1.
What is the Grateful American Book Prize and why did you create
it? This is the inaugural year of The
Grateful American Prize. The purpose is to recognize the single best children's
book in the genres of historical fiction/non-fiction that is written for the
7th-9th grade levels. Interestingly this is the only prize of its kind at the
moment. Usually, prizes such as this weigh only the quality of the prose, and
ignore the illustrations. This prize will consider both--if possible. That
ideal "marriage" will depend on the submissions, because I have
discovered older fiction has less or no illustrations. There will only be one
winner.
2.
What books need to be published about history that haven't already
been written? I can't really think of
something in history that hasn't been written. The important thing for kids is
to make it INTERESTING. History is really about telling stories, but too often
the way in which it is presented is boring.
3.
What are some books you would recommend for 14-year-olds so that
they come to appreciate history? Recommendations:
Esther Forbes's, Johnny Tremain; Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The
Wind, The Diary of Anne Frank; Stephen Crane's, The Red Badge of
Courage. I would also put in Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn; most
people don't recognize it as "historical fiction", but it is.
4.
I Are you surprised at how little adults know about history? I am not surprised how little adults know
about history. This problem we have is multi-generational. Unfortunately,
financial resources for education have been on the decline; teachers are often
unqualified or uninterested in history--but told they must teach it--and big
business has not absorbed the deficiencies--nor recognized that today's
students are their future employees. Better to have informed workplace than
not. The American Revolution Center which is building a museum in Philadelphia,
totally dedicated to the Revolution did a 2011 survey about historical
"literacy." The results were, for example: 89% of the respondents
said the Civil War occurred before the Revolutionary War. That in part prompted
me to start the Grateful American Series (videos, newsletter) and the Grateful
American Prize.
5.
What challenges do you find yourself overcoming in order to get
applicants for the prize? We have not
had any problems in getting applicants. So far, the response has been
enthusiastic, which tells me lots of people are interested, but getting people
informed historically will take time, and a lot of people. I love books because
they allow you to "escape" into another time and place. When I was a
little boy, my grandfather used to encourage me to read books about great
people. He felt learning about the Franklin's, Lincoln's, Jefferson's and
Washington's of the world would provide me with wisdom that--maybe--I could
"call up". It was good advice.
6.
What do you love about books? What advice do you have for writers of history
books? History writers must create--or
recreate stories that are fun, readable, and imaginative. And...if there
illustrations, sloppy pen and ink renderings or clip art is unacceptable.
Illustrations tell the story--if they're for very young kids, and they guide
the narrative if they're for older one. The prose and the art should be of the
highest quality, and they should have a symbiotic relationship
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