(MMGM) Blue Birds by Caroline Starr Rose {interview}

Welcome to Day 29 of the 4th Annual March MG Madness! Today we are celebrating Caroline Starr Rose's 

Blue Birds...

Blue Birds

by Caroline Starr Rose

3/10/15

Penguin

It’s 1587 and twelve-year-old Alis has made the long journey with her parents from England to help settle the New World, the land christened Virginia in honor of the Queen. And Alis couldn’t be happier. While the streets of London were crowded and dirty, this new land, with its trees and birds and sky, calls to Alis. Here she feels free. But the land, the island Roanoke, is also inhabited by the Roanoke tribe and tensions between them and the English are running high, soon turning deadly.

 

Amid the strife, Alis meets and befriends Kimi, a Roanoke girl about her age. Though the two don’t even speak the same language, these girls form a special bond as close as sisters, willing to risk everything for the other. Finally, Alis must make an impossible choice when her family resolves to leave the island and bloodshed behind.

 

A beautiful, tender story of friendship and the meaning of family, Caroline Starr Rose delivers another historical gem.

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Praise for Blue Birds

Composed in varying formats, the descriptive and finely crafted poems reveal the similarities the two girls share, from loved ones lost to hatred between the English and the Roanoke to a desire for peace…Fans of Karen Hesse and the author’s May B. (2012) will delight in this offering.
— Kirkus

Rose skillfully paints the abject loneliness that primes both girls for friendship… Though the poems generally alternate between the girls’ voices, Rose occasionally combines both perspectives into a single poem to powerful effect… Rich with detail, it’s a memorable account of a friendship that transcends culture and prejudice.
— Publisher’s Weekly

With two compelling main characters and an abundance of rich historical detail, Rose’s latest novel offers much to discuss and much to appreciate.
— School Library Journal

The author skillfully builds conflict between the colonists and the Native Americans and between Alis and Kimi and their respective families… It is an excellent historical offering and belongs on public and school library shelves.
— VOYA

An imaginative historical novel with two sympathetic protagonists.
–Booklist

What three words best describe Blue Birds?

Worlds colliding. Secrets.

Can you give us your best one sentence pitch to convince readers, especially reluctant readers, to give Blue Birds a try?

Two girls destined to be enemies choose forbidden friendship instead.

Grab a copy of Blue Birds and answer the following:

favorite chapter? 

Because it’s a verse novel, Blue Birds doesn’t have chapters. How about favorite poem? It’s short, so I’ll include it here:

Alis

I could not imagine going about

with my chest bare.

Never would I allow

others to ink my arms and legs.

Yet she is beautiful.

Kimi

I would not wander unaware

as she does, unprotected,

loud and stumbling

through a forest

she doesn’t know.

Yet she is daring.

favorite page? 

p134

favorite place/setting? 

The place Alis and Kimi meet secretly.

flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser:

For the first time since

my little sister’s death,

her memory brings

no stabbing pain.

What inspired Blue Birds?  How did the story come to be?

There are always a few things that lead to a book, but I’m not fully aware of them at the beginning. I was drawn to the Lost Colony story while teaching fifth-grade social studies. I hadn’t thought about those 117 missing people and their mysterious last word, CROATOAN, since my own school days. Coincidentally, our Scholastic book order had several books about the Lost Colony available at the same time. I ordered them and shared what I was learning with my students. This is where the seeds of the story began.

But I can look further back and see that Alis and Kimi’s friendship came from my own girlhood relationships. I relied a lot on those feelings of belonging, the intensity and sincerity of those early bonds to tell the girls’ story.

Can you tell us a bit about your two heroines, Alis and Kimi? What makes them special and sets them apart from other middle-grade characters?

Alis is from London but has learned to love nature through her uncle’s stories. Coming to Virginia is so satisfying for her. She really embraces her new surroundings.

Kimi has suffered loss at the hands of the British. Seeing them again angers her, but she can’t help denying she’s also kind of fascinated. Like Alis, she has an uncle that means a lot to her, but his new position as weroance (leader) has complicated their relationship.

Both girls are lonely. Both are curious. It’s the perfect storm for what’s to come.

I think what sets them apart from other characters is the unique friendship they form. They share no language. They are meant to be enemies. And yet these things aren’t a barrier.

If you could switch lives with any middle-grade character, who would you choose?

I’m going to pick an oldie but goodie: Anne Shirley from the Anne of Green Gables series. Even in the midst of hardship Anne’s able to find a way through and have fun at the same time. She’s creative, joyful, and comfortable in her own skin. Sounds pretty good to me!

As a middle-grade author, why do think MG is so important and popular? What do you love about MG?

Middle grade novels are the first books independent readers connect with in a deeply personal way. These are the books that made me who I am, that filled me with wonder and showed me the world. I love how middle-grade honors childhood in its big and small moments. These books say “you matter”. And that’s everything.

What are some of your favorite middle-grade reads?

My childhood favorites include all of L.M. Montgomery books, such as the Anne books mentioned above; the Little House on the Prairie series; all of Beverly Cleary’s books (I think Ramona Quimby is the greatest middle grade character in existence); the Chronicles of Prydain books; and the Mary Poppins and Dr. Dolittle series.

Three more recent books that inspired me to write middle-grade historical fiction would be Catherine, Called Birdy; Our Only May Amelia, and Fever 1793 (which I just finished last week, for the third time).

Fill in the blanks:

I’m really awesome at Push ups. Or at least I’m trying to be. In January I did one on the first, two on the second, and on and on. That’s 480 push ups in all!

I’m really embarrassed to admit I’ve never read beyond the first Harry Potter. Don’t hate me!

The last great book I read was Wolf Hall. I’m finishing it up in anticipation of the new Masterpiece Theater series.

If you were to bake a cupcake inspired by Blue Birds, what would it look and taste like and what would you call it?

Its would be sweet and wonderful, as familiar as the friend who knows you best.

website * goodreads * twitter * facebook

Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. As a girl she danced ballet, raced through books, composed poetry on an ancient typewriter, and put on magic shows in a homemade cape. She’s taught both social studies and English in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. In her classroom, she worked to instill in her students a passion for books, an enthusiasm to experiment with words, and a curiosity about the past. Caroline lives in New Mexico with her husband and two sons. She is the author of Blue Birds.