Wonder Wednesday #303 (Author SKYPE Visit)

Wonder Wednesday - Skype Visit with Tracy Holczer 

*My most favorite part of our school day has to be our class read aloud.  

*This time is special, up close and personal, and leads us to great discussions.  

*Our first read aloud was Sweep by Jonathan Auxier.  I knew I wanted something special to follow up this first novel and who better to turn to than Tracy Holczer. 

*While reading the story to the class, I could tell they were falling in love with the characters, intrigued by the plot, and sympathetic toward the heartache.  

*We were lucky to be able to chat with Tracy via Skype after we finished the story.  This visit took place on Thursday, November 14, 2019.  

*The students were able to share comment and ask questions.  Tracy was kind, generous, and thought-provoking.  

*Spending time with author, either in person or on Skype, is such an important learning piece for all readers.  

*Here are some images of our time with author Tracy Holczer...

An Inside Look #124 (Author INTERVIEW)

An Inside Look with Tae Keller

(Author of When You Trap a Tiger)

*The first season of interviews ran from June of 2016 to March of 2017.  

*Season #two ran during the summer of 2017.  

*Season #three ran during the school year of 2017-2018.  

*The fourth season ran during the summer/fall of 2018.

*Season #five ran during the 2018/2019 school year. 

*During summer 2019, the sixth season ran.  

*The seventh season of interviews ran during the fall of 2019.  

*I'm excited to be back for season #EIGHT 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 FOURTH interview in which I'm calling Season #EIGHT.  

*Thank you to Tae Keller for being the One-Hundred Twenty-Fourth author that I've had the pleasure of interviewing.  I truly appreciate it.  

*Here are links to the One Hundred Twenty-Three interviews…

SEASON #ONE (2016-2017)

Interview #1 with Elly Swartz (Author of Finding Perfect)

Interview #2 with Jeff Zentner (Author of The Serpent King)

Interview #3 with Nora Raleigh Baskin (Author of Nine, Ten, A September 11 Story)

Interview #4 with Cammie McGovern (Author of Just My Luck)

Interview #5 with Kate Messner (Author of The Seventh Wish)

Interview #6 with Paul Griffin (Author of When Friendship Followed Me Home)

Interview #7 with K.A. Holt (Author of House Arrest)

Interview #8 with Abby Cooper (Author of Sticks and Stones)

Interview #9 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Counting Thyme)

Interview #10 with Claire Legrand (Author of Some Kind of Happiness)

Interview #11 with Lynn Plourde (Author of Maxi's Secrets)

Interview #12 with Shaun David Hutchinson (Author of The Five Stages of Andrew Brawley)

Interview #13 with Gae Polisner (Author of The Memory of Things)

Interview #14 with Mike Grosso (Author of I Am Drums)

Interview #15 (Towers Fallings by  Jewell Parker Rhodes)

Interview #16 (My Seventh Grade Life in Tights by Brooks Benjamin)

Interview #17 with Donna Gephart (Author of Lily and Dunkin) 

Interview #18 with Ally Condie (Author of Summerlost)

Interview #19 with Phil Bildner (Author of Rip and Red Series)

Interview #20 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Wish)

Interview #21 with Monika Schroder (Author of Be Light Like a Bird)

Interview #22 with Jeff Zentner (Author of The Goodbye Days)

SEASON #TWO (Summer 2017)

Interview #23 with Elena K. Arnold (Author of A Boy Named Bat)

Interview #24 with Dusti Bowling (Author of The Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus)

Interview #25 with Melissa Savage (Author of Lemons)

Interview #26 with Elaine Vickers (Author of Paper Chains)

Interview #27 with Kate Messner (Author of The Exact Location of Home)

Interview #28 with Paul Griffin (Author of Saving Marty)

Interview #29 with Elly Swartz (Author of Smart Cookie)

Interview #30 with Ellie Terry (Author of Forget Me Not)

Interview #31 with Katherine Paterson (Author of wishtree)

Interview #32 with Jordan Sonnenblick (Author of The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade)

Interview #33 with Alan Gratz (Author Refugee)

SEASON #THREE (2017/2018)

Interview #34 with Corey Ann Haydu (Author of The Someday Suitcase)

Interview #35 with Amy Sarig King (Author of Me and Marvin Gardens)

Interview #36 with Jared Reck (Author of The Short History of the Girl Next Door)

Interview #37 with Shelley Johannes (Author of Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker)

Interview#38 with Terri Libenson (Author of Invisible Emmie)

Interview#39 with Tony Abbott (Author of The Summer of Owen Todd)

Interview #40 with Rob Buyea (Author of The Perfect Score)

Interview #41 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ban This Book)

Interview #42 with Sally J Pla (Author of Stanley Will Probably Be Fine)

Interview #43 with Jake Burt (Author of Greetings from Witness Protection)

Interview #44 with John David Anderson (Author of Granted)

Interview #45 with Jarrett Lerner (Author of Enginerds)

Interview #46 with Leslie Connor (Author of The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle)

Interview #47 with Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison (Every Shining Thing)

Interview #48 with Jacqueline Resnick (Author of Raffie on the Run)

Interview #49 with Sarah Weeks (Author of Soof) 

