Interview with Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

I'm happy to offer an interview with the gracious Kristin O'Donnell Tubb, author of Selling Hope (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan 2010), Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different (Delacorte/Random House 2008) and the forthcoming The 13th Sign (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan 2012).

**Joyce Lansky's recent review of Selling Hope for this site can be found here.**

What inspired you to write Selling Hope?
Selling Hope was one of those happy accidents that came out of researching another project.  I was writing a kid’s activity book about space for Dalmatian Press (called Space: An A+ Workbook), and Halley’s Comet was part of that research.  I discovered that Earth passed through the tail of the comet on May 18 & 19, 1910.  The world’s top scientists promised that no harm would result, but fear ran rampant, and people began prophesying the end of days. Others cashed in on that fear, selling everything from lead umbrellas to gas masks to comet pills.  When I read those words – comet pills – I knew it was a story I wanted to tell.

What sort of research did you do to help you write it?
I researched books, magazines, newspapers, classified ads, advertisements, websites – anything about Chicago and vaudeville and Halley’s Comet circa 1910 that I could find, basically.  I also watched YouTube videos of Buster Keaton to get his movements and facial expressions down pat. (And yes, I consider myself very lucky to have a job in which watching YouTube constitutes “research.” :))  I keep my research in a Word document, but also print out a copy and cut and paste them (literally – with scissors and tape) to 3x5 notecards.  This helps me organize both the story outline and the items by topic.

What was the most difficult part of writing the book?
Making Hope McDaniels a likeable character was probably my biggest challenge. In the story, Hope makes some questionable choices (the girl is a con artist, after all!). It’s a balancing act, creating a character who is pulling off a hoax of that magnitude, but who also gains our sympathy.

What was your favorite part of the writing process?
Research is likely my favorite part of the writing process. We humans do so many heartbreaking, breathtaking things to and for each other. Those stories are out there, and uncovering them is a little akin to Indiana Jones unearthing his treasures! But here, I feel I should always add a caveat: the story is always the character’s journey first, so the history must be tied to that story arc, above all.  If that doesn’t happen, then you’re just tossing in bits of history to show you’ve done your research, which doesn’t make for very interesting reading. 

What were some of your favorite books as a child?
My favorite book as a child was – and still is – A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle. I also loved Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books, especially the first one, Little House in the Big Woods. (Oh, how I longed for an attic full of pumpkins in which to play dolls!) I adored Starring Sally J. Freedman as Herself by Judy Blume, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Patterson, John D. Fitzgerald’s Great Brain books, and Donald J. Sobol’s Encyclopedia Brown series. 

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Link to this site's recent review of Selling Hope

Link to the website of Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

Link to Amazon's page for Ms. O'Donnell Tubb's earlier book: Autumn Winifred Oliver Things Different 

Link to a Discussion Guide for Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different

Selling Hope

Title: Selling Hope 
Author: Kristin O'Donnell Tubb



**An interview with Kristin O'Donnell Tubb can be found here.**

Category: Historical Fiction
Topic: Vaudeville, Life in the Early 1900's
Grade Level: 5
Students: Mostly strong readers with just a few struggling or reluctant readers

Rating by: Joyce Lansky from Tennessee

Joyce is a teacher and writer.  Check out her blog at: http://joycelansky.blogspot.com

Historically Accurate?

(4) Yes and also includes historical notes, primary sources, etc.

(3) Yes

(2) A few inaccurate or misleading portrayals

(1) Not a bit

An Engaging Story?

(4) Almost all students will beg to keep reading

(3) Most students will get caught up in the story

(2) Some students will read ahead by mistake

(1) Students will groan when the book is mentioned

Prompts Discussion?

(4) Students will still be talking about it in the hallway

(3) Will prompt discussion about major issues in the past as well as today

(2) Will prompt discussion about the characters and the events in the book

(1) Will not prompt discussion

Readability?

(4) Everyone - even the most reluctant readers – can get on board

(3) Can be used for a whole class read*

(2) Can only be used with a small high-powered reading group

(1) Recommend only to students that love reading
* This would work well as a read aloud, too.

