Marcellus Senior High School Book Club Members “Skype Chat” With Author A. S. King

Have you ever read a book and wondered why an author created a certain character or developed a particular plot line? Members of the Marcellus Senior High School Book Club were provided with the opportunity to get their questions answered as they participated in a “Skype” chat with acclaimed author A. S. King on January 17th in the high school library. Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice/video calls over the internet. MSHS Library Media Specialist Mary Hammontree and field work student Katherine Taddeo set up the January 27th Skype chat that allowed author A. S. King to speak directly to book club members from her home in Pennsylvania. A.S. King is the award winning author of “Please Ignore Vera Dietz” and “The Dust of 100 Dogs”. “Please Ignore Vera Dietz” is a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, an Edgar Award Nominee, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book, and YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults award winner. “The Dust of 100 Dogs” is an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, an Indie Next pick, and a Cybil award finalist. The MSHS book club student members had read “The Dust of 100 Dogs” and were able to converse with King about the book as she was projected onto the library screen. King opened up the forty-five minute book chat as she spoke a little about her life and how the experience she had living in Ireland influenced her writing of “The Dust of 100 Dogs.” “The Dust of 100 Dogs” follows the journey of Emir Morrisey who was “cursed with the lives of 100 Dogs” before being reincarnated as a contemporary American teenager (Saffron) with 300 years of memories intact. King described the book as magical realism: “fantastic characters in a magical setting”. The book club members were able to discuss the concept of magical realism and how it differs from the genre of “fantasy.” King also explained how she uses the genre of magical realism to “create a historical fiction moving into contemporary times”. In order to facilitate the event Hammontree and Taddeo had the students develop a list of questions prior to the Skype chat. Along with the concept of reincarnation the students were interested in knowing whether either of the main characters, Emir or Saffron, were based on the author herself. They also wanted to know if King identified more with the Irish Emir or the American Saffron. King’s next book is “Everybody Sees the Ants” which will be published in 2011. You can find more information on A.S. King at www.as-king.com and at www.thedustof100dogs.com.