(The next book of yours I want to read is The Absolute Value of Mike.) As a special education teacher, I am interested in children’s books that feature kids with special needs.Īllison: Your book is written from the viewpoint of a girl who has Asperger’s. When I read the description of Mockingbird, I knew I had to read it because it was about a girl with Asperger’s. Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I also want to share that with my kids, and with those read my books. Kathryn: It has taught me to look at things from different perspectives and to always ask why - what’s the story behind the story? It opened my eyes to different ways of doing things and to this day I love traveling and learning about different cultures. I still sing the British version of carols because I can’t get them out of my head, and because they’re so beautiful.Īllison: How did growing up in different countries influence who you are today? Often there’s a prize hidden in the pudding. We have crackers (poppers with toys, hats and jokes inside) –and you must wear the silly paper hat all during Christmas dinner - and Christmas pudding (like a spice cake with raisins) complete with rum so we can light it on fire. Kathryn: After living in South Africa and Scotland, Christmas is very Anglophile. What were your favorite, and have you kept any? I did get tired of plain cod, though, and my two best friends and I would invite each other over for dinner at whoever’s house was NOT serving cod - until our mothers’ wised up and all started serving cod on the same nights!Īllison: You must have experienced quite a variety of cultural traditions. Kathryn: Biltong (like beef jerky), haggis (various organ meats in a sheep’s stomach), seal flipper pie, cod tongue, and probably others I’m forgetting. On your bio, you list many different places where you have roots: the Netherlands, Israel, South Africa, and Scotland.Īllison: What are some unique foods you ate as a child? Which were your favorite? What are some you still can’t stand? Thanks to Erskine for graciously answering the questions of an overeager interviewer! Suddenly I have far too many questions! With Kathryn Erskine, I divided my questions into three parts, with a few to each part, but still ended up with far more than was probably polite to send. Once I start typing down ideas, I quickly face the opposite dilemma. When preparing interviews, I start by staring blankly at the computer screen and wondering what questions can I ask that are new.

Mockingbird by kathryn erskine movie