Welcome to WOW reads, a podcast that centers voices of middle and high school readers. Worlds of Words, Center of Global Literacy is committed to creating an international network of people who share the vision of bringing books and children's together, thereby opening windows on the world. We encourage thoughtful dialogue around global literature so that children can reflect on their own cultural experiences and connect to the experiences of children across the globe.
Worlds of Words Reading Ambassadors engage in a university experience of children's literature within the University of Arizona College of Education. Reading Ambassadors learn about literature for young people under the direction of faculty and staff with expertise in children's literature, education, library science, and marketing. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of indigenous peoples.
Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the university strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign native nations and indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships and community service.
Adam Rex is the award winning author and illustrator of more than 40 books, including The New York Times best sellers Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, School's First Day of School and Tuesday, as well as The True Meaning of Smeck Day, which was adapted for film by Dreamworks. He lives in Tucson, Arizona with his dog, son, and wife. The book that we are currently reading, A Little Like Waking, is about a girl named Zelda who is stuck in a dream, and one day she meets Langston, a newcomer.
So we're going to talk today about our experience reading A Little Like Waking and meeting Adam Rex. But first, let's do introductions. My name is Rebecca Ballenger, I'm the associate director of Worlds of Words. And sometimes when I dream, I soar when I fly.
I'm Gabriel, and once I had a dream about Five Nights at Freddy's sister location.
I'm Graham, and I tend to dream about cheesy horror movies.
I'm Christian and I am a WOW ambassador, and I once dreamed about using someone's phone that I really didn't like.
I'm Lily, and I once dreamed about being Elsa from frozen with her ice powers.
I'm Rebecca, and sometimes I dream of people that I haven't seen in years, and it creeps me out.
I'm Quinn, and I usually dream about my sixth grade teacher yelling at me about an assignment that I didn't do over remote learning.
I'm Janesha, and I usually dream about, doing a whole bunch of acrobatic stuff, but I can't.
So, All right, let's get into it. who would like to start talking about what it was like to meet Adam Rex?
It was pretty amazing. You know, it feels like meeting a legend in person.
To add on to Gabriel's point. It was, an honor. I'm really into illustrating myself, so it was cool to see how he talked about his illustration and how it connects and complements his book.
I say he's a very curious and humorous man that you would love to know.
Like Adam Rex said, I could definitely tell that he was a little socially awkward.
Actually, I remember meeting him when I was in fourth or fifth grade at Canyon View, or he came, and he talked about illustrating the book The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors. And it was really cool to be able just to see him again after all that time and read that his new book, A Little like Waking.
He was sweet, and I noticed that he kind of seemed a little bit unsure of himself, which I thought was kind of sad because he had a lot to say, but, I mean, he was sweet and he wrote an amazing book. So, I enjoyed the experience.
Like, he had a lot to say. And like, he really had an answer to all the questions that we asked him.
So in this book, this book takes place mostly in a dream state. Right? And we also introduced ourselves, talking about our dreams. What were your connections to the dream state? What did you think about that? How is it reading that?
I felt it was really like it connected with you. On a more personal note, like, I felt like it captured the essence of being in a dream. Like something is not quite right, but it it looks normal, but it's not quite right.
I agree with Graham. And, looking at it from an outside view, even when you stop dreaming this setting, you could all sort of see that it was like a movie set, all the characters, but not quite, and none of the emotion yet. I say, it's very relatable because, what, like I could be a main character in my own story, but for another person story, I could just be a background character.
I thought it was interesting what Adam said because about, stream of conscious, consciousness writing and trying to write in a dream form. but you still have an audience, so you still need some structure.
Those of you who want to be writers, what did you think of of that? Graham?
I thought it was, interesting how he he talked a lot about structure and how dreams are very unstructured and how to implement that without making it seem almost too structured.
Yeah, I'm working on writing a book of my own right now. Adam and I were actually talking about that a bit. And the way I write is that usually say something happens during the day that inspires some part of I'll just type it down on Google Doc, but I won't put everything together or connect anything until afterwards. So I thought when he was, when he was adding in a bunch of different scenes from the book like this seemed kind of random. I'm like, oh, I wonder if he just thought of that during the day and decided to put that in.
Yeah. So he talked about some people being pantsers and some people's being, planners, and he is a pantser. That's because he writes by the seat of his pants is how that saying goes.
Him talking about that also reminded me of our past. No, it was Guadalupe, I think, who was saying that? Her characters, like, come to her at night, and I thought I was I thought that it was interesting that he, like, didn't mention that at all, because I feel like that couldn't really go into planner or just like the like. That's not even her writing it anymore. Like, that's the characters coming to her. And he didn't really touch on that aspect of writing.
Yeah. Shout out previous, previous podcast. We'll put a link to that in our show notes. What about the theme of love?
Well, it's sort of reflected, and it went along well with the dream thing, sort of like, you know, that it could all collapse at any moment, which sort of reflects young love nicely.
Yeah. I agree with like, when you have a crush, it's all in your head. You build up this fantasy, maybe you're dreaming about, like the house you want to live in one day when you get married. And I guess this sort of reflects his crush nicely, because he's dreaming about her and making it her up in his mind.
I thought it was interesting how, like, they have that negative aspect of it to that. the kind of the way Patches play, like, is his character, like...
Patches, our sentient cat...
