Hi everyone! I just wrote a poem about how grateful I am for the invention of the zero (in an anthology collection entitled ThankU edited by Miranda Paul, which was just released this fall), and so I thought I’d number my weekly videos with video # 0, below, as it just answers a few very general questions about my writing process. But first, instructions on how to leave me a comment:
So, again, please do your best to leave me questions by Thursday at the latest, but preferably by Wednesday 5:00 p.m. US Eastern Daylight Savings Time, and I’ll do my best to answer as many as I can by 1:00 p.m. on Friday US Eastern Daylight Savings Time. Do remember to add your school name, state, and country in the box below (where it says name) and maybe your class (grade level) as well. In all communication, if you wish to have a reply, please use a personal email address, as school servers admin may otherwise block my replies. I also have ensured that many of the resource links are now easily accessible right on The Bridge Home Resources page of my website. Now, here are answers to the first few general questions I received.
Finally, if you requested a Skype visit, you should be getting a confirmation within the next week or so. My fall Skype calendar is now full, but follow my twitter feed to be alerted to when it opens again in winter for the spring semester (and yes, I’ll be doing some Skype giveaways in spring as well). I will be giving away something unusual – a full 40 minute free Skype visit – to the winner of the contest (judged by Pernille Ripp and her class). Preliminary details in my previous post, and more to follow soon.
Thanks everyone! I’m so GRAteful you’ve chosen to read The Bridge Home!
Two years ago, schools who were not a part of the Syke visit were able to stream a Skype visit with another school with Linda Sue Park (author of Long Walk to Water) and Salva. It was awesome! Will this be possible this year as well for the Global Read aloud?
Wonderings from Baker Middle School in Troy, MI, United States! We’ll send more once we start The Bridge Home next week. Excited for GRA!
Kristen Rivett, Meaghan Gilliam, Allie Vergis, from Baker Middle School in Troy MI, United States. What happened to make you run away from home?
The question was created by Sophia Nguyen, Sahej Dhaliwal, Divya Thirukumaran, and Nivy Chandrakanth, and we are from Baker Middle School, Troy MI, United States. Our question is when did you know that you wanted to write about this? About something that happens to a lot of children and something that not only happened to you but also your friends.
David, Luke, Shane, Tom Baker Middle School, Troy, MI, US Why did the children run away from home?
Our names are Rosabelle O,Mehak A, Noel R, and Cassandra W, and we are from Baker Middle School, Troy MI, United States, and we were wondering what it was like to raise a dog in addition to yourself?
We are Jack Svoboda, Christian Knox, Avery Gole, and Georgio Koja, from Baker Middle School in Troy, MI. Our question is how much research do you do before writing?
Ryan, Molly, and Kiwi. Baker middle school, troy, mi. Our team is wondering about how can you get these all ideas to write this book. Our team want to get your skills of making stories!
Grade 6 classes from Our Lady of Fatima Convent School in Durban, South Africa are so excited to start reading The Bridge Home and would like to know if you have based the characters on real people and if you have a favourite character in the book?
Hi .. we are excited to begin reading The Bridge Home .. what is your favourite book that you have written ? Which is your favourite book that you have read ?
Also what inspired you to write The Bridge Home ? Thank you 🙂
Hello–8th grade from Kutztown Area Middle School in Kutztown, PA, USA Does this story have any relation to your real life?
Hi! My 6th grade class from Bristol School, in Bristol, Wisconsin, USA, was wondering: Why did you choose to tell the story as if you were writing/talking to Rukku? Did you consider other ways of telling the story before you settled on this version of the story?
Holly Lanford- hollylanford@gmail.com
6th Grade ELA
Renfroe Middle School
Decatur, GA
USA
Questions from my students while reading The Bridge Home-
1. Why is the dad abusive?
2. How old are the sisters?
3. What disability does the older sister have?
4. How much is a rupee in US dollars?
5. Who decides what caste a person is in?
6. How are the children put into castes?
7. What would happen if you were born into a low caste and then grew up to be rich?
8. What is the setting (time period) of the story?
Thanks so much! We are really enjoying the book so far!
Jennifer Walter
8th Grade Reading
Watertown Catholic School
Wisconsin, USA
My 8th Graders would like to know, “Why you choose to write The Bridge Home in the second person point of view?”