Author: patricia.lesku

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Manoah Steves Elementary Interviews Tanya Lloyd Kyi

We are super excited that Tanya Lloyd Kyi, author of the fascinating book DNA Detective, will be at the Red Cedar Gala at Vancouver Public Library on May 6. Ahead of her appearance, students from Manoah Steves Elementary interviewed her and asked her some thought-provoking questions.
MSE: Did you know any of these facts before?
TLK: Before I began this project, I knew very little about DNA. And when I started my research, the science of genes and heredity seemed really complicated. It took a long time to sort through the information overload to find great stories about the way DNA affects our daily lives. Right now, DNA research is changing the way we eat, the way governments and police forces track criminals, even the way we choose our pets! Stories about these sorts of implications and changes were really what inspired me to write the book.
MSE: How long did it take to research all of these facts?
TLK: For each of my books, I spend three or four months on research. Once I’ve gathered enough information, I begin to write… and I always, always discover that there’s a lot more to learn. The first draft of DNA Detective took six to eight months of research and writing combined, then a little MORE research once the editor started asking questions and pointing out gaps. Good thing I love research — I like hunting for the best stories and the best ways to explain tricky scientific concepts.
MSE: Why did you name the DNA Scientists Genetic rock stars?
TLK: Like contestants on The Voice, the scientists who made major DNA discoveries were completely obsessed with success. One of them studied fruit flies for a decade before he discovered one teeny, microscopic mutation. And since these scientists changed the world in ways no pop song has ever done, I think they deserve the “rock star” title.
MSE: How did you come up with all the funny names on p. 23?
TLK: Once I started searching for silly names on the internet, there were zillions. Ever since the book was published, I keep stumbling across other great pun-names and thinking, “oooh… I wish I’d included that one!”
MSE: Why did you start writing books?
TLK: I’ve been writing stories since elementary school. I still have an unfinished novel from high school sitting in my crawl space. My first published book was Canadian Girls Who Rocked the World, which came out in 2000.  It was all about girls who’d accomplished amazing things before they turned 20.
MSE: Did you get to choose who did the drawings for your book?
TLK: The publisher always chooses the illustrators for my books, but I’ve never complained — they make amazing choices. Seeing the illustration sketches is one of my favourite parts of book-creation. By that time, most of my work on the project is finished, and I get to sit back and relax while someone else interprets my stories and facts in ways I might never expect. My favourite illustrations in DNA Detective are the genetic rock stars and the detective dog.
MSE: Where did you get the idea to write a non-fiction story combined with a fiction story?
TLK: The entire subject of DNA seems to lend itself to mystery solving. And when I read the story of the twins in Germany who couldn’t be charged with a robbery because the police couldn’t prove which twin committed the crime (that story’s at the back of the book)… well, then I just HAD to include the mystery.
Image credit: worth1000.com

MSE: Did you know anything about DNA before you wrote this story?

TLK: Very little! I wrote a book a few years ago called Seeing Red, which was all about blood. In that book, there was the story of two Chicago families who’d taken their babies home from the hospital only to find the babies were labelled with different last names. So, had the babies been switched, or were the labels wrong? The hospital didn’t know, and the Chicago Commissioner of Health called in a panel of experts. No one could tell which baby belonged to which family! Finally, a pathologist who understood blood types tested the blood of the babies and of all four parents, and figured out the babies had gone home with the wrong families. It was the first time blood types had been used to figure out paternity. That story — which is really about genetics and heredity — helped me get excited about the idea of a DNA book.
MSE: Is it possible to mix DNA  eg. frog and snake  – Can I make a froggy-snake?
TLK: Probably not… yet. But if scientists get that far, I’d like a pet cabbit. (You know: half cat, half rabbit.)

-Lauren Craze, Teacher-Librarian at Manoah Steves Elementary and friends

If you want to see Tanya Lloyd Kyi at the Red Cedar Gala on May 6 please RSVP to redcedaraward@gmail.com Hope to see you there!

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Harmoney Interviews Sharon Jennings

Harmoney Hachey of Signal Hill Elementary felt a strong connection to Sharon Jennings’ Connecting Dots and was thrilled to get the chance to interview the author of the book she’d most like to see win this year’s Red Cedar Award for Fiction.

SJ: Thank you for your email – it made my day! Writers spend so much time alone that it is always nice to hear how our books are received by readers. I feel deeply touched that this story spoke to you and mirrored something of your own life. Maybe you should write a book!

H: Are you considering making a sequel to this book?

SJ: Before I answer your first question, I’ll explain a bit about Dots. I don’t know if you have seen the book, Home Free. Leanna tells the story about meeting Cassie when she moves in next door. By the end, she finds out that Cassie isn’t an orphan, but she still doesn’t know the whole story.

