Collection

Deborah Wiles Author Study

"I write about what matters to me," says Deborah Wiles. "Everything I write comes from my childhood and my life — I basically write for the 10-year-old me."

  • Grades: PreK–K, 1–2, 3–5, 6–8, 9–12

Author Deborah Wiles discusses <i>Countdown</i>


 
Deborah Wiles turned her attentions to children’s books as she fell in love with them while reading to her children. She sold her first picture book, Freedom Summer, in 1998, followed that same year by her first novel, Love, Ruby Lavender. Deborah’s work has received the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award, the PEN/Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Working Writer Fellowship, and a Golden Kite Honor from SCBWI. Her novel Each Little Bird That Sings was awarded the E.B. White Read Aloud Award and was a 2005 National Book Award finalist. Her newest book is Countdown, book one in a trilogy of novels about the 1960s for young readers. Deborah lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Visit Deborah's website to learn more about the author and her books, explore her blog, and learn about her speaking and teaching engagements. Especially interesting is Deborah's iTunes mix and a period film to support Countdown. Readers can find an excerpt and slide show for this monumental book at Scholastic's official Countdown site .
 
An author study is an excellent way to investigate and celebrate the work of a writer.

One of the best ways to "meet an author" is through her books. As students read the books or listen to them on tape, encourage them to note the different genres that an author works in and to examine the copyright dates as a way of delineating the path of an author's career. To launch an author study, you might:
  • Display a selection of an author's work.
  • List interesting facts about an author on a poster pad.
  • Assign one of the author's books as independent or group reading, or read one book aloud to the class.
  • Ask students to read one or more other books by the author so they can compare themes, settings, characters, plots, and styles.
  • Follow up with discussions and activities to promote comprehension and appreciation of the author's work.
  • You might assign groups of students to monitor different aspects of the author’s work. For example, one group might investigate the picture books while another group might explore books for older readers. Encourage students to make comparisons among the author’s different books.
Start your author study by reading a short biography of Deborah Wiles and choosing a selection of her books to read — some of which have Free Teaching Resources, such as book talks, discussion guides, and extension activities.
Additional Author Resources
Enrich your future author studies by taking advantage of our collection of biographies and interviews with the best-loved authors in children's literature. Our discussion guides can be used in a variety of settings: home, library, classroom.
 
Meet one of our featured authors   — new each month.

Included Here:

Collateral

Each Little Bird that Sings Discussion Guide

Comfort lives in a funeral home and has been to more than 200 funerals, so she thinks she knows all about death. But then her great-uncle Edisto dies, and her great-great-aunt Florentine slips away just six months later.

Read more >

Each Little Bird that Sings Extension Activity

Comfort lives in a funeral home and has been to more than 200 funerals, so she thinks she knows all about death. But then her great-uncle Edisto dies, and her great-great-aunt Florentine slips away just six months later.

Read more >

Countdown by Deborah Wiles Booktalk

Librarian and booktalking expert Joni R. Bodar on Countdown, a documentary novel about growing up in 1962 America in the days surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Read more >

Printables

  • Subjects:
    Character and Values, Civil Rights Movement, African American, Tolerance and Acceptance, Prejudice and Tolerance Experiences
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