Knights of the Literary Reads!
By Sean Neyens
About Me
I do a lot of audio reading, listening to a recording of the book while I read along. I’m dyslexic so I’ve gotten extra help over the years and I have a hard time staying interested in books.
My Goals
My main reading goal is to be able to read at grade level, mainly working on my fluency and spelling.
My Favorites
My favorite book was a series that consists of seven different books – it is the Shadow Children series. I like this series because it was very fast paced and there was a lot of suspense and drama.
Blog Entry
I’m currently reading the third book in the Hunger Games series (The Mockingjay). Just before that, I finished reading the final book in the Shadow Children series. I’m really enjoying reading The Mockingjay because I’m a fan of the storyline and movies. Next I want to read The Missing series by Margaret Haddix.
Author's Origins and Influences
Margaret Haddix was raised on a farm near Washington Court House in Ohio. Her birthday is April 9, 1964. Her father was a farmer and her mother was a nurse. Growing up, she loved to read and came from a long line of bookworms. In college she majored in creative writing, history, and journalism. Every job she had after college was related to writing. As a reporter, she met a lot of people and that helped her with character development for her books.
Author's Themes, Messages, and Books
Margaret Haddix writes about social issues; she wants to make people aware of the problems in the world such as overpopulation, hunger, and abuse of power. In many of her stories, good does always conquer evil. Some of her books include The Missing series, The Shadow Children series, and The Always War.
Author Quotes
“I was lucky enough not to face any required summer reading lists until I went to college. So I still think of summer as the best time to read for fun.” I feel that Ms. Haddix enjoys reading because it can be fun.
“I like the fact that kids are willing to be imaginative and go along with me when I'm telling strange tales.” Ms Haddix enjoys writing for kids because they let her express her imagination.
“It's just so much fun to make up characters, situations, and everything else about a story. I have so much freedom and flexibility to do whatever I want.” As an author, she can be creative without any rules.
Author Trivia
She was in the choir in high school but she was a terrible singer
Her husband, Doug, also went to journalism school and is a newspaper editor
She has two children in college, Meredith and Connor