An Inside Look with Holly Goldberg Sloan
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
Tell us about the character of Sila.
Sila Tekin is a young girl who lives in Eugene, Oregon. She was born there. Her parents were born in Turkey. So Sila is an American citizen, with Turkish parents and she is fortunate to be able to experience some of Turkish culture through her parents.
Sila is an empathetic person and the circumstances of her life force her to become even more so. She misses her mother. She feels isolated. She retreats at school from her friend group. But then a chance encounter with an elderly man named Gio Gardino changes her world.
So is the theme of the book separation?
That's one of the themes. But another equally important theme is friendship. This is the story of the friendship between a girl and elephant. A girl and classmate at school named Mateo, who also befriends the elephant. And a girl and a man who is like a grandfather. This book is about connections. And about expanding the idea of what it means to be there for someone else.
How is Sila different at the end of this story?
Well, she's a year older. She wiser. And yes, she is different. She sees the world in a bigger way. And she recognizes that everyone faces challenges. I don't want to give anything away, but this is a hopeful book.
Yes. I loved the time I spent in Istanbul. The generosity of the Turkish people, and their deep, rich culture made a huge impact on me. There is so much history in this part of the world. The art, the food, the architecture--it's all permanently embedded in my brain.
Do you and Sila share any similarities?
I guess all of my characters are in part me. A writer probably can't help that. I do love animals and I do worry about their welfare, so we certainly have that in common. Growing up in Eugene, Oregon (where Sila lives) we had dogs and cats and at one time a goat. We never had an elephant, but I've spent time with them and I've been to Africa.
Can you tell us a little bit about Mateo?
Mateo is a boy in Sila's class. They obviously know each other, but they have never been friends. Mateo is on the spectrum and he's quiet in class, although outside of school he's a big talker. Sila and Mateo are paired in a program that the school is using wherein kids are placed together at the end of the day outside of the classroom in the hopes that they might form some kind of bond. Sila and Mateo in the beginning don't have much interest in that, but circumstances change when an elephant enters the picture.
Can you give us some background on the title of the book?
What do you think Sila is doing as the present time?
I'd like to believe Sila and her family are right now having dinner with Mateo and his mom out at Gio's property. The animals are there, and they are eating Turkish food, which Alp and Oya brought. They are all sitting at a picnic table and they hear birds and the sound of the wind in the pine trees. They have each other and they are laughing....
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
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 #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)
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