Visiting Authors 2018-2019
Authors 2017-2018 Authors 2016-2017 Authors 2015-2016 Authors 2014-2015 Authors 2013-2014 Authors 2011-2012 Authors 2010-2011 Authors Pre-2011
Daniel José Older
September 11, 2018
It was the book birthday for The Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older, and the author chose to spend part of the day with our 6th and 7th graders. Older spent time explaining why he chose to write an historical fiction, fantasy mash up for his first middle grade novel and how that mash up manifested in the story. As a kid, Older was fascinated with monsters and drew them all the time. He was also intrigued by the history of a real orphans' home that existed in New York during the mid-1800s. Many of the events in the book actually happened like the New York City draft riots that caused many buildings to go up in flames. Most of the characters that appear in his book are fictional, but he does include a few historical figures. Having his characters interact with dinosaurs just seemed right to him. His book is an action-packed adventure story, and the dinosaurs help to save the day because Magdalys, the heroine, is able to communicate telepathically with them. Read more about this visit on the librarian's blog.