My publisher asked me for years to write about Cassie, but I just couldn’t come up with all of Cassie’s story. I knew she had a hard life, and it took me some time to piece it all together in my head. The tricky part was when Cassie and Leanna meet each other. I couldn’t repeat the same few chapters, and then I realized that no two people ever tell the same story the same way. I took liberties, and if my readers compare that chunk of both books, they’ll see that both girls embellish things a bit. Who is telling the truth?

I wrote a third book, and my publisher wasn’t too keen on it. But my agent loves it! So I changed the names and no one except you [and you!] will know that the famous actress in this story is Cassandra all grown up! Hopefully it will be published soon.

H: How long did it take you to write Connecting Dots?

SJ: I mentioned that it took me a long time to figure out Cassie’s story, but when I got started, it took me about 5 months to write it. Then a few months of editing back and forth with the publisher, and publication about a year and a half after I started writing.

H: How did you include so much detail? Is the book based on a personal experience or that of a close friend? Did you make connections to Cassie?

SJ: Both of these books are very autobiographical. I set the story when I was about the same age, and I could remember many details. I still had to research, however, to make sure that I knew what movies, songs, etc. were popular, in case I had dates mixed up. I am a cross of both Leanna and Cassie – I wanted to be a writer and an actor and I wrote plays and put them on in the backyard. I did want to marry David, and I did work in Inner Foundations as a teenager and saw the women with the Holocaust tattoo.

My father died when I was 16, so I understood what Leanna felt. I also wanted to be an orphan like Anne Shirley – my very favourite book!  I had some Irish relatives and they were as awful as the characters in the story – mean, biased – and one aunt knit me a sweater and called me a monkey because my arms were ‘too long’.

My neighbour was a nurse and gave her daughters enemas – I did not make that up! Of course I flushed my yucky spinach down the toilet.

When I give classroom visits, and talk to students about writing, I always tell people that anything that happens to you can go into a story/book. The more detail you can add, the more realistic your story will feel.

H: What made you choose to write about this topic? When in your life did you decide to write this book?

SJ: I wrote this story at the urging of my publisher, but when I got going, I really wanted to let kids know that they can survive anything. Bad things happen, but a young person can find the strength to see adult nonsense and shortcomings for what it is, and become strong. Just look at Harry Potter!

H: Is being an author your only job? How did you come to be an author?

SJ: As well as writing, I teach writing to adults who want to write for kids, I edit and evaluate manuscripts, and I do a lot of volunteer work with writers’ organizations.

I am going to Vancouver for the awards ceremony – even if I don’t win! It is important to me to meet my readers and answer even more questions. I also love to inspire others to think about writing. I wrote my first school play in grade 4 and haven’t stopped.

-Interview by Harmoney Hachey, Signal Hill Elementary

Are you coming to our Gala too?  Be sure to RSVP at redcedaraward@gmail.com

 

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Mile 108 Elementary Interviews Linda Bailey

Students from Mile 108 got more than they bargained for when they sent interview questions to Linda Bailey, author of the pirate tale Seven Dead Pirates.  Linda was joined by a…. ummm…. special guest in answering their thoughtful questions.

Ahoy, Lynn McArthur and her pirate crew!  I hear ye be a scurvy band of scoundrels, bold and brave and quick with a sword, afeared of nothing on land or sea, excepting maybe  . . . them things that goes so fast on the roads?
CARS! Aye! Stay away from them carrrrrs, mateys. That’s my advice. I says ye should xfpr z ttt

LB: Dear Mile 108 readers,
Oh gosh, I am SO sorry! That was Captain Crawley, taking over my computer again. I just kicked him out of this message. So now you can talk to me — Linda Bailey, the author. Whew! I am so glad to meet twelve Red Cedar readers from Mile 108 Elementary, and I am very happy to answer your questions.

Pirate Name TagM108E: How did you come up with all the pirate names?

LB: Naming pirates is so much fun. (Try it! You’ll see.) But the truth is — I had help from my boyfriend. Just before I started writing Seven Dead Pirates, Maurice and I went on a long driving trip and spent hours sitting in the car. I told him I needed pirate names, and we started to brainstorm. He had some fantastic suggestions — including my favourites, Barnaby Bellows and Jack the Rat. If you look at the last paragraph of the last page of the book (in the acknowledgements), you will see where I thanked him.

M108E: What inspired you to write the book?  Where did you get your idea from?

