Emmy J. X. Wong, 12 A very strong reading of “A Far Away Place,” first published in Stone Soup Magazine. This, and other stories read by their authors can serve as a model for a more formal classroom story-reading program, if you don’t already have one.
Teacher Resources
Interview and Links for Author Wendelin Van Draanen
This is a wonderful interview. Its biggest strength may be Wendelin Van Draanen’s discussion of the importance of persistence. Her own story of having her books rejected for ten years offers an inspiring vision of an author whose faith in herself kept her from giving up despite repeated rejections. Another very strong part of this interview is her finding in Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine the understanding that her own authentic voice is that of a young teenager. Persistence pays off. Story of multiple rejections. She starts with a big idea i.e. good versus evil. Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s Dandelion Wine. Talks about teenage years, love of running, her life. Final advice: write every day and never give up! Internet Links for Wendelin Van Draanen Blog Facebook Twitter Books at Amazon.com The Running Dream (Schneider Family Book Award – Teen Book Winner) Flipped Runaway Swear to Howdy Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief A Stone Soup Book Review of The Running Dream
Interview and Web Links for Author Ransom Riggs
This interview inspires two projects: write a story based on a photograph and illustrate a story with photographs. This is a great interview by Ransom Riggs. He starts out talking about the pressure of writing a second book after having published a first book that was exceptionally successful. He then talks about how, in Hollow City, he writes a book that is different from his first one. He talks about his writing day. His goal is 1500 words per day. This takes him about ten hours to achieve. For those of you who have read the Miss Perigrine’s Peculiar Children books, you know they are illustrated with photos. He talks about a little about using photos as illustrations. Ransom Riggs talks about the books that inspired him, his desire to be a writer as a child, his growing interest in film in middle school, and his final coming back to writing as a young adult. Best advice: just write. Don’t judge yourself. Write freely! • Writing pressure to repeat the success of his first book. • Describes the discipline of being a writer — his writing day. Daily word count goal of 1500 words. • Talks about the use of photos to illustrate the Miss Perigrine’s Peculiar Children books • Strong discussion of interest in writing starting in elementary school with change in interest in middle school and a return as a young adult. Project idea: Illustrate a story with photographs. Found photos: Ransom Riggs illustrates his books with found photos — photos he finds, for example, at garage sales. This makes a an excellent writing project! You can either send your students out to find photos in garage sales or to bring photos from home, but then trade them around in the classroom. Illustrate story with staged or posed photos: Another use of photographs are as illustrations to an existing story, or to a story written with the idea of illustrating with photographs in mind. This project can be as simple or involved as your students would like to make it. At its most involved, scenes can be set up with characters from the story photographed acting out one or more scenes. In a work of historic fiction, this could include dressing in costume. Web links for Ransom Riggs Website Wikipedia Facebook Twitter Books by Ransom Riggs Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Boxed Set The Sherlock Holmes Handbook
