Between the Pages

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley At my school, I am a Library Leader. (Library Leaders promote reading in the middle school and recommend books for the younger grades.) The Library Leaders had the fortunate opportunity of eating lunch and meeting with Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. We got to ask her questions and just talk with her. Mrs. Bradley also spoke to the whole seventh and eighth grade in assembly about her research. 1)      When/How does she write? Mrs. Bradley writes in the morning, but this depends on her chores for the day. She got into her routine when her children, now graduating college and out of college, were small and went to school. She would always wait until her husband took them to drop them off at school. She likes for her writing space to be very quiet. She prefers typing when she when she writes as to writing. (This may be pretty common; I do not know what the common format among writers is today. I just thought I would include eve...

Winterhouse Winterhouse by Ben Guterson is a novel about a girl named Elizabeth Somers who learns that faith, friends, and family are all one needs to succeed. (And books of course…) Plot Summary: Orphaned as an infant, Elizabeth Somers lives with her aunt and uncle in a minimalistic house. In a small town like Drere, where her aunt and uncle’s home is located, she cannot fully unlock her academic potential. She has already read and re-read every single book in her school library and researched about every topic the outdated computers will search. Her school has just let out for Christmas Break. She heads back home to find her aunt and uncle who will probably say they cannot afford any gifts like last year and the year before. Instead, she reaches the porch and on the old, creaky door, there is a note. The note is from her aunt and uncle. It says she will be staying at the Winterhouse over Christmas Break. The note specifies which bus for her to take and when. (Her Christmas...

Instagram 1. Where did you get your inspiration for the book? This book was inspired by several things. First, I was living in Maine at the time where the book begins, so many of the details are from my life there. Then some came from a road trip that I made across Texas to visit my sister. There’s not a lot to do when you are driving alone on a long highway, so I used the time to think about writing. The deeper issues probably came out of my own teen years. It was hard growing up with divorced parents – always being shuttled from one home to the other. Cal feels many of the things I did at that time. She wants to belong and feel like she has a home. 2. Inspiration for characters? Cal was based on many of my own experiences. Eliot was based on Brad’s experiences growing up in North Carolina. I think the disconnect with parents is something that a lot of teens feel. But somehow, it’s worse when your parents are the ones to turn away. But I think having other adults step i...

My family and I are in Washington DC for Spring Break. I was very excited when we got the chance to tour the Library of Congress, the most famous library in the nation. The first thing we saw was the main lobby/entrance room. This rectangular shaped room is a work of art. On either side of you are marble staircases lined with putti. (Cherubs) These putti are all engaged in some sort of niche. Above you are a beautiful stain glass windows. We walked upstairs to the square that goes around the main entrance. One can look down and see what is below and one can also look up and see the beautiful stain glass windows. The second level is focused on knowledge. The art on the walls are paintings, mosaics, and drawings of science, literature, the four senses, and the arts. When I saw the main reading room, I was in love. I loved the lit desks and the quiet spaces and nooks. What I loved the most was the amazin...

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones is a fast-paced novel about a young Annis Whitworth who tries desperately to make her own way in a difficult situation in which she, for the first time, must work very hard. Plot Summary: Annis Whitworth is young women living in London just after its war with France. Annis lives alone with her aunt Cassia Whitworth, her father’s sister because her father has always traveled for “business”, shall we say, a lot and her mother died when Annis was about two years old. Annis knows about her father’s job no matter how clueless her aunt and her father think she is. Her father is a spy for England. England still wants spies on France just in case Napoleon gets any ideas or escapes his captivity/prison cell. One morning, early in the novel, Annis and Aunt Cassia find out her father has died in a carriage accident. (Annis classifies this as suspicious.) She decides she should become a spy as well so that...