I thought it, was an interesting, I guess, like, addition to the story and how, when, they're always like. Like about to kiss, Patches always had something to say. He's always interrupting.
I say, this love relationship is an emotional roller coaster, especially for Langston. He he want he always tries to take his opportunity. But then, like Graham said, Patches always tries to get in the way. And then there's always an upcoming event that prevents him from kissing the love of his life.
I feel like the idea of, like, dream and love or like they're both intertwined because in dreams you can have like, nightmares. And you also have, like, good dreams. And I feel like that's the same thing with love, because you can have, like, negative parts of love, like, but you can also have like really enjoyable parts of love.
And I think that like, ideas are like intertwined together. Something Mr. Rex and I were actually talking about was the like, although Zelda is the main character of the book, Langston really, and I we're allowed to give spoilers, right?
Yeah, it's 100% spoilers. Yes.
Okay. Langston, he's actually the dreamer, and he doesn't know really anything about Zelda. He's. She's just this girl in the coffee shop that he's been watching for a few days. So he doesn't know if she's actually that brave or if she's actually has those qualities that she possesses in his dream. I thought that it was, kind of validating, I guess. But Adam Rex said that he looks back on his young relationships, and he said that he thought that he was pretty stupid back then, and that maybe that's why it didn't work out.
And I thought that was validating because it's like, yeah, we were all just young. We're kind of stupid. We don't know as much as group grown people know when they fall in love. And I think his like, little spiel on love was pretty inspiring. speaking for the grown people, not everybody always figures that out. Even so. so so I think one of the great lessons of this book is that, once you do have those stumbles in life and those stumbles in love, you get back on the metaphorical bike with somebody, please speak to that.
Well obviously not. It's pretty improbable that things are going to go perfect. Something's probably going to go wrong along the way. And that's basically when a rock strikes your bike or something worse, per se, but you got to get back on it and clean, because losing it can change stuff. Bad. I also thought it was interesting how he, throughout the book, kept bringing up that to not give up too.
And I thought like, no matter what context it it always it can always apply to life. And especially with, the part at the end where even though, like when we find out that Langston has been in a coma from a bike, that he's never like, he he's never ridden, he's never right, rode a bike, I, I think it's an important lesson that he makes very clear about, that even if you've tried something new and you fail at it, you still have to try it again.
Even if you might fail. I feel like the bike it like, symbolizes moving forward and, like, never giving up, like Graham said. And, like, sometimes you'll fall over on that bike, but you always, like, try again and, like, get, back on the bike. And I feel like that's a really important lesson that you can take from this book.
And speaking of getting back on that bike for Langston, in this book, there's a quote where he saying that the girl that he has envisioned in real life, she's an idea, but and he's about ready to just set that bike aside. But Zelda basically just pushes him down on that hill and says, you have to keep going. So sometimes we need that person to give us the push.
Okay, how about some final reflections? My personal favorite part was the four gym teachers of doom barreling down on Zelda and Langston with their fiery Dodge Balls. I think my favorite part of the book is when there's all this, there's all these revelations being made between Langston and, Zelda at the carnival and Patches the entire time is ordering ice cream.
He's trying to decide on a flavor. I mean, priorities, right? Yes. Then it's vanilla in the end. Yeah, yeah. My favorite part was when there's like, this little these little people on the helicopter and they're like, Patches is basically the, the destruction of the helicopters. They're like, Tom, one of them's like, tell my daughter I said goodbye or like, we're going down.
My final report was based was the Laundromat Clown. He was basically like lugging around that laundry on him like a giant backpack.
I think the laundromat clown was female, right?
Oh, yeah.
I think she had polyester pants.
I like that she tried to help Lincoln at the end. Like defeating the giant wolf that was attacking them. My personal favorite part, the this might be, other people might not feel this way, but, when Zelda pushes Langston off the cliff. I just thought it was funny because you have the whole town, and then, Langston's standing there, and then that is like, should I do it or should I not? I'm going to do it.
Let me ask you a question. Would you rather be pushed off that cliff, or would you rather jump yourself?
I think I would need to be pushed off. anybody else jump or get pushed, I would jump. I don't want to be pushed because I want to have control of my own fate. I so and I know that sometimes you need to just get it done. for me, I think I would like to be pushed because I don't think I'd be able to do it myself because, like, I would probably just need that.
Like, I don't have that confidence to be able to just like, do that. So I'd probably need like that push. I say it's always better with the little push. I feel like I want the job, but then I coward out at the last second and then somebody else would like the prankster would just like be in, and then I'd be like, oh shoot.
And then probably get impaled on a rock. I would want to jump because I feel like if anybody's pushing me, then that means I could like, just for just feel like I just I don't know if something goes wrong. I feel like I'd blame them for pushing me, for. Because then I get to, like you said, impaled.
I guess it's their fault I get impaled if I get pushed off. but if I jumped, and that's my decision. And I'm the one. I'm the one who did that because I felt that it would be the best thing to do in the moment. So I like I all the responsibility is on me and I can't push that on anybody else.
Maybe the trick is to have somebody in your life who knows when to push you and to win, and when to let you jump yourself.
Right. Okay. Well, I think we can end this conversation there. Thank you to Katherine Connover, our volunteer lit discussant. Vianey Torres, our coordinator, who keeps us all together, Liam Arias, our fantastic sound engineer, the University of Arizona College of Education tech team.
And we are recording in DIALL, the digital innovation and learning Lab.