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I allow readers to fill in the details as necessary. But I don’t force kids to have to digest something they’re not mature enough or ready for yet.

Alan Gratz

I think we should give them all the credit in the world. They want to know the truth.
ALAN GRATZ

All Credit Should Think World Truth
I’m going to tell kids the way things really were.
ALAN GRATZ

Go Kid Really Tell Thing Way
The waiting that people do in Turkey to get aboard one of these boats is incredible.
ALAN GRATZ

Abroad Boat Country Incredible People Wait
What I don’t do – and this is the only thing I do differently in writing for kids – is that I don’t revel in the gory details.
ALAN GRATZ

Detail Differently Gory Kid Only Revel Thing Write
Your family immigrated to this country – whether they came over on the Mayflower or whether they came over on a raft last year.
ALAN GRATZ

Immigrate Came Country Family Flower Last May Over Raft Year
You wait and wait for the next step, and when you get to the next step, it’s awful.
ALAN GRATZ

Awful Next Step Wait
Waiting is a huge part of being a refugee. You’re waiting at borders to get across. You’re waiting for transportation.
ALAN GRATZ

Across Border Huge Refugee Transporation Wait
If they are, they can fill in the details even better than I could, just with their imaginations.
ALAN GRATZ

Better Details Even Fill Imagination
One of the things I tell about Refugee is that unless you’re Native American or a descendant of slaves.
ALAN GRATZ

Country Descendant Native One Refugee Slave Tell Thing Unless
I allow readers to fill in the details as necessary. But I don’t force kids to have to digest something they’re not mature enough or ready for yet.
ALAN GRATZ

Also Detail Digest Enough Force Kid Necessary Reader Ready Something Yet
And then when they finally do get aboard, it’s the last place they want to be. It’s harrowing. That is the horrible irony of a refugee’s life.
ALAN GRATZ

Country Finally Harrow Horrible Irony Life Place Refugee
People will ask me, “How do you approach writing books for young readers differently than for adults?” My answer is always: I don’t change anything about the story itself.
ALAN GRATZ

Adult Answer Anything Approach Ask Book Different Itself People Reader Story Young
Baseball, more than any other sport, has a magical way of connecting fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, grandparents and grandchildren and ancestors back down the line. – From The Brooklyn Nine
ALAN GRATZ

Ancestor Baseball Children Connect Daughter Grandparent Magical Mother Son Sport
The thought of starting over like that in the way that many refugee families have to start all over again – that’s an incredible thing to think about.
ALAN GRATZ

Again Family Incredible Refugee Start Think
You don’t want to be doing it. But you have to. You have to keep moving forward.
ALAN GRATZ

Do Forward Keep Move Want
I think kids are incredibly savvy readers.
ALAN GRATZ

Incredible Kid Reader Savy Think
I don’t know that I would have the courage to come over to a new country where the religion is different, the language is different, where I don’t have any money.
ALAN GRATZ

Country Courage Different Language Money New Over Religion

I allow readers to fill in the details as necessary. But I don’t force kids to have to digest something they’re not mature enough or ready for yet.

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I allow readers to fill in the details as necessary. But I don’t force kids to have to digest something they’re not mature enough or ready for yet.

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Popular Authors

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