Maureen Bush

Dawn Near Lethbridge

Stories in Math

According to my daughter who lives for story, studying for a math exam and desperate to find something, anything interesting in it:

“I swear, if you knew what secret substance each letter stood for, you could raise the dead with a quadratic formula.”

Maureen

One School, One Book

Wednesday I spent the day at Park Meadows School, in Lethbridge. The entire school (K – 5) is reading Feather Brain, as a One School, One Book project. Each class is doing special activities – novel studies, spelling lists, visits to the dinosaur exhibit at the Galt Museum, dinosaur songs.

I wondered if the youngest kids would have trouble sitting through it, without any pictures, but I asked a grade 1 class and they said they loved it. I heard that a grade 1 teacher was using Feather Brain as a bribe: “If you’re really quiet, I’ll read another page.”

It turns out I use great verbs – who knew? The teachers are using them to teach vocabulary, and the kids are having fun slouching, strutting and stomping around their classrooms.

I did sessions with all the kids, so I was exhausted by the end of the day, but we had a lot of fun.

In one session, we turned the teachers into androids training the kids to work for them, trying to take over the world, one computer network at a time. This gave a whole new meaning to their school motto, “Many Hearts, Many Minds, One Purpose.”

In another session, part of the group descended into the earth and discovered a raptor race track. One teacher was eaten by a raptor and barfed up again – we decided we’d let her live after inflicting that on her.

One class wrote a song. Yes, Feather Brain now has a song! How cool is that? I’ve asked for a recording of it – I’d love to post it as a podcast.

Now I can’t wait for my next visit to Lethbridge in February, to a second school using Feather Brain for One School, One Book.

For now, back to writing.

Maureen

A New Manuscript

I’m doing a little happy dance. I have a new, complete manuscript. It needs editing, but I have a first draft, beginning to end, all printed up in a nice stack I can admire. Aahhh!

Maureen

Fan Mail

I’ve been getting fan mail.

I really enjoy hearing from kids. I love to write because I love the process of writing (well, most of the time). But I’ve also discovered the great pleasure of writing books kids enjoy. The only way I know that they enjoy my stories is when I get to talk to them, or when they write to me.

Sometimes they write to Griffith, the fictional wizard who owns the magic shop at howweirdcanyouget.com. Then I have fun answering from him, or for him. The kids seem to have no trouble playing along. (That’s why I love writing for kids!)

Maureen