Interview #50 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Good Dog)

Interview #51 with Gae Polisner (Author of In Sight of Stars)

SEASON #FOUR (Summer 2018)

Interview #52 with Tony Abbott (Author of Denis Ever After)

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)

Interview #60 with Eric Walters (Author of Elephant Secrets)

Interview #61 with Phil Bildner (Author of The Rip and Red Series)

Interview #62 with Erin Soderberg (Author of Milla in Charge)

Interview #63 with Laura Shovan (Author of Take Down)

Interview #64 with Donna Gephart (Author of In Your Shoes)

Interview #65 with Alan Gratz (Author of Grenade)

Interview #66 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Wonderland)

Interview #67 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Just Like Jackie)

Interview #68 with Katherine Marsh (Author of Nowhere Boy)

Interview #69 with Dusti Bowling (Author of 24 Hours in Nowhere)

Interview #70 with Christina Uss (Author of The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle)

Interview #71 with Adam P. Schmitt (Author of Speechless)

SEASON #FIVE (2018/2019)

Interview #72 with Dan Gemeinhart (Author of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise)

Interview #73 with Abby Cooper (Author of Sticks and Stones)

Interview #74 with Abby Cooper (Author of Bubbles)

Interview #75 with Abby Cooper (Author of Friend or Fiction)

Interview #76 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of The Bridge Home)

Interview #77 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Lost Girl)

Interview #78 with Corey Ann Haydu (Author of Eventown)

Interview #79 with Jeff Zentner (Author of Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee)

Interview #80 with Allison Varnes (Author of The Property of the Rebel Librarian)

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 (Fall 2019)

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)

Interview #116 with Chris Baron (Author of All of Me)

Interview #117 with Meredith Russo (Author of Birthday)

Interview #118 with Abdi Nazemian (Author of Like a Love Story)

Interview #119 with Sarah Baughman (Author of The Light in the Lake)

Interview #120 with Stacy McAnulty (Author of The Words Ends in April)

SEASON #EIGHT (Winter 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)

*Here is my review of the Novel...

When You Trap a Tiger Book Review

When You Trap a Tiger

by Tae Keller

(January 28, 2020)

How did you come to know Lily?  

Lily's voice came quickly. I knew that she noticed things other didn't, that she saw magic in the mundane, and that her world was rich with imagery and metaphor. I also knew that she was reserved and cautious—which meant that though her voice came fast, her story didn't. With my first book, The Science of Breakable Things, my character felt much more straightforward. The story came easily because it felt like my character wanted to tell it. Lily made me work for her story, and I only figured it out through many, many wrong turns and revisions.


What do you think is her most admirable quality?

For someone who feels invisible, Lily makes a lot of bold decisions, all because she fiercely protects the people she loves.


Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
Ha, there's one scene in particular, when she's very mad at a friend and decides to get revenge in a rather unconventional way. As an adult, I do not condone her actions. But I have to admit...the kid in me was kind of rooting for her.


How did you research Lily and the circumstances she found herself in?
I read so much folklore! Much of this story is based off Korean fairytales, and though I remembered some from my childhood, there were a lot of stories I'd never heard. I read every tiger-based folktale I could find, and the stories in WYTAT are a mish-mash of those—plus a bit of my own invention. 

I also researched a lot about Korean history so I could fully understand the history of Lily's family and the experiences that would have shaped her grandmother's mindset. I was surprised (though perhaps I shouldn't have been) to find that learning the history helped me connect with my own grandmother, too. There were parts of my halmoni that I didn't fully understand before writing this book.


Do you and Lily share any similarities?  

 Lily worries about being invisible, and her sister dubs her a "QAG"—a Quiet Asian Girl. I've always been reserved, and as a kid I was quite shy. A lot of Lily's insecurity about that is very familiar to me.


What was the hardest scene to write about Lily?
The ending, for sure. But I won't give it away.


Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
Her grandmother—her halmoni. Halmoni has always seen through Lily's invisibility.


Why do you think some young people, like Lily, have such bonds with their grandparent when there is such an age difference?
I think the supportiveness is definitely a factor; grandparents can spoil their grandkids in ways that parents can't. And in my experience, I was always in awe of my halmoni. She has so many stories, both her own and the ones she's collected. As a kid, and even now, hearing her talk feels like hearing the stories of a thousand lifetimes, all rolled into one.


What do you think Lily is doing as the present time? 

Well, I'm pretty sure her best friend promised her some adventures at their new school. I hope she's giving those kids a run for their money.  

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (1/27/20)

Thanks to Jen and Kellee for hosting this idea on their site.  Here is a link to the site...

                

 http://www.teachmentortexts.com/

Books I Read this Past Week...

Mananaland by Pam Munoz Ryan

*Middle-Grade Novel (3 STARS out of 5 Stars)

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Joy McCullough

*Middle-Grade Novel (4 STARS out of 5 Stars)







Books I Will (continue to) Read this Week...

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

*My Novel Published for Adults (Audio)

Long Bright River by Liz Moore

*My Novel Published for Adults

They Went Left by Monica Hesse

*My Young-Adult Novel

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone

*My Middle-Grade Novel