Over the summer, all our students in grades five through eight read Restart, by Gordon Korman. The kids loved the book, and have had some amazing discussions about its characters and themes. Earlier this week, as a culminating event, we had a Skype visit with Mr. Korman, who entertained us with stories and writing advice. Before our visit, the kids came up with many insightful questions. Their thoughtful wonderings inspired this poem. (Which was also inspired by Naomi Shihab Nye‘s ditty challenge for September on Michelle Heidenrich Barnes’s blog, Today’s Little Ditty.)
To the Author Of My Favorite Book:
What made you write this story?
What gave you this idea?
How did you find the just-right words
to show the way I feel?
Did you peek inside my diary,
or spy on me each day?
Were you ever lonely?
Were you ever blue?
Did someone ever write a book
that felt like a friend to you?
Do you think I can be happy
like the girl inside your book?
You made her come alive,
you gave me a new friend.
Please write more of her story
so our friendship never ends.
© Catherine Flynn, 2018
Please be sure to visit Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link for the Poetry Friday Roundup.
Reading to the Core 
Catherine, I love this! And, I’m sure that authors….Gordon Korman and beyond will love it to. Making characters come alive and know the thoughts in the readers head is what makes it all so exciting. I love this response to Michelle’s TLD challenge. Well done!
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Catherine, these are all great questions… I like the “did you peek inside my diary” because those are my most favorite books, the ones that hold feelings I secretly harbor… nothing like finding yourself in a book. xo
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I’d be sharing tis one with my students were I still in the classroom, Catherine – your poem speaks of all they have in mind as they read.
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LOVE this, Catherine! And yes, like Linda said, such a great response to Naomi Shihab Nye’s challenge!
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Perfect for authors & for Nye’s challenge, Catherine. I hope you sent this to Gordon Korman! He will love it.
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What a dear poem, but especially that middle stanza.
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A poet’s job is to pay attention. You paid attention and noticed and noted. What a wonderful poem! Love! Love!
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Great questions, many of which I’m sure are asked quite frequently! Wonderful poem.
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Catherine, what I like so much about your poem is that it seems to flow wonderfully from the lips of a child interested in an author.
“Did someone ever write a book
that felt like a friend to you?” – What a great question to insert into this poem.
You captured the essence of the question task via poetry.
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So, so great, Catherine…both knowing and curious, like Linda’s poem says. Love this especially:
“Do you think I can be happy
like the girl inside your book?”
The way that we look for wisdom in others’ stories, the way that write and rewrite our own stories…
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These are such great questions–I’m sure Korman was impressed by them as well. I love how you turned them into such a beautiful poem.
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Oh, the pang of wanting more stories about a character you love! Sweet poem, Catherine.
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I love the closing lines of your question poem Catherine,
“you gave me a new friend.
Please write more of her story
so our friendship never ends.”
What a wonderful complement to an author and how endearing it is too–I think I’d like to read the book now. And how exciting that your students and you had a Skype visit with Gordon Korman.
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