The National Book Foundation - 0 views
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During the week of June 18, veteran young-adult novelist Harry Mazer served as writer-in-residence at I.S. 145 in Jackson Heights, Queens, as part of the Foundation's Family Literacy program. During his visit, Harry met with 300 sixth graders, working with each class twice. Students received copies of his book, The Wild Kid, courtesy of Simon & Schuster Children's Books. Reading The Wild Kid in advance of Harry's visit, students and teachers loved the book, which deals with family issues relevant to their lives. As a result, they couldn't wait to meet its author.
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When Harry referred to his many books during his discussions, numerous students raised their hands to show to him how they'd all taken his books out of the school library!
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lost in the woods and stumbles upon a troubled boy living in the woods. It's a story told with sensitivity and compassion that the students admired and it was clear that they had learned much from the book.
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nts were curious about the publishing process, so Harry gave them some feedback on that subject. He explained the submission and editorial process, and they were shocked to learn that authors receive only 10 percent of a book. He used his latest book, A Boy at War, a story about Pearl Harbor, as an example. Many students
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Students asked Harry how he came up with the idea to write "The Wild Kid." Harry replied that he saw the title on a T-shirt in Manhattan. The story itself, he felt, was an
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Harry inaugurated his residency in a sixth-grade English class by giving the students some background on his life as a writer. He explained to students that his wife, young-adult novelist Norma Fox Mazer, and their daughter Ann are also writers. Harry spoke about growing up in the Bronx and then moving to upstate New York, where he currently resides. He worked as a welder during the first ten years of their marriage in order to provide for his young family, but found himself feeling trapped. So, he began writing.
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Students at I.S. 145 asked well-thought out, provoking questions about The Wild Kid, and the publishing process. Many expressed that they wished for a different ending (that the two boys end up living together, as brothers) and urged Harry to write a sequel, because "We'd want to read that!" Harry agreed that it would be a whole other story, and therefore another book. So, he engaged the students in a brainstorming session, asking them to create their own endings for the next story.
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hen asked which of his books is his favorite, Harry said that it was The Last Mission. He further explained that he felt it was his most important book, also, because it addresses the issues he himself faced in World War II. This proved to be a discussion with which students were fascinated, because they had never anticipated meeting a war veteran.
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Prior to the residency, sixth graders not only read The Wild Kid, but also created shoebox models depicting various scenes from the book. It was a pleasure for Harry to see his work visualized in such creative ways. Harry praised and thanked each student for their efforts. He was clearly touched that they responded toward the book as they did.
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Toward the end of the week, Harry made unscheduled visits to two social studies classes, during which he spoke mostly about his experiences at war. He attended these classes on the tail-end of their lessons on Pearl Harbor, which dove- tailed perfectly with The Last Mission, as well as Harry's latest book, A Boy at War. He described in detail the make and model of the planes on which the soldiers worked, including the more morose factors like guns, bombs, and seeing his friends and comrades "go down." Students listened with fascination as he recalled the death
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close friend of his in combat. By the looks on the student's faces, war had never seemed more real to them than at that moment. By the end of those classes, several students vowed to read his latest book. Harry remarked that the most important books are the ones that kids enjoy and learn from simultaneously.
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he week-long residency ended with a half-day on Friday. Students bid Harry heart-felt farewells and thanked him for working with them. Harry, in turn, received many hugs and told students he was proud to have had the opportunity to work with so many