Pamela and Jon: Working on the Jaguar Stones books has filled our heads with stories from the Golden Age of Maya archaeology. Our dinner guests would be three authors who blazed new trails in the jungles of Central America. Jon would invite John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, two daring explorers who brought the ancient Maya to the attention of the world. Their book Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatán – written by Stephens and illustrated by Catherwood – tells the story of their extraordinary adventures. It was a huge bestseller in its day and is still required reading for Mayanists. To the same dinner, Pamela would invite Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, a photographer’s daughter who, in 1873, left the comforts of London far behind to live in the ruins of Uxmal with her much older and fearsomely bearded husband, the eccentric Augustus Le Plongeon. Inspired by a jade artifact she discovered, Alice wrote the dreadful novel Queen Moo’s Talisman, which I don’t recommend you read. Do however seek out her biography Yucatan Through Her Eyes, which contains extracts from her diary and her amazing early photographs of Uxmal and Chichen Itza.
3 Questions with Pamela and Jon Voelkel
March 2, 2015 by lisalisabookjam
As part of our mission to promote authors, the joy of reading, and to help independent booksellers, The Book Jam has paired with the The Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vermont to present an ongoing series entitled “3 Questions”. In it, we pose three questions to authors with upcoming visits to the bookstore. (We have a rotating list of six possible questions to ask just to keep things interesting.) Their responses are posted on The Book Jam during the week leading up to their engagement. Our hope is that this exchange will offer insight into their work, will encourage readers to attend these special author events, and ultimately, will inspire some great reading.
Our first “3 questions” in 2015 features Pamela and Jon Voelkel and their latest book, Jaguar Stones: The Lost City, Book Four of their Jaguar Stones series for middle grade readers. In this outing, 14-year-old Max Murphy waits in his uncle’s house for his parents’ release from a Latin American jail, when he is forced into yet another scheme of the Maya Death Lords. He heads to the United States with Lola, his Mayan friend from the previous books, on a quest where failure could mean the end of the world… again.
The Voelkels will be visiting the Norwich Bookstore from 1 to 3 pm on Saturday, March 7th to discuss Jaguar Stones: The Lost City. This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required, you need only to show up for a lot of fun with these two interesting authors. Call 802-649-1114 or email info@norwichbookstore.com for additional information. And now, the “3 questions”.
1) If you could give your own book award to an outstanding title you read last year, what would it be?
Pamela: The award is for “Book That Most Consistently Kept 5th-Grader Up Way Too Late On School Nights Because She And Her Mother Always Wanted To Read Just One More Chapter”. And it goes to Liar And Spy by Rebecca Stead. Or to When You Reach Me by the same author. They were both responsible for way too many hours of lost sleep.
2) What three books would you re-read if you had the time to do so?
Jon: When I was growing up in Colombia, the old lady next door used to shout at my brother and I to be quiet when we played in the back yard. It only made us louder. One day, in an inspired change of tactics, she dumped a cardboard box of books on our doorstep. They were old and out of print, but three of them became the favorite books of my childhood: The Road to Miklagard by Henry Treece, The Old Breton Fort, and The Fish, the Knife & Bobby Magee. I don’t know who wrote the last two, but if I could get my hands on those three books, I would love to re-read them. (Book Jam note: These are all out of print, so we can not link to them, but the Norwich Bookstore would be happy to try to find them for you.)
3) What three authors would you invite to a dinner party?
Posted in Kids at Heart, Meet the Author | Tagged Alice Dixon Le Plongeon, Chiapas and Yucatán, Children's Book Series, Frederick Catherwood, Henry Treece, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Jaguar Stones, Jaguar Stones: The Lost City, John Lloyd Stephens, Jon Voelkel, Liar And Spy, Norwich, Norwich Bookstore, Pamela Voelkel, Queen Moo's Talisman, Rebecca Stead, The Fish the Knife & Bobby Magee, The Lost City, The Old Breton Fort, The Road to Miklagard, When You Reach Me, Yucatan Through Her Eyes | Leave a Comment
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The view from a small town in Vermont onto the wide world of books where we put the right book in the right hands at the right time.Through literature and our unique live events — 1) Pages in the Pub, a program bringing disparate communities together around books and 2) BOOK BUZZ, our literacy program for K-12 schools — the Book Jam creates communities. We provide virtual and physical spaces where people can safely discuss difficult issues. Using books, our programs help educate people about important events in their lives and in the lives of others. We build empathy, an essential aspect of healthy communities through discussions about great literature. We increase literacy. And, we draw attention to the wonderful roles of libraries and independent bookstores throughout the world.WHO WE ARE…The Book Jam Lisas are two women passionate about reading and sharing our literary discoveries. While we live in the woods, we can spot a great book, especially with the steady stream of excellent suggestions from the indie booksellers up here in Vermont.WHAT THIS BLOG DOES FOR YOU…If you’ve got reader’s block – also known as being in a “book jam” – this blog will help. Through posts organized around specific themes and our live events, we open the world of books to you by highlighting books you didn’t even know you needed. If you have issues you need help exploring, this blog will help. If you need to know there are others in the world who feel as you do, this blog will help. We honestly rest easier knowing that you have the right book on your bedside table each night providing whatever it is you need.Everything we recommend has been personally read and reviewed by one of us – all the way up here in the Green Mountain State.Book Jam Picks For:
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