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Behind The Scenes

Interview with Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

Have Lunch with the Authors of Save Me a Seat

by Alexie Basil

Play this Scholastic Book Clubs–exclusive lunchtime interview with Save Me a Seat coauthors Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan and give your students a behind-the-scenes look into their creative collaborative process.

 

As they prepare their favorite school lunches, Sarah and Gita share how they teamed up to write one story from two very unique perspectives. Your students will learn:

 

• What it’s like to write with a partner

• How they came up with Ravi and Joe’s story

• Their favorite part of Save Me a Seat

 

Plus Sarah and Gita tell some fun stories about their partnership, such as how they met and their favorite feedback on Save Me a Seat.

 

Do you have any questions you and your students would like to ask Sarah and Gita? Let us know on social media using the hashtag #ScholasticBookClubs!

About Sarah Weeks

Sarah Weeks has written more than 50 picture books and novels for children and young adults, including the bestselling novels Pie and So B. It—which is now a feature-length film directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal. Two of her most recent contributions are Save Me a Seat, a novel, and Glamourpuss, a picture book illustrated by David Small. In addition to writing, Sarah is an adjunct faculty member in the prestigious writing program at the New School University in New York City and a founding member of ART, a traveling troupe of authors who perform readers’ theater at conventions and conferences across the country. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she splits her time between her homes in Nyack, New York, and Callicoon Center, New York. She is married to Jim Fyfe, a television segment producer. She has two grown sons and a stepdaughter. For more information about Sarah and her books, please visit sarahweeks.com and on Twitter @authorweeks.

About Gita Varadarajan

Gita Varadarajan was born and raised in India, where she grew up with her grandparents. She describes her grandfather as a master storyteller who would entertain her, her brothers, and her cousins with fantastical stories. “I started to see the world through stories,” she explains. “I saw a lot of stories around me, and I created a lot of stories in my head.” As a teacher, she has taught and designed curriculums all over the world, including in a number of schools in Bangalore. In 2010, she, her husband, and her two sons moved to the United States, where she earned her master’s degree in literacy education from Teachers College at Columbia University. Shortly after, she was delighted to begin teaching second grade in Princeton, New Jersey, and through other programs promoting diversity, like the Princeton University Prison Teaching Initiative. Following in her grandfather’s storytelling tradition, she wrote her first novel, Save Me a Seat, with Sarah Weeks and has a new picture book—My Bindi—that is set to be published by Scholastic in the near future.

This Book Is Available from Scholastic Book Clubs

SaveMeaSeat-Reg-170x140

Save Me a Seat

by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan

Great Back-to-School Read

SEE DETAILS

Authors,Back to School,Gita Varadarajan,Interviews,Novels,Sarah Weeks,Save Me a Seat,Video
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A Note from Judy

 

Sometimes, we all have days when it’s all we can do not to pack our bags and move to Australia! Our Book of the Week is the iconic, relatable picture book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Ray Cruz.

See how the Book Boys help Max with his bad day; discover how one teacher uses Alexander to teach her students about empathy and characterization in Book Talks; discover the real-life story behind the character of Alexander in an exclusive interview with Judith Viorst in Behind the Scenes; and download a free discussion guide and character analysis activity in Cooked Up from a Book.

We hope that you and your students enjoy Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and that it makes your day a little bit better!

Judy Newman

Reader in Chief
Scholastic Book Clubs

Book of the Week

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by Judith Viorst, illustrated
by Ray Cruz
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