LB: There were a lot of inspirations. When I was a kid, I was shy — not quite as shy as my character Lewis, but I almost never spoke up in class. So that’s part of it. Later when I was in my 20s, I traveled by ship across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and I came to love the sea. And that’s in the book too. Also, I have always wanted to write a ghost story. All these bits came together in Seven Dead Pirates.

Pirates of the Caribbean M108E: Why did you chose pirates?

LB: Arggh! Who doesn’t love a good pirate story? But actually, I have often wondered myself about why that is true. Why are pirates so interesting in books and movies? I think it’s because they’re rebels. They break the rules. In our everyday lives, we have to obey dozens of rules every day, right? Brush your teeth, wait in line, stop at stop signs. This is good because it helps us to survive and have friends. But sometimes we get tired of rules — and that’s when we love to read about a rip-roaring pirate who never brushes his teeth, never waits in line and knocks over all the stop signs. A rebel story allows us to break the rules . . . in our imaginations.

Glace Bay, Nova ScotiaM108E: Was the setting based on a real place?

LB: Not really. The setting is a little town in Nova Scotia called Tandy Bay. I did travel in Nova Scotia, driving along the coast and stopping in small towns. And here in Vancouver where I live, there’s a museum with a huge ship inside that gave me the idea for the Tandy Bay Museum. But a real Tandy Bay? No, I made that up.

Linda BaileyM108E: Are any of your characters based on people you know?  Where did Lewis come from?  Where did Abbie come from?

LB: My characters are never based on people I know. Except maybe . . . me? I feel that I have to get inside all my characters to write them. I have to feel what it’s like to be them. So Lewis was easy because I used to be a shy, sensitive kid. Abbie was more the girl-I-wanted-to-be (outgoing and sociable). But the most fun I had was writing Jack the Rat — I had to imagine how it would feel to be constantly out of control and in a sputtering, foaming rage.

Stanley's PartyM108E: How long did it take you to write The Seven Dead Pirates?

LB: Years and years! About 18 years altogether from the time I started till the time it was published. I wrote it in dribs and drabs, off and on, while writing other shorter books — the Stanley-the-dog stories, The Farm Team, Goodnight Sweet Pig, If Kids Ruled the World, If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur and so on.

M108E: When did you start writing?

LB: Not till I was about 30. Before that, I was too busy reading. In fact, I liked reading so much, and admired writers so much, that I was afraid to try writing myself. What if my stories were terrible? I had to creep up on it. (And here’s a secret. My first stories were kind of terrible. But they got better. Writing is a skill that, like piano playing, gets better the more you practice.)

Stevie Diamond, Book 1M108E: When was your first book published and what was it called?

LB: My first book was How Come the Best Clues Are Always in the Garbage? It was a humorous mystery novel about a girl named Stevie Diamond, and it was the start of a seven-book series.

M108E: How many books do you write in a year?

LB: That depends. I’m usually working on a number of different books in any year — some longer, some shorter. So in a year, I might finish one? Two? Even three? But they are different kinds of books.

M108E: Where do you do your best writing?

LB: On my couch. I have a big comfy couch with lots of interesting pillows. I LOVE my couch!

M108E: What do you do when you get writers block?

LB: I don’t get writer’s block. I think writer’s block is when you can’t think of any ideas. My solution to that is to always be watching for ideas and to collect them in a computer file as they come along. Also, if I ever get stuck in the middle of a story, I just start asking myself questions. My favourite questions are the ones that start with “What if . . .?” They usually get me going again

M108E: How many rough copies do you generally have to do before your book get published?

LB: Oh gosh, so many. Probably at least 10 to 20 drafts before a book is ready to go to the publisher. And then the publisher asks for changes, and that is 3 or 4 more drafts before we’re done.

Thank you for writing, Mile 108 Pirates/Readers. It’s been fun talking to you! Happy reading!

–Lynn McArthur, Teacher-Librarian, Mile 108 Elementary School and friends

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South Sahali Elementary Interviews Kevin Sands

Students from South Sahali Elementary in Kamloops had some pretty interesting questions for Kevin Sands about his novel The Blackthorn Key.

SSE: What gave you the idea to write this book?

KS: It occurred to me that apothecaries were pretty cool: they used potions, and poisons, and secret codes, and so on. So I thought that background, combined with a secret people were willing to kill for, would make for a really good story.

SSE: How did you do the research for your book?

KS: A lot of time in and out of libraries. Most of my research came from books, though I found some things online as well. Each of the Blackthorn Key adventures takes about five weeks of full-time research.

SSE: Can you tell us about the process you go through for publishing your books?

