Comments on: Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman

By: momtaxi

momtaxi — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:56:12 +0000

Mary Ann
I have started several book clubs at my children’s school and selected Yankee Girl for Black History Month for the fourth grade class. Most of the children finished the book in 3 days. The LOVED your book.

Because I have so many book clubs it’s impossible for me to read all the books in a month. It would be nice if you listed discussion questions in the back of your books or on your website.

I purchased your book at Barnes & Noble

By: A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg | Maw Books Blog

A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg | Maw Books Blog — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:34:15 +0000

[...] Burg reminded me of Mary Ann Rodman, author of Yankee Girl (link will take you to my review and from there an interview with Mary Ann). Both authors had [...]

By: Saturday Review of Books: September 20, 2008 at Semicolon

Saturday Review of Books: September 20, 2008 at Semicolon — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:05:50 +0000

[...] by Lori Wick)18. Alessandra (Does My Head Look Big in This?)19. Alessandra (The Historian)20. Maw Books (Yankee Girl)21. Maw Books (Saturday)22. Maw Books (Hope Was Here)23. Maw Books (The First Hurt)24. Maw Books [...]

By: Jenn M.

Jenn M. — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:29:31 +0000

My Library has “First Grade Stinks”, “My best Friend”, and “Yankee Girl”, but not “Jimmy’s Stars.” Bummer…I wanted to read that one too. My Library does have a request and suggestion selection, I will be adding it to the list.

By: Natasha Maw

Natasha Maw — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 06:41:37 +0000

Thanks Mary Ann for your awesome comments! It’s always a delight to have the author stop by. It’s to bad both books are not disturbed more. Barnes and Noble here in Utah had your picture book First Grade Stinks because I sat down right there and then and read it. I didn’t look for the others because I already had them. My library has all of them. I can’t wait to read your future books. I think I’ve been converted to a life long fan!

By: mary ann

mary ann — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:56:47 +0000

Thank you, Natasha, for the shout-out for YANKEE GIRL (and JIMMY’S STARS)! For those of you have read it (and those who are thinking about it), you should know that although it is an
“easy” read (the reading level is about third grade), the content is more suitable for readers, fifth grade and older. The book is based on my own childhood in Mississippi as the daughter of an FBI agent, and 97% of the book was taken directly from things that happened to me, my family, or someone I know personally. Very little fiction involved, although it is “fictionalized.” When I visit schools, teachers and students are usually absolutely astounded when I tell them this…unless the teacher is about my age and grew up in the South. That teacher will usually sidle up to me after my presentation and whisper “You got it right. It really was that bad.” What I am trying to say is that I don’t gloss over how unpleasant those times were…including the racial epithets I heard every single day. Sometimes those words shock the reader, but to use more politically correct terms would not be telling the historical truth as I experienced it.
It also drives home the fact that words, however carelessly we utter them, MATTER!!!

I am tickled that some of you guys like the YANKEE GIRL cover art! One of my most frequently asked questions is
“What kind of tree is that on the cover?” I sometimes call it
“the DNA tree” because it reminds me of a DNA double helix model (snicker), but the artist meant for it to be symbolic of lives entwined. If you live in the South, you might recognize the trunk as being very cypress-like, with the leaves and blossoms a cross between a magnolia and a dogwood.

I am so happy so many people are reading about Alice and Ellie. I love history, which to me is a collection of great stories. I write the kind of books I wished had been around when I was growing up. Hopefully, you adults are sharing your books with whatever children are in your lives!

Oh, and all of you people who have gone to your local bookstores in search of JIMMY’S STARS or YANKEE GIRL…please ask them to order the books for you or to stock JIMMY. (I doubt anyone would still be carrying YANKEE GIRL. It’s been out for four and a half years, and will be coming out in paperback around the end of the year.) JIMMY’S STARS, however, was not nationally distributed by the chain stores. I have yet to find a copy of it on a bookstore shelf within 300 miles of my home in Atlanta (save the indie children’s store who did my book signing…and I haven’t checked in with them lately). I did find ONE copy in Nashville this weekend (I was at a writer’s conference…which was bought by one of my fellow writers.) I depend on your word of mouth (or cyberword of mouth!) to let others know how much you enjoy my work.
You children’s lit fans are a special breed, and I love you!

Thank you again, one and all, for finding my books.
Mary Ann
P.S. My next two books will be out in March and April 2009.
They are both picture books…A TREE FOR EMMY (Peachtree) and SURPRISE SOUP(Viking…illustrated by G.Brian Karas.)

By: Traci

Traci — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:25:54 +0000

I’m going to look into adding this to our homeschool curriculum this year.

By: Carrie, Reading to Know

Carrie, Reading to Know — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:26:45 +0000

This looks REALLY fun (and I love the cover art). Thanks for talking about this book! I’m going to hunt it down.

By: Jenn M.

Jenn M. — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 01:18:38 +0000

I’m going to hang on to this one and read it to my daughter in a month when they study the civil rights movement. Sounds like a great book for teaching tolerance while giving a feel for the general attitude towards people of color during this time.

It’s good for kids to know that equality that we have today did exist not so long ago.

By: Laura H

Laura H — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:50:49 +0000

I just finished a book last night and will start Jimmy Stars later today. This author has been getting alot good reviews.