Age Appropriate Content?
____Too mature
_X__Just right
____Too simplistic

A Comment from Joyce Lansky: 
"I enjoyed getting a peek of life in 1910 through the eyes of Hope McDaniels, the thirteen-year-old main character of "Selling Hope" by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb. In her book, "Coins," or people of Chicago, line up to buy flour coated mints passed off as anti-comet pills that will protect the user from dying from the gases given off from the tail of Haley's comet. This book uses real newspaper headlines to show the lead up to this historic non-event while at the same time, allowing the reader a glimpse of the Vaudeville life along with real stars such as Buster Keaton. The writing is beautiful as is the story of this young girl and her relationship with her father."

Amazon's Product Description:  
"It’s May 1910, and Halley’s Comet is due to pass thru the Earth’s atmosphere. And thirteen-year-old Hope McDaniels and her father are due to pass through their hometown of Chicago with their ragtag vaudeville troupe.  Hope wants out of vaudeville, and longs for a “normal” life—or as normal as life can be without her mother, who died five years before. Hope sees an opportunity: She invents “anti-comet” pills to sell to the working-class customers desperate for protection. Soon, she’s joined by a fellow troupe member, young Buster Keaton, and the two of them start to make good money. And just when Hope thinks she has all the answers, she has to decide: What is family? Where is home?"


Link to reviews on Amazon
Link to the website of the author: Kristin O'Donnell Tubb
Buy this book from your local bookstore via Indie Bound

Interview with Liza Ketchum

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing author Liza Ketchum about the process of writing historical fiction.  Among other things, Ms. Ketchum discusses the wide variety of primary sources she used in her research for Newsgirl.  It is clear that she dove into the research process determined to accurately recreate San Francisco during the Gold Rush, and her persistence paid off.  To me, reading Newsgirl was like taking a time machine into the past, just as she intended.

***The review of Newsgirl is here.***


In regards to Newsgirl, what was your favorite part of the writing process?

"I love doing research for my historical novels. When readers open my book, I want them to feel they are traveling in a time machine. When they step out into the past, I hope they enter a world that is historically accurate. For this reason, I think of myself as a “research detective” as I track down old diaries, letters, newspapers, and images to help me create this historical world. When I wrote Newsgirl, I had already written three other books set during that era, so I had a lot of information at hand. But I decided that the city of San Francisco would be like a character itself, in the story. Finding out more about that city’s past was the most exciting part of my journey with the novel. I had the chance to visit San Francisco during the research phase, and I met a wonderful librarian there, at the Society for California Pioneers, who gathered incredible primary source material for me. I felt that I had “struck gold,” like a California 49-er, when she unearthed documents, old photographs, city directories, maps, and diaries that helped me bring the past to life." 


What was the most difficult part of the writing process?

"The most difficult part of the writing process, for me, is usually the first draft. Newsgirl was a little easier than some books, because I’d had the idea for the story for years, ever since I learned that newsboys, in Gold Rush California, could make more money than their parents when they sold East coast newspapers on the street. But figuring out the plot is always a challenge, and it takes me many, many drafts—and many plot changes—before a book is ready to send to my agent."


What are some of your favorite children's books?

"I read so widely that it’s hard for me to name a few favorite books. I’m lucky to teach in a graduate program, at Hamline University, with a number of wonderful colleagues who also write for young readers, and I always read their work with pleasure. When I was a young reader myself, I loved The Secret Garden, Charlotte’s Web, The Back of the North Wind, Stuart Little, and The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which my mother read to me when I had the measles—and had to stay in a darkened room for days. My mom sat in my closet and read to me through a crack in the door. The book seemed magical to me for that reason."


Can you tell us a little about what you've been working on recently?

"I have just finished a draft of a new, contemporary YA that takes place in Boston and Nova Scotia in 2004. The narrator is a 17-year-old boy whose father dies suddenly; a mystery in the story leads him to search for a missing half brother he learns about after his dad’s death. The book also has a strong baseball theme (I’m a Red Sox fan!). Next I need to finish revising a book about vaudeville. The novel begins in Brattleboro, VT, in 1913, and moves around the country as the narrator follows her dream to go onstage and become a singer. Stay tuned!"

********************************************

I'd also like to share a few of the FAQ's Ms. Ketchum includes on her website because they provide even more insight into the research process.

FAQ: How much of your story is true? How much is invented?

"While Amelia and her family are fictional characters, the story’s setting and many events are based on facts. When I write about the past, I imagine that I am taking my readers for a ride in a time machine. As they step out onto San Francisco’s streets in 1851, I want them to smell the city’s gritty smells, to feel the bustle of activity, hear the sounds, and taste the food. I want my story to help a time traveler experience the touch of the wind, the swirling dust, and the cold fog. And I hope my readers will see the city’s landscape and its buildings as they walk in the shoes of the people who came from all over the world in search of gold."