KS: The Blackthorn Key was my first book published, so it was a longer process. After I’d written the manuscript, I queried agents, which is a fancy way of saying I sent a bunch of people I didn’t know some emails asking if they’d be interested in reading my book and representing me. Once I had an agent, he submitted my manuscript to a number of editors at different publishing houses. Several of them liked it, and I ended up selling it to Aladdin (Simon & Schuster).

After that, the process has been the same. Write the manuscript, then an editor suggests any changes needed. You rewrite what you need to, then once the “final” manuscript is done, it goes to a copy editor, who checks for factual errors or things that don’t make sense. After that, the book is laid out and goes to a proofreader, who checks the final version for typos. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, there’s the cover design, and marketing, and so on. All in all, it this process usually takes anywhere from 1-2 years. A long time!

SSE: Why did you choose to write your book in that era?

KS: I ended up choosing 1660s London because it had so many cool elements to it: the return of the king to his throne; the conflicts, plots, and conspiracies; the level of technology; the liveliness of the city; and so on. Basically, it was too good a time to pass up!

SSE: When did you start to write novels or stories?

KS: In January 2009. I wrote three other manuscripts (all of which were terrible) before I started on The Blackthorn Key. I sold that in September 2014, so it took more than five years of writing before I sold my first book.

SSE: What inspired you to create the different characters? Were the characters inspired by people you know?

KS: The characters all came from my imagination. I never base characters on people I know—I don’t want to get sued!

SSE: Does this book tie into your life in any way?

KS: I wouldn’t say there’s any direct connection to my life, except that I wrote The Blackthorn Key the way I did because adventures like that are my favourite kind of books.

SSE: Is writing your only career now?

KS: Yes. Since selling The Blackthorn Key, I’ve become a full-time writer. It’s tough, sometimes, but it’s the most fun career I’ve ever had.

SSE: When you wrote this book did you have it all planned out before you wrote the book or did you think of it as you were writing?

KS: Planned out, completely. I plot everything in as much detail as possible before I write a single word. Changes get made during revisions, of course, but if I ever try to just start writing and see where things will go, I end up with a giant mess. I don’t know how people do that—though there are many successful writers who have!

SSE: Did you come up with the codes on your own?

KS: Yes. Some of the codes are based on real symbols and ciphers; the symbols in chapter 20, for example, were used by real alchemists. Others, like the puzzle cube, were my own invention.

SSE: Where did you go to research the recipes?

KS: There are a few really old books by apothecaries and herbalists from Christopher’s time that we have today, so some of the recipes came from those. Others, like the smoke bomb, I’ve known how to make for a while. (Just don’t ask me how I know.)

-Melisa Hunter, Teacher-Librarian at South Sahali Elementary and friends

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Ecole Heather Park Elementary Interviews Kenneth Oppel

Students from Ecole Heather Park Elementary in Prince George had the opportunity to interview the wonderfully talented Kenneth Oppel, author of The Nest. 

EHPE: What inspired you to write the book, The Nest?

KO: A whole bunch of things. I had a title, and I wishlist of creepy things I wanted in my story: a toy phone that allowed you to talk to a mysterious person; a knife grinding van that kept returning to your street again and again; a person called Mr Nobody – and a wasp nest that was growing a human baby.
 
 
EHPE: Does anything in The Nest relate to something you experienced?
 
KO: The biggest influence for The Nest was very personal: the birth of our third child 11 years ago. She was born with Down syndrome, and it really made me re-evaluate how we look at what normal is and what that means. Is it possible for anyone to be truly normal? Is it a certain model of behaviour we must all try to live up to? All of us have weaknesses, flaws, things that make us “less than.” It made me think about how we value people, and how we look at who’s worthy, who’s lovable. For sure I was drawing on my own experiences for the emotional core of this book, because at the beginning when you have a baby who’s “different,” there’s so much you don’t know. There’s surprise, there’s worry, there’s questioning about what her prospects were going to be.
 
I now had this notion of a baby born into a family with something that’s very worrying. And in the book, the oldest child in the family, Steve, who’s 12, starts having dreams about an angel creature who offers to fix the baby, offering him a perfect baby to swap for the original baby. Steve just wants things to go back to normal. He wants them to be safe. We’re all trying so hard to get perfect bodies and partners and lives, and I think sometimes it can lead us to make choices that aren’t beneficial to ourselves and to others. Kids really want to fit in. They want to be part of a pack, and they want to be accepted. It’s very lonely to feel like you’re outside of normal. I wanted to show that no one is really normal, and we’re better for admitting that we’re flawed.
 
EHPE: Why did you dedicate The Nest to Julia, Nathaniel and Sophia?
 
KO: They’re my three kids – they’ve actually had quite a few books dedicated to them over the years!
 
