Keren and Shay. Family, friends and love. What more do you need?

Last week, looking for some peace and space, I biked up to the peak of the Negev to the Ramon crater which is 40km long and shaped like a heart. It’s the world’s larget makhtesh, or erosion basin. Views? Incredible! You can almost feel that you are alone in the universe somewhere at the top of the world

Jewish tradition teaches that once every 28 years, the sun returns to the position it held when the universe was created. On April 8th I watched the sun rise above the Western Wall in Jerusaelem. Amazing!

Not far from Beit Shean just off the Jordan Valley road are the hot springs of Sachneh…when you’re hot and tired there is nothing better than pulling off the road and going in for a cool dip in the fresh waters….you’ve got to dive in to believe it’s really there.

Anna Levine is the author of two books that won Sydney Taylor Book Awards this year