"I have based San Francisco’s layout— with its shops, wharves, and meeting places— on the maps, directories, newspaper stories, and first person accounts from that period. The stories that Amelia sells to the papers are invented, but the Alta California was a real paper, as was the Sonora Herald, the first newspaper in the southern mines. Dr. Gunn, who appears in the novel, was a real person and the editor of the Herald. The Boston headlines that Amelia calls out are actual headlines from Eastern papers of that time.


FAQ: Where do you find the historical details for your books?

"I do much of my research in libraries and historical societies. I am lucky to live in the Boston area, home to many wonderful research libraries. As I wrote Newsgirl, I searched for letters, diaries, and journals written by people who went out to California during the Gold Rush, and I looked for information about native California Indians and Mexican Californios who lived there before the rush began. I also studied maps and drawings and—of course—I read newspapers from that time period."


"Old newspapers are usually available on microfilm, which is difficult to read and hard on the eyes. Once in a while, I’m lucky enough to read an original paper from that time. If the paper is old and fragile, I might wear plastic gloves. I have to be careful not to tear the pages as I turn them. I study the news stories so that I know about the daily events that were happening as my story unfolded. Sometimes I can use those events—as I did with the fire—to help with my plot. And I also read the ads. The ads help me understand how people dressed, what foods they ate, where they shopped, and what was for sale in the stores. The ads gave me important information about the city’s restaurants, hotels, and businesses, and about the wharves where ships came in from around the world. When I wrote about Amelia and Patrick’s balloon ride, I wanted to describe that part of California as they saw it from the air—but I couldn’t take a balloon ride myself! Instead, I logged onto Google Earth, and I was able to zoom in on San Francisco and plot a path the balloon might take as the wind blew it to Sonora. I then “flew” that route, using the mouse on my computer to take me from west to east. I could imagine what Amelia and Patrick might have seen as I soared over the hills, valleys, and rivers, flying lower than an airplane, but higher than a bird. Try it yourself! It’s a great ride."

Newsgirl

Title: Newsgirl  
Author: Liza Ketchum  
Category: Historical Fiction


***An interview with Liza Ketchum is posted here.***


Topic: The California Gold Rush
Grade Level: 5-6
Students: Mostly strong readers with just a few struggling or reluctant readers 
Rating by: Scott Cole from Vermont

Historically Accurate?

(4) Yes, and also includes historical notes, primary sources, etc.

(3) Yes

(2) A few inaccurate or misleading portrayals

(1) Not a bit

An Engaging Story?

(4) Almost all students will beg to keep reading

(3) Most students will get caught up in the story

(2) Some students will read ahead by mistake

(1) Students will groan when the book is mentioned

Prompts Discussion?

(4) Students will still be talking about it in the hallway

(3) Will prompt discussion about major issues in the past as well as today

(2) Will prompt discussion about the characters and the events in the book

(1) Will not prompt discussion

Readability?

(4) Everyone - even the most reluctant readers – can get on board

(3) Can be used for a whole class read

(2) Can only be used with a small high-powered reading group

(1) Recommend only to students that love reading

Age Appropriate Content?
____Too mature
_X__Just right
____Too simplistic


A Comment from Scott Cole:
Fun story that gave a real feel for the early days in California. VT readers love the book- it made our DCF- Dorthy Canfield Fisher -list for the 30 best books for kids this year!


Amazon's Product Description: 
"It’s the spring of 1851 and San Francisco is booming. Twelve-year-old Amelia Forrester has just arrived with her family and they are eager to make a new life in Phoenix City. But the mostly male town is not that hospitable to females and Amelia decides she’ll earn more money as a boy. Cutting her hair and donning a cap, she joins a gang of newsboys, selling Eastern newspapers for a fortune. And that’s just the beginning of her adventures. Participating in the biggest news stories of the day, Amelia is not a girl to let life pass her by—even and especially when it involves danger!"

