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Recently I had one of the best surprises of my writing life, and it concerned a book that came out nine years ago.
Lots of people judge whether a book is a success by what happens in that first year, or even in the first few months. By that standard, my first book, Virginia Bound — a story about a boy who is kidnapped from London and shipped to Virginia as an indentured servant in the 1620s — barely held its own. There was a recession that year, and I wasn’t able to do a lot of publicity for it, and for a while I feared it would never find its audience.
Turns out, though, that the book was just a late bloomer. The year after it was published, it started showing up on state lists. Sales went up, not down. A few years after that it won a children’s choice award. And now, nine years down the line, I still get some lovely reader mail for it.
Still, I’ve never had a letter quite like the one I received last month from Mr. Andrew Lynch, a fourth-grade teacher at Creighton’s Corner Elementary School in Virginia. He emailed me to let me know that he’d read Virginia Bound to his class, and they’d kept a blog of the experience.
And oh, what a wonderful blog it is! At the end of key chapters, Mr. Lynch would ask them how they felt about what had happened, whether they would have made the same choices, and could they guess what would happen next. Even at the start, their answers are terrific. And as they get farther into the story, you can see how deeply engaged they become with the book and the characters — and loveliest of all, with each other, because there’s plenty of respectful but forthright debate in their blog. I tackle some really tough issues in Virginia Bound, and they were with me all the way.
In reading their blog, I got as close as a writer can to experiencing my book as readers do.
As Madeleine L’Engle once said, “With each book I write, I become more and more convinced that the books have a life of their own, quite apart from me.
It is wonderful to have a glimpse of the life my book is leading in Creighton’s Corner Elementary School. Thank you, Mr. Lynch’s fourth graders! You are wonderful readers, and you are moving and powerful writers, too.
jenlibrarian said:
yay!
how wonderful to get to see some of the impact of your book!
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
It really *is* wonderful. Their posts completely blew me away. I’m so grateful to the teachers and librarians who help stories like mine find their way.
jbknowles said:
I love this story! 🙂
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
Thanks, Jo! It really made me happy. 🙂
stephanieburgis said:
Oh, Amy, that is WONDERFUL. I’m so happy for you, and for the kids who got to experience your book that way!
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
Thanks, Steph! It was such an amazing experience to see the book through their eyes.
newport2newport said:
The universe is smiling down on you, Amy, reminding you (and now us) that some flowers take longer to grow. But when they do eventually reach their peak season, the blooms are gorgeous. And in this case, it’s a big, brilliant bouquet, with an unforgettable sweet fragrance. Such a wonderful gift, and I can’t think of a more deserving recipient. xo
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
Melodye, your note is a bouquet all its own. Warmest thanks to you for your sweet words. I hope you know how eagerly I am awaiting your own book!
Anonymous said:
WOW! Amy, this is amazing. What terrific students! What a great teacher! And what a great book!
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
Aren’t they something, Nancy?! I told them that reading their blog was like opening a gift, because it really was.
Anonymous said:
This is wonderful to hear at a time when publishers are dropping books which don’t immediately hit high sales figures – I hope some of them will read and take note
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
So nice of you to stop by! I agree — this pressure to make high sales right out of the gate isn’t good for anybody and is incredibly demoralizing for writers. I was lucky to have a publisher who kept the book in print, but that’s harder to find nowadays.
jeniwrites said:
I am grinning for you. 🙂 Congratulations!!
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
Thanks, Jeni!
boreal_owl said:
This is every writer’s dream–awesome!
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
I wish it could come true for everyone! It’s an amazing experience.
jeannineatkins said:
What wonderful students and teacher. It gives me a lot of happiness and hope, too. It really does seem a gift to be able to peer into minds like that.
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
So glad that this gives you a lift, too, Jeannine. It’s given me a new appreciation for the way books and technology can come together in the hands of a gifted teacher and students.
aprilhenry said:
That is marvelous all the way around.
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
I agree!
beckylevine said:
Oh, how absolutely wonderful!
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
So glad it makes you happy, too. (Love the new photo, btw.)
Anonymous said:
Dear Ms.Greenfield,
My name is Timothy and I was one of the students in Mr.Lynch’s class who commented on Virginia Bound. It taught me to look farther in to a book than just reading the book. I learned what life was like and how cruel masters could be. It was really neat that you wrote about our class.
Thanks! Timothy
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
Dear Timothy,
How nice of you to stop by! As you can see, it means a lot to writers when they hear from readers, especially readers like you and your classmates, who have put so much care and time into thinking about the book.
I’m glad you got so much out of Virginia Bound, and I hope you have lots more great reading adventures!
Best wishes,
Amy
susanwrites said:
Oh this is such a happy making post. I’m glad I found it. Congratulations for your words having such a lasting impact.
Amy Butler Greenfield said:
So glad the post made you happy, Susan! It’s nice to know that books can have such long and unexpected lives, isn’t it?
susanwrites said:
It’s why we write, Amy. It’s why we write.