ARIA OF THE SEA meets LIBRARY LIL
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ARIA OF THE SEA
Review by Kate Hucks, age 12
THIS BOOK was possibly one of the best books I've read. One thing I really enjoyed was that the words just rolled into one another and straight to the imagination. Some authors lack this in their writing, so you constantly have to re-read the same sentence over and over because it didn't make sense.
This book definitely has a message to spread. It says, "Go be yourself before you turn into something; something you did not set out to be." The conflict of the main character is always whether or not to do something. Should she try to save her mortal enemy, or not, for fear of it killing her? Should she become a dancer, or a mederi [healer]? Are these choices her own, or is everything determined by the influence of others? I completely enjoyed the whole book, from the wonderfully written paragraphs to the deepness of the characters themselves.
Some things I might ask the author are how she came up with the idea for the book. What was she going through at the time? How did she pour so much depth into the characters? I would recommend this book to anyone who just needs a good story.
From author Dia Calhoun....
Thank you, Kate, for the wonderful review.
How did I come up with the idea for Aria of the Sea?:
When I was about sixteen, I had to make a choice between pursuing a dancing career or going to college. It was a very tough choice because I'd been dancing and dreaming of being a professional dancer for ten years. So, all that I went through during that time in my life-making that tough choice-went into the book. The question that interested me as I wrote the book was: "How do you know when a dream is no longer right?"
How did I pour so much depth into the characters?:
I don't know the answer to that. All I can say is that to me, the characters become as familiar as real people. I interview them, talk to them, and come to know them better than my friends. Then I put all that knowledge of them into the book.
LIBRARY LIL
Editor's Note: Late one afternoon we received a batch of handwritten reviews from Brighton School in Lynwood, Washington. The students, all aged 8, had written reviews of the picture book Library Lil. Following are some selections and questions from their reviews.
"We read Library Lil. My favorite part was Bust-'em-up Bill. I liked him so much because you described [how] his skull tattoo could scare the wool off a sheep. Library Lil would be good for first grade." -Peter
"My favorite part was when Bust-'em-up Bill became Bookworm Bill....I think this book is for people that need to be inspired by reading. I think this book is good for people who like tall tales." -Ryan
"My favorite part about the book was when Bust-'em-up Bill said, 'If you can move my motorcycle I will uh...read.'" -Corey
"My favorite part was when Library Lil made a motorcycle mountain up to the moon." -Christian
"My favorite part was when Library Lil threw all of the bicycle gang's motorcycles out of the parking lot [to get] the Bookmobile's space back." -Henry
From author Suzanne Williams....
Do Library Lil and Bookworm Bill get married? -Nolan
Well, Steven Kellogg, the illustrator, thought so. He drew a picture of a wedding cake on the back cover of the book (hardbound edition). I was rather surprised to see the picture since I hadn't said that Lil and Bill got married. But on second thought, I think they were meant for each other!
Did Library Lil and Bust-'em-up Bill have kids? -Gage
Perhaps. I'll let you decide.
Was Steven Kellogg always the illustrator? -Grant
No. The first illustrator was Charles Micucci. His illustrations were never printed because the first company that bought the story wound up not publishing it after all. The story sold a second time, to Dial Books, and Dial asked Steven Kellogg to do the illustrations.
What's your favorite book that you have written? -Barrett
My favorite book is whatever book I happen to be working on at the time.
Do you like writing books? -Ben
Yes, I do. I like using my imagination to come up with story ideas. I even like to revise. And it's very satisfying to complete a story and see it become a book. Of course, I do get frustrated at times when a story isn't working the way I want it to. But if I give a story time, and try not to rush it, I know solutions will crop up in the end.
Your story Library Lil rocks! How many books have you written? -Hayden
Thank you! I'm delighted you like Library Lil! I've had 25 books published to date. Three more books (all part of "Fairy Blossoms," my newest series) will be published 2008-2009. I hope to write many more books in the coming years.
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