Link to Reviews on Amazon
Link to the website of the author: Liza Ketchum
Link to Newsgirl's Facebook Page (which has a link to a travelogue done by the Barbara Bell at the San Jose Examiner that follows Amelia's journey)
Buy this book from your local bookstore via Indie Bound

Interview with Irene Latham

I've always been an advocate for teaching critical thinking in the classroom.  It empowers students when you remind them that words don't just magically appear on the pages of a book -- that instead each word is the result of a real person putting into practice the same skills students are learning in class (researching, asking questions, reading, writing, and revising).  Giving students a glimpse of the work that goes into writing historical fiction can give meaning to their own work.

Today, I'm excited to offer you an interview with the fabulous Irene Latham, author of Leaving Gee's Bend.  Her answers highlight the incredible love and dedication she invested in writing this story.

 

***The review of Leaving Gee's Bend is posted here.***

 

What inspired you to write Leaving Gee's Bend?

"I just watched the movie "The Social Network," and one thing I love about it is how it shows that an idea is inspired by countless interactions and impulses that somehow come together to make The Big Idea. It's such a mixed-up mess of string that it's virtually impossible to untangle. It's the same for this book. But I can tell you that the most immediate impulse for LEAVING GEE'S BEND was a trip my husband took to New York City, where we waited in line for two hours on the last day of the exhibit to see The Quilts of Gee's Bend at the Whitney Museum. I was overwhelmed by the colors and the textures and the voices of the women (as I first heard them on a documentary film that the museum had playing in another room). But before I viewed the exhibit were years and years going to sleep to the hum of my mother's sewing machine and hours and hours listening to my husband's grandmother (the real-life Ludelphia) tell the stories behind the many quilts she created."

What sort of research did you do to help you write it?

"Fortunately for me the history of Gee's Bend has been well-documented, in part due to the work of the amazing historians behind the quilt exhibit, and in part due to a certain president named Franklin Delano Roosevelt who hired photographers to document how awful conditions were in Gee's Bend during the 1930's so that there would be photographic proof of how his government housing affected positive change for the area. I spent a lot of time with the personal histories recorded by the women, and I spent hundreds of hours listening to recordings. This auditory research was essential for capturing Ludelphia's voice. I visited Gee's Bend, of course, and spent many hours and Wilcox County Public Library perusing microfiche of 1932 and 1933 issues of the Wilcox Progressive Era (local newspaper)."

What was the most difficult part of writing the book?

"The most difficult part for me was getting over my fear of writing a book in the voice of a 1932 African American girl growing up in poverty when I, the author, am none of those things. The weight of accountability is trememdous whenever one writes historical fiction, and especially so when one chooses to write outside one's culture. I just really wanted to get it right. I almost bailed out at one point, but an amazing writer by the name of Julius Lester helped set me back on course. (I blogged about that experience here.) Ultimately I had to keep reminding myself that I approached this story with love, what made me want to write it was love. And whatever the culture, we all feel the same feelings. I had to trust that the emotional experience of being human would carry the story."
 

What was your favorite part of the writing process?

"There are a couple of moments that stand out to me. The first happened when I was still casting around for the best way to tell this story and I, just for fun, decided to switch from third person pov to first person -- actually "owning" Ludelphia's voice. And that's when the magic happened. That's when Ludelphia really sprang to life with all her sassy goodness. The second moment that stands out is when I first saw the cover concept. It was an emotional moment for me -- I thought, there she is, Ludelphia, with that foot up in the air, actually doing it -- leaving Gee's Bend. I thought the cover was perfect, and I was so moved by the fact that the art department -- people I didn't even know -- read my book and saw the girl I saw. It was the first of many, many special connections I've made with readers since the book's release."

What were some of your favorite books as a child?

"It should come as no surprise that I loved historical fiction, especially Little House on the Prairie. I really can't think of another series that has influenced as many writers. I also loved horse books like the Black Stallion series and adventure books, and I was a sucker for anything Arthurian. My main requirement for a book was that it be LONG. I loved sinking into stories that went on and on and on."

Ms. Latham's most recent book, a collection of poems entitled The Color of Lost Rooms was just released last month.

Leaving Gee's Bend

Title: Leaving Gee's Bend   

Author: Irene Latham  

***An interview with Irene Latham is posted here.***

Topics: The Great Depression, 

The Jim Crow Era  

Grade Level: 6

Students: Used with a group of gifted students

Rating by: Karen Narro from Alabama

Historically Accurate?

(4) Yes and also includes historical notes, primary sources, etc.

(3) Yes

(2) A few inaccurate or misleading portrayals

(1) Not a bit
 

An Engaging Story?

