Lauren Tarshis - Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree

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Table of Contents

Can You Fall Into Social Acceptance?

I cant believe you did this, Emma-Jean! Why did you have to butt in? I didnt ask you to!

Yes you did, Emma-Jean said. You said you wanted help.

I didnt mean it! Why would I want help from YOU? Why are you even here?

Emma-Jean didnt know what to do. Colleen was telling her to leave, and yet she was obviously in deep distress. Emma-Jean wanted to assist her, but Colleen didnt seem to want her help.

Colleen was crying loudly now, sobbing, sputtering, and gasping. The sound made Emma-Jeans head ache. It was the worst sound Emma-Jean had ever heard. It was worse than slamming lockers or the screeching of car tires. This was the sound of misery. Of grief. Of things you couldnt control. Emma-Jean had heard a sound like this once before in her life. When her father died, Emma-Jean herself had made this sound.

Emma-Jean rushed toward the window, away from Colleen and her sobs.

Emma-Jean! Colleen called.

Emma-Jean stepped up to the windowsill and climbed out onto the magnolia tree.

Emma-Jean, no! Colleen shouted.

Emma-Jean started climbing down, but in her haste her foot slipped. She fell back into the cold airdown, down, down. And then she was lying in the cold dirt, staring up at the bright winter sky.

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AN INTERVIEW WITH LAUREN TARSHIS

In middle school, were you more like Emma-Jean or Colleen?

I was like Colleen in many ways. Like Colleen, I wished I could be Super Not-Care Girl, because I cared about everything. I was always sure my breath smelled like egg salad and that something was stuck between my teeth and that my best friend was going to pick someone else (she never did, by the way; were still best friends). My clay mug exploded in the kiln and I couldnt finish the mile in gym (though I didnt cry). Like Colleen, I had a small group of best friends who got me through. I was a little like Emma-Jean too, though, in that I was always observing everyone around me. I wasand still amfascinated by how people behave, and sometimes confused about why people arent kinder to each other.

If you could describe Emma-Jean Lazarus in one word, what would it be?

Strange, in the best sense of the word.

How about Colleen Pomerantz?

Nice, in every possible way, even when she shouldnt be!

And Laura Gilroy? Will Keeler?

Laura Gilroy: selfish. Laura doesnt just think she is the most important person in the world. She thinks she is the only person in the world. People like Laura dont actually mean to be so awful and hurtful. Its just that she never stops to wonder how anyone else is feeling.

Will Keeler: himself. Will is comfortable with who he is. He knows whats right and wrong. This is what the other kids admire about Will, not just that he is cute and a great basketball player, but that he is strong within himself.

Emma-Jean inherited her fathers love of Jules Henri Poincare. What made you choose Poincare to be such an important part of Emma-Jeans concept of herself?

Poincare wasnt just a brilliant mathematician. He was a man with a big heart and spirit. This is what I admired about him, and why I chose him to be Eugene Lazaruss hero and Emma-Jeans, too. (But to be honest with you, I dont really understand his theories. Ive tried, but hes just way too smart for me.)

Was Henri the parakeet inspired by a pet from your past?

My good friends Gloria and Larry had a parakeet named Zimmerman. They loved this bird so much and let him fly around the house. He would perch on their shoulders and always seemed to be keeping an eye on everything and everyone. Gloria and Larry are from the Bronx, in New York City, and they both have very thick New York accents. And so did Zimmy.

What book has had the biggest impact on you and your writing?

There are three books that I read over and over again while I was trying to learn how to write a novel for kids. They were:

The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods
by Ann Cameron

This is a quiet book set in the late 1950s, with a wonderful main character, Amanda, who is slowly coming out of the shadow of her older sister. Ann has a beautiful style of writing, very spare. There is not one extra word in the whole book. I really studied Anns writing to learn her techniques.

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town,
by Kimberly Willis Holt

This book is set in a small Texas town, and you really feel that you are right there with all the characters, waiting on line to pay a dollar to see the fattest boy in the world. From Kimberly, I tried to learn how to create characters that were believable, that were connected to each other in ways that made you care about their relationships.

Walk Two Moons
by Sharon Creech

This is a book about a girl named Sal whose mother has left her life for reasons that arent clear until the completely shocking ending. I read this book over and over to see how Sharon wove together all of her subplots. So much happens in this book, but it never feels too busy.

What was the biggest challenge in writing your first novel?

Everything about writing is challenging to me, especially figuring out how to keep the plot moving, and how to get the characters to grow in the ways they need to. But I love these challenges, which is why I keep writing, why I wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote for about ten years, finishing two pretty horrible novels before I started on Emma-Jean. If I hadnt written those bad novels, I wouldnt have written Emma-Jean . And so the biggest challenge wasand isto keep going, even when I dont like what appears on the page.

What is your favorite scene in the book?

My favorite scene is when Emma-Jean discovers that Vikram and his mother have repaired her quilt, when she is sitting on her bed. That scene took a very long time to write, and it was only in the very last draft of the book.

Have you gotten fan mail or other responses to your novel that made a big impression on you?

I have gotten so many amazing letters from readers from around the country. Ive also gotten letters from parents and teachers. I am surprised by how many people, boys and girls, young people and older people, completely relate to both Emma-Jean and Colleen. I always write back that minute because I am so touched to think of someone reading my book, liking my book, and taking the time to write to me. Ive also visited many, many schools since the book came out, and met thousands of kids, which has been an incredible experience. The most common question is: Will there be any more Emma-Jean books? And Im happy to say there will be one more.

Do you have any advice for young writers?

Write and write and write, like I did. And dont worry if what you write at first isnt any good. Think about the first time you tried to do a cartwheel, or the first time you shot a basketball, or the first time you made cookies. Were you instantly a great gymnast or basketball player or chef? Probably not. But the more you practice, the better you get, and thats how it is with writing. Another bit of advice: Read your favorite books over and over again. Ask yourself: What is so great about this? Keep a notebook handy and write down the sentences that made you laugh or cry or think. Study those sentences. Learn from them.

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