Avi's Blog, page 29

Having posted the lyrics and music for “The Mouse Song” from my new book, Ragweed and Poppy. A number of folks asked me to say something about my son Shaun, who wrote and performed the music with his family. His name, Shaun, derives from my admiration of the Irish writer Sean O’Casey. His full name […]

Dear Avi- Thank you so very much for sending me a copy of Ragweed and Poppy. It was such a wonderful surprise to win the drawing! I’m not sure who was more excited, me or my 9yo daughter. She is a huge Poppy fan. When we heard that you were working on a new Poppy […]

I have to drive into town to get our mail from our post office box. Occasionally, I find a letter that makes the trip a joyful one. Dear Avi, Because your books appeal mostly to young people, you may be surprised to hear from a 92 year old! My 59 year old daughter introduced me […]

I was living in Los Angeles, so naturally, I wrote a fantasy set in New York City. It had much to do with subways, the Statue of Liberty, and shadowy creatures called Kerbs. Since I had just bought my first computer it was a long and complex story. I offered it to a publisher who […]

Writing something that is funny—that will make readers laugh—is one of the hardest things to do. When I set out to write Ragweed & Poppy, that was one of the goals. The writer sits in front of the blank page (or screen). He/she is usually alone. Maybe you are listening to music. (I like absolute […]

The origins of Poppy, and the Poppy series can be found on this blog in a post dated June 13, 2017. If you read that post and the other posts about the sequential books, you’ll note that I never intended to write a series, that even as they appeared they were not written in sequence. […]

The earliest historical record of warfare took place in Mesopotamia in 2700 BC. It was between the kingdoms of Sumer and Elam. If you read European history you learn about something called the “Hundred Years War.” Wikipedia gives a succinct summary; “The Hundred Years War was a series of conflicts from 1337 to 1453, waged […]

A reader recently posted this message on my Facebook page. I remember checking out Devil’s Race from the school library when I was in sixth grade. That book is what made me a book lover. I just recently found it again, after searching for over 20 years. I finished it again today and even at […]

Now and again I am asked “Why do you write kids’ books? Why not for adults?” I can’t speak for writers of adult books—because I don’t write them. But kids share their thoughts about the books they read in direct, and touching ways. The following are excerpts from letters an elementary teacher sent to me. […]

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle was published thirty years ago. That’s hard for me to absorb. Or accept. And because it is once again being considered for film (will it happen or not is anybody’s guess, including mine) after many years, I read it again. What struck me first was the nautical knowledge it […]