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| Seth Skogerboe |
JK: Tell us a little about yourself. Have you always enjoyed reading? Why?
SS: My name is Seth, and I'm a fourteen-year-old homeschooler with five younger brothers. (The appropriate response here is, "Woah. WOAH. WOAH!") I love old books, new pens, music, theatre, and Thai food. In that order. I have enjoyed reading, in particular, since I was six. Why? That's when I learned how to read. :-)
JK: What are your favorite books?
SS: That is like asking me which is my favorite limb. However, some books that I have *particularly enjoyed* are as follows: My Bible. (First comes truth. Always.) The Narnia Series, by C.S. Lewis. (If I did have to pick a favorite limb...) Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein. (Sister for Sale!) The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster. (The world's strangest logician.) Also, anything by Dr. Seuss. Brilliant.
JK: What is your book review blog called? What made you decide to start a book review blog?
SS: I started my book review blog, The Embarrassed Zebra :: In Black and White and Read All Over, when my book reviews began to take over my other blog, Muse:: Born of a Wandering Mind. :-) I needed a place where I could just write about books.
JK: What are some things a book must offer in order for you to want to read it?
SS: Truth. Variety. Good voice. (In contrast, imagine a story from a toddler. "And then the moon came and then there was food andthenandthenandthen..." etc. It needs to be written well.) A point. ("Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing." -Benjamin Franklin. I say, compromise, and write something worth doing. I don’t want to read a story about nothing.)
JK: What type of book makes you NOT want to read it? Why?
SS: Basically, anything grievously lacking any of the above qualities.
JK: Since this blog will be read by other writers, what kind of books would you like to see more of?
SS: Epic adventures. Rescues. Books that make people remember "that other great book they read." :-) Battles fought and won, dragons slain. Heroes that the readers love, villains that the readers fear. That is what I look for in a story.
JK: What topics interest you?
SS: Fiction, fantastic creatures, allegory, Christianity, authors. Writing about reading. Reading about writing.
JK: Do you feel that boys are well represented in recent literature?
SS: Sometimes, I wish actual guys were more like the characters. Sometimes, I wish the characters would be more like actual guys. I wish that boys had the will for sacrifice like Harry Potter, but that books in general would recognize that guys aren't all just book-despising athletes. :-D See what I mean?
JK: Absolutely. What was your favorite picture book? Why?
SS: Dr. Seuss' The Sleep Book. The beauty of the fantastic images he created through use of color, proportion, and creativity was near equal to the beauty of his words. It wasn't just a pretty picture, there was meaning to every image.
JK: You were recently in LLAMA LLAMA RED PAJAMA by Anna Dewdney at Stages Theatre Company. What was that experience like?
SS: It was a blast. There was dancing, there was spitting, there were actors- we all had a great time. :-)
JK: How do you think theatre can inspire?
SS: Same way any book can- through story. Giving people something to care about.
JK: Where do you see yourself in ten years?
SS: At a writing desk, listening to a movie soundtrack, with a kiddo on my lap and a notebook in my hand. But who knows. I'll be where God wants me.
JK: Who is the best playwright you ever worked with? (JOKE!)
SS: Well, there was this one back in third grade... (JOKE!) :-D
Thank you, Seth! Be sure to check out Seth’s blog: http://embarrassedzebra.wordpress.com/