(4) Almost all students will beg to keep reading

(3) Most students will get caught up in the story

(2) Some students will read ahead by mistake

(1) Students will groan when the book is mentioned


 Readability?

(4) Everyone - even the most reluctant readers – can get on board

(3) Can be used for a whole class read

(2) Can only be used with a small high-powered reading group

(1) Recommend only to students that love reading

Age Appropriate Content?

____Too mature

_X__Just right

____Too simplistic

A Comment from Karen Narro:

We studied the history and visited the town of Gees Bend since we are a school in Birmingham, AL.  We are just about 120 miles from Gee's Bend and we had a wonderful experience.  We met with the ladies who made the quilts famous and inspired Irene Latham to write the novel.  I enjoyed so much the language and the voice that she found for her main character, Ludelphia.  In our classroom we ate pound cake when Ludelphia did, had a coke with she had her first one, brought dirt home from the roads in Gee's Bend and gathered acorns and cattails to welcome the beautiful images into our classroom.  I can't remember when I've enjoyed teaching a book so much.

Amazon's Product Review:

"Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but she can still put in a good stitch. Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things go wrong.

But when Mama goes into labor early and gets deathly ill, it seems like even quilting won’t help. That’s when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic—leave Gee’s Bend for the very first time. Mama needs medicine that can only be found miles away in Camden. But that doesn’t stop Ludelphia. She just puts one foot in front of the other.

What ensues is a wonderful, riveting and sometimes dangerous adventure. Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mother proud, and ends up saving the day for her entire town.

Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, Leaving Gee’s Bend is a delightful, satisfying story of a young girl facing a brave new world."

Link to Reviews on Amazon

Link to the website for the book: Leaving Gee's Bend 

Link to Irene Latham's Website (includes discussion guides, teaching activities, etc.)

Link to Irene Latham's Blog

Preview the book at: Google Books

Buy this book from your local bookstore via Indie Bound

Link to Ms. Latham's most recent book of poetry:

The Color of Lost Rooms (just released in January 2011)

The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child

Title: The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child    
Author: Francisco Jimenez
Category: First Person Account  


Topic: Immigration, Migrant Workers  
Grade Level: 3-7  
Students: A balanced mix of strong readers and struggling or reluctant readers 
Rating by: Ann B.

Historically Accurate?

(4) Yes and also includes historical notes, primary sources, etc.*

(3) Yes

(2) A few inaccurate or misleading portrayals

(1) Not a bit
 * This is a first person account.

An Engaging Story?

(4) Almost all students will beg to keep reading

(3) Most students will get caught up in the story

(2) Some students will read ahead by mistake

(1) Students will groan when the book is mentioned

Prompts Discussion?

(4) Students will still be talking about it in the hallway

(3) Will prompt discussion about major issues in the past as well as today

(2) Will prompt discussion about the characters and the events in the book

(1) Will not prompt discussion

Readability?

(4) Everyone - even the most reluctant readers – can get on board

(3) Can be used for a whole class read

(2) Can only be used with a small high-powered reading group

(1) Recommend only to students that love reading

Age Appropriate Content?
____Too mature
_X__Just right
____Too simplistic

Comment from Ann B.:
This is an excellent book to inform any discussion about immigration and help students look at the issue from a different perspective.  Each chapter is a different episode from Mr. Jimenez's childhood, so chapters can be used as stand alone pieces, as well.  The chapter about the drawing of the butterfly is my personal favorite.  Also, this book focuses on the author's life when he was a small boy, but the second and third autobiographies Breaking Through and Reaching Out would be good choices for older students.

Amazon's Product Description:  

"'La frontera'...I heard it for the first time back in the late 1940s when Papa and Mama told me and Roberto, my older brother, that someday we would take a long trip north, cross la frontera, enter California, and leave our poverty behind."

So begins this honest and powerful account of a family's journey to the fields of California -- to a life of constant moving, from strawberry fields to cotton fields, from tent cities to one-room shacks, from picking grapes to topping carrots and thinning lettuce. Seen through the eyes of a boy who longs for an education and the right to call one place home, this is a story of survival, faith, and hope. It is a journey that will open readers' hearts and minds.

Link to Reviews on Amazon
Link to the book at Google Books
Link to the website of the author: Francisco Jimenez  (Mr. Jimenez's site includes study guides under "Related Learning Links")
Buy this book from your local bookstore via Indie Bound