Written by Carole P. Roman
Illustrated by Mateya Arkova
Written by Carole P. Roman
Illustrated by Mateya Arkova
Publisher’s Synopsis: From award-winning author Carole P. Roman comes a new chapter book featuring Susannah Logan, a young student having a very bad day. It all begins with homework trouble and an invitation to a sleepover that she doesn’t want to go to. Would you want to go to a sleepover in a creepy house? Rather than dealing with her problems, Susannah stuffs them into her backpack. But how much can a backpack take? Will she be able to confront her worries before the backpack bursts? Or will she just continue to hide them away? Join Susannah and her friends in this story sure to charm busy young readers everywhere.
Ages 7-10 | Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform | April 3, 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-1543034615
Available Here:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of the Captain No Beard series. Both Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life and Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis have received the Kirkus Star of Exceptional Merit. The first book in the series was named to Kirkus Reviews Best 2012. Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis has been named to Kirkus Reviews Best of 2015. Each book in the series has won numerous awards including the NABE Pinnacle Award, IAN Award, Moonbeam Award 2014, National Indie Excellence Award Finalist, Shelf Media Outstanding Series Award, ForeWord Review Five Star and Finalist in the Book of the Year, and Reader’s Views Children’s Book of the Year 2013. Roman is also the author of the award-winning non-fiction culture series, If You Were Me and Lived in… that explores customs and cultures around the world. She has co-authored a self help book, Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing. She lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children and grandchildren.
OFFICIAL LINKS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carole P. Roman is the award-winning author of the Captain No Beard series. Both Captain No Beard: An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate’s Life and Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis have received the Kirkus Star of Exceptional Merit. The first book in the series was named to Kirkus Reviews Best 2012. Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis has been named to Kirkus Reviews Best of 2015. Each book in the series has won numerous awards including the NABE Pinnacle Award, IAN Award, Moonbeam Award 2014, National Indie Excellence Award Finalist, Shelf Media Outstanding Series Award, ForeWord Review Five Star and Finalist in the Book of the Year, and Reader’s Views Children’s Book of the Year 2013. Roman is also the author of the award-winning non-fiction culture series, If You Were Me and Lived in… that explores customs and cultures around the world. She has co-authored a self help book, Navigating Indieworld: A Beginners Guide to Self-Publishing and Marketing. She lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children and grandchildren.
OFFICIAL LINKS
Topic: Since I work with middle school students I'm also curious about authors at that age and if anything from then influenced the book. Really anything along those lines.
Middle school was called Junior High when I went to PS 231 in Springfield Gardens. It was a brand new school, filled with a wide variety of children from several neighborhoods. We were all in an experimental program where they moved sixth grade into Junior High, and ninth grade into high school.
I attended a very old and comforting elementary school where I felt cosseted and protected. There must have been learning disorders; I realize that now, as I see my grandchildren struggle with things that were problematic for me. Back then, you were admonished for not paying attention, rather than given special tools to help with the subjects that didn’t make sense.
I was a hard worker and made it into three SP classes. These were the elite classes for students that excelled. By the first report card, I was failing at everything, and felt lonely and in way over my head. Tutors were brought in and I struggled with so many subjects like math and science. What made sense when one teacher taught the subject, was confusing and hard to understand when another teacher did the lesson.
To say I didn’t enjoy middle school would be an understatement. We were in what I thought was an adult-like facility, yet I felt it was too rigid. We touched on subjects, but for me, the lessons lacked depth.
I wanted to know more about the topics that interested me. I longed to read books that made me feel things, see other points of view or take me to other worlds. I couldn't wait to get out. Being in junior high or middle school was like being trapped in a holding pattern. I was stuck on a runway and couldn’t wait to move on.
When I graduated in the eighth grade, the day I entered Springfield Gardens High School, I could swear I heard angels singing. I loved high school. I never missed a day and graduated with honors. I enjoyed every class. I loved the way the teachers would allow us to go off on a tangent, exploring things that ignited our interest.
Imagine my chagrin when my first job ended up being a substitute in Plainview Middle School.
I started subbing when I was 20 years old and just out of college. When I used to say I taught that age group, it was usually followed by groans. Elementary kids were considered cute and usually manageable. High school had students that were self-directed, working on a course to either finish or move on to college. Middle school brought back those sour memories of not being old enough to do much, but feeling too old to partake in the things that busied the younger kids. As a teacher, I was warned that it was a dangerous time, raging hormones made the children unpredictable and sometimes hard to work with.
I began my job dreading the age group, worrying that my own memories would influence the way I taught. It ended up being one of the best experiences of my life.
Teaching middle school is where I learned that I was a storyteller. I was called in daily, and like Mary Poppins I had a suitcase filled with fascinating articles, controversial subjects, things that made fractious and bored students sit up and engage with me.
I learned what could quiet thirty-one adolescents in a heartbeat. Make them think about things they never considered before. I could walk into a room filled with chaos and a minute later smile at those bright faces grinning back at me. No matter what the subject I was given, I made them connect to it. I made it relevant to their life. I have used that as a template for all of my books. If you don’t relate to something, it will mean nothing.
I never spoke down to them. I think that’s what irritated me most when I was young. I remembered that I disliked being made to feel insignificant, as though my opinion or thoughts didn’t matter. I’m proud to say I was the most requested sub in the district and I loved my job.
When I write, I remember those students. I recall how they were happy to see me and welcomed me into their lives. I am grateful they gave me the opportunity to learn as much about myself, as I hope I opened their minds to new possibilities.
Enter to win an autographed copy of Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag, by award-winning author Carole P. Roman; plus a “Cool Bananas” tumbler and “Havana” lunch cooler tote to stuff into your own backpack.
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
- A copy of Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag, autographed by Carole P. Roman
- A SunnyLife Havana Lunch Cooler Tote
- A SunnyLife Cool Bananas Tumbler
Four (4) winners receive:
- A copy of Oh Susannah: It’s in the Bag, autographed by Carole P. Roman
Age Range: 7-10
Giveaway begins April 25, 2017, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends May 25, 2017, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Giveaway open to US and Canadian addresses only.
Prizes and samples provided by Carole P. Roman and The Children’s Book Review.
*Per FTC guidelines, I have a partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Carole P. Roman. This is a sponsored post*
