Gone Wild Series: The stories.
I'm crafting a series of fast-paced, middle-grade eco-adventures that weave together real environmental issues and California history into a natural world that is powerful yet vulnerable, and needs heroes as Hogwarts or Middle Earth. This world is as accessible as lacing up hiking shoes and walking out the door. And the need for young heroes is very real.
More wilderness adventures can be found on my blog:
Gone Wild: The journey.
These books are all about kid power. Kids can be environmental heroes, with tools they already have. They don't need magic wands or rings of power. Like Walker, they need simply to understand what they care most about and how they want to protect it.
So, it made sense for kids to be a part of the process of writing them. I joined forces with a brave and innovative 4th grade teacher, Andrew Henderson, in Berkeley, CA. His class of twenty-three students critically reviewed the book as a part of their creative writing curriculum. The kids and I collaborated for two months.
So, it made sense for kids to be a part of the process of writing them. I joined forces with a brave and innovative 4th grade teacher, Andrew Henderson, in Berkeley, CA. His class of twenty-three students critically reviewed the book as a part of their creative writing curriculum. The kids and I collaborated for two months.
The fourth grade class hard at work, writing comments and drawing pictures as they listened to the story.
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Gone Wild: The power.
Inspired to tackle environmental issues of their own, the entire LeConte Elementary 4th grade spent the next three weeks as environmental activists. Two classes of 4th graders, one chose 'Ocean Plastics', the other 'Endangered Species'. Rachel Harris, a rare individual and remarkable Berkeley science teacher, embraced the enthusiasm and, together, we channeled it. We were at once guides, participants and amazed onlookers as the kids discovered what they most cared about, designed their messages, and shared them with the world.