Melanie Conklin is the author of Counting Thyme.From her Q & A with Caroline Starr Rose at Classroom Connections:
Please tell us about your book.Visit Melanie Conklin's website, Twitter perch, and watch the Counting Thyme book trailer.
Counting Thyme is the story of Thyme Owens, an eleven-year-old girl whose family moves across the country for her little brother’s cancer treatment. It’s a story about family, friendship, and finding your place in the world when life throws you a curveball.
What inspired you to write this story?
The idea for this story came to me after I read a bunch of middle grade books with protagonists who were facing serious illnesses. I wondered what it would be like to be the sibling of a gravely ill child. I wondered how the conflicts at home would influence the conflicts at school. I thought it would be especially tough if you were just starting middle school, with all of the social pressures involved at that time in life. Thyme’s story grew from there!
Could you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching?
In my past life as...[read on]
The Page 69 Test: Counting Thyme.
Writers Read: Melanie Conklin.
--Marshal Zeringue