Avi is one of the most prolific* authors of children's literature around today. Since 1975 he has written at least one book a year. His fiftieth book, Crispin: The Cross of Lead, won the Newbery Medal in 2003. He was born in Brooklyn , New York, in 1937. He worked as a librarian for over 25 years, and began his writing career as a playwrite (a person who writes plays). Avi began writing children's books once he had children of his own.
*prolific means "highly inventive and productive."
You are going to use Avi's website to learn about his feelings about reading, writing, and becoming an author.
DIRECTIONS: Use the various pages of Avi's
website to answer the following questions. All answers should be written
in your Reader's Journal. Title the page "Meet the Author: Avi."
1. Go to the page titled "About Avi." (http://www.avi-writer.com/aboutAvi.html).
a) According to Avi, what is his favorite book? What does this tell you about how he feels about being an author?
b) What advice does he have for people who want to be writers? Copy his answer in your journal. Remember to use quotation marks appropriately.
c) Go to the last question on the webpage - "Anything else?" Read his answer carefully. In your opinion, does Avi's statement represent a positive or negative view of the world? Explain your thoughts in paragraph form (i.e. indent, topic sentence, supporting sentences, conclusion.)
2. Go to Avi's Complete Booklist ( http://www.avi-writer.com/booklist.html). As you can see, Avi doesn't stick to one type of book style. On this page his books are organized by genre (a type or category of literature). Each genre is written in white capital letters.. Based on your own interests, from which genre would you be most likely to choose a book? You can click on the titles and read about the books individually to help you make a decision. Please make an honest choice - it will be used for a future reading assignment!
OPTIONAL: For those students who want to know more!
In 2003 Avi won the Newbery Award for Crispin: The Cross of Lead. Click on this page to see his entire acceptance speech. He has some unique opinions and thoughts. Jot down anything that you find interesting and would want to discuss in a small group in class. Newbery Medal Winner - Crispin: The Cross of Lead ( http://www.avi-writer.com/newbery.html)
