I was in the midst of a six year stint working as a middle school reading specialist in South King County--an economically and culturally diverse area surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington State--when I began writing Jumped In.
My goal was to write a novel that my students--struggling, emerging readers--could read from beginning to end. I had been a struggling reader growing up. I could read anything but had tremendous difficulty focusing beyond the sports section of the Seattle Times. Even now, I fight fight attention issues when I read.
So When it came to creating a novel for my students, I set out to write a book that I could have stuck with when I was thirteen. I'd write book with short paragraphs and short chapters--a ton of white space--poetry as a change-up to the prose, vocabulary that wouldn't hold anyone back.
Most importantly, the story and the writing had to be engaging and impactful for middle school and high school readers. I hope the story of Sam and Luis's unlikely friendship continues to connect with readers, and that for some, it's a springboard to a big reading life.
My goal was to write a novel that my students--struggling, emerging readers--could read from beginning to end. I had been a struggling reader growing up. I could read anything but had tremendous difficulty focusing beyond the sports section of the Seattle Times. Even now, I fight fight attention issues when I read.
So When it came to creating a novel for my students, I set out to write a book that I could have stuck with when I was thirteen. I'd write book with short paragraphs and short chapters--a ton of white space--poetry as a change-up to the prose, vocabulary that wouldn't hold anyone back.
Most importantly, the story and the writing had to be engaging and impactful for middle school and high school readers. I hope the story of Sam and Luis's unlikely friendship continues to connect with readers, and that for some, it's a springboard to a big reading life.
