIEW)


An Inside Look with Chris Baron
(Author of All of Me)

*During the summer of 2016, I added this feature to the 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.  

*The next season (season #FOUR) of interviews took place during the summer and fall of 2018.  With each interview I became more and more impressed with the authors I was having interactions with.  

*Season #FIVE ran during the 2018/2019 school year.  I took a little break at the start of June 2019.  

*During my summer 2019 vacation I continued a series of interviews in which I put under the heading of Season #SIX.

*To kick off my 29th year of teaching, I'm adding Season #SEVEN with a whole new season of authors, books, and interviews.  


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

*This is the THIRTEENTH interview in which I'm calling Season #SEVEN.  

*Thank you to Chris Baron for being the One-Hundred Sixteenth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.  

*Here are links to the One Hundred Fifteen interviews…


SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

























SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)






















SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)










Interview #81 with Tony Abbott (Author of The Great Jeff)

Interview #82 with Susan Ross (Author of Searching for Lottie)

Interview #83 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Caterpillar Summer)

Interview #84 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The Missing Piece of Charlie O'Reilly)

Interview #85 with Ali Standish (Author of August Isle)

Interview #86 with Shaun David Hutchinson (Author of The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried)

Interview #87 with Greg Howard (Author of The Whispers)

Interview #88 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of Shouting at the Rain)

Interview #89 with Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Author of One for the Murphys)

Interview #90 with Laurie Morrison (Author of Up for Air)

Interview #91 with Jody J. Little (Author of Mostly the Honest Truth)



SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)

Interview #92 with John David Anderson (Author of Finding Orion)

Interview #93 with Lisa Thompson (Author of The Light Jar)

Interview #94 with Keith Calabrese (Author of A Drop of Hope)

Interview #95 with Alicia D. Williams (Author of Genesis Begins Again)

Interview #96 with Kim Ventrella (Author of Bone Hollow)

Interview #97 with Natalie Lloyd (Author of Over the Moon)

Interview #98 with Cynthia Lord (Author of Because of the Rabbit)

Interview #99 with Tina Athaide (Author of Orange for the Sunsets)

Interview #100 with Elly Swartz (Author of Give and Take)

Interview #101 with Amy Rebecca Tan (Author of A Kind of Paradise)

Interview #102 with Varsha Bajaj (Author of Count Me In)

Interview #103 with Laura Resau (Author of Tree of Dreams)



SEASON #SEVEN (2019/2020)

Interview #104 with Laurel Snyder (Author of My Jasper June)

Interview #105 with Lisa Bunker (Author of Zenobia July)

Interview #106 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Other Words for Home)

Interview #107 with Barbara Dee (Author of Maybe He Just Likes You)

Interview #108 with Graham Salisbury (Author of Banjo)

Interview #109 with Donna Gephart (Author of The Paris Project)

Interview #110 with Jake Burt (Author of The Tornado)

Interview #111 with Jess Redman (Author of The Miraculous)

Interview #112 with Karen Strong (Author of Just South of Home)

Interview #113 with Nicole Melleby (Author of Hurricane Season)

Interview #114 with J.J. and Chris Grabenstein (Authors of Shine)

Interview #115 with Susan Vaught (Author of Me and Sam-Sam Handle the Apocalyse)



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

*Thank you Chris Baron for writing this incredible and thought-provoking book.

*Here is my book review...



All of Me 

by Chris Baron

(June 11, 2019)


How did you come to know Ari?
Great question.  I have always been nostalgic--even a bit romantic about my own childhood wanderings and experiences.  But Ari was born out family circumstance, self reflection, and seeing my own middle grade aged kids growing up--their joys, passions, and struggles.


What do you think is Ari's most admirable quality?
Ari struggles, but one thing that is admirable about Ari is that he is open.  So many things happen to him beyond his control, but through it all he finds a way to be open to change, new experiences, and hope.


Is there anything you wish Ari would have changed or done differently in his story?
Ha! Let me just say this.  There are many "deleted scenes" or in this case, poems/chapters that never made it into the book.  One of these scenes involves a bit of a "fighting back" scenario.  I was part of the #kidsneedmentors program last year, and when I told the students about it, they were really interested in that! Even though I know it's better for the book that it's not there....I still think about that scene quite often.


What do you think Ari can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what he went through?
I love this question: I want to shout something like self-confidence! Hope! Adventure! But I am also embracing the “I don’t completely know yet.”  I do know this though: I want kids (and all readers)  to see some part of themselves in Ari. I hope readers will learn about empathy and kindness for others, Jewish culture and tradition, but also faith in general, overcoming struggles with body image, friendship, taking risks, and learning more about being brave and being themselves no matter what. I hope readers, especially the young ones, will know that if they are going through difficult things like Ari and other characters in the book, they will know that they are not alone.


How did you research Ari and the circumstances he found himself in?
Since Ari finds himself in a number of difficult circumstances, I did a lot of research on psychology, weight loss, bullying, and other issues, and I combined that with the context of my own experience.  It was a lot of work, but it was incredible. I did some interviews with psychologists and nutritionists.  That was invaluable in terms of authenticity.


Do you and Ari share any similarities?
Yes!  The LA Times called it a "fictional retelling" and I think that is accurate.  There are many similarities to the way I grew up and the way Ari does.  I know the struggles, and the situations, first-hand. 


What was the hardest scene to write about Ari?
Tough question.  There were several.  Often my answer to this is usually pointing out the more internal struggles Ari has about how he feels about his weight. Right now though, I am thinking about some of the scenes between his mom and dad and trying to make those as honest as I possibly could.  Those were hard to write.


Who do you think was Air's biggest supporter and why?
Ari has a lot of support--well meaning if nothing else.  His friends do a good job of sticking with him-certainly Lisa is a central guide in the story--even with her own challenges.


Why do you think society focuses more on female weight issues as opposed to those issues that males face with weight and body image?
This is a sticky question which I might not be able to answer with accuracy, but I will say that a lot of it has to do with societal norms--we are "used to it," and what I have found is that boys are often told to just suck it up and deal with it.  So many of the boys I talked to about this (including myself) were given really no focus at all except teasing. Boy need resources to learn about health, body positivity, and empathy.


What do you think Ari is doing as the present time?
 I think he is loving his life, and he is living generously with his family.
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