EHPE: You have written many different kinds of novels.  What genre of books do you prefer to write?
 
KO: I don’t have a favourite genre. I just write the idea that most excites me, whether it’s fantasy, or gothic thriller, or historical fiction, or contemporary fiction. With each of my books there was something about the idea or subject matter that grabbed hold of my imagination, and took my thoughts in all sorts of directions.
 
EHPE: How long does it take you to write a book?
 
KO: For a novel, between 12 to 24 months.
 
EHPE: Do you have a new book coming out soon?  Can you tell us something about it?
 
KO: Well, I just had one come out called Every Hidden Thing, about two teens who discover the first T-Rex fossil. And the next thing you’ll see from me is called Inkling – which is a big rollicking adventure with lots of humour and magic.
 
EHPE: Who was your favourite author when you were a kid?
 
KO: Roald Dahl!
 
EHPE: What are your hobbies?
 
KO: I like to travel, read, watch movies, spend time with friends, go for long walks, sail, go on train rides!
 

 

–The Red Cedar Club (Everett, Charlotte, Nina, Jasmine, Breanna, Emily, Maya, Abby, Tayler, Braden, Morgan, Wynter, Trinity) and Maria Weisgarber, Teacher-Librarian, Ecole Heather Park Elementary, Prince George, BC

 

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Colossal Canada

colossalColossal Canada: 100 Epic Facts and Feats, by Elizabeth Macleod and Frieda Wishinsky

Canada is colossal – no one would doubt that after reading this lively and fascinating compendium of facts about what makes our country unique. The facts include impressive natural phenomena, historical firsts, inventions, flight and space, myth and mystery, events and people – all of which make us proud and rock the world.
The tremendous amount of content is presented in a digestible format that manages to include plenty of photos and sidebars without appearing cluttered. The tone is straightforward and engages the reader with lots of clever wordplay.
There is no index; this is not a reference work, but as a recreational read it offers an impressive and memorable vision of our country that is sure to inspire.

–Reviewed by Nona Avren

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How to Make a Book Trailer

Book trailers are creative short videos that tell students something about the book without giving away the ending, and convince them to read the book!  The video should be 2-3 minutes long and can include images, narration, sound, text and a variety of effects.

Research Other Book Trailers

Share one or more of these links with students so they can research student-created book trailers:

Create Your Book Trailer Script and Storyboard

Print out a book trailer planning template and storyboard  This will help students decide on the number of slides, captions, type of images needed, etc.  Here are some samples:

Search for and Download Images

  1. Students can use Pixabay  or the Creative Commons‘ new search engine to find images that have a creative commons / copyright free designation.
  2. Images that match the tone of the book can be saved to a thumb drive.

Choose Copyright Free Music

  1. Students can find and listen to one or more copyright free music tracks on one of the following sites:
  2. One or more sound files that reflect the mood of the book can be downloaded to a thumb drive.

Create Your Book Trailer

Students can use one of the following video tools to create a book trailer.  Their names, year made, image and audio sources should be added to the end of the trailer.

Adobe Spark Video App

Download the app. Open it and follow along with the YouTube video Using Adobe Spark Video for a Book Trailer YouTube video

Additional resources:

iMovie App

Download the app. Open it and follow along with this iMovie iOS Guide

Additional resources:

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Sight Unseen

Sight Unseen by David Carroll
sightunseen
David Carroll’s Sight Unseen is an uncomfortable read on many levels. Since his diagnosis with the rare Stargardt disease, Finn is obsessively counting down the seconds to total blindness. His poor vision has already forced him to give up the mountain biking that he loves, and he’s lost many friends because of the protective walls he’s built around himself. He does have two friends; a loyal friend nicknamed Cheese who he’s invited along for the summer, and Tab, a girl he’s just met and to whom refuses to acknowledge his disability.
At his family cabin for the summer, Finn takes dangerous risks, such as canoeing alone and a heart stopping ride down the mountain in an attempt to feel like himself again. Adding to the stress level of this read is Finn’s compulsive list-making of things to do before “lights out”, which he plasters around his bedroom with a portent of doom. But in the ultimate “would you rather?” question, Finn discovers a mysterious island, where his vision is perfect and time stops in the rest of the world. But to stay on the island Finn must give up friends and family. This is a difficult read, it’s hard to see Finn lashing out and fighting the finality of his diagnosis, and the anxiety which he carries around every minute of the day. It’s a skillful author who can paint such an intimate and truthful portrait of a grim diagnosis, and leave Finn with hope for the future at the end.
This is David Carroll’s second nomination for Red Cedar; he was also nominated in 2014 for Ultra.
–Reviewed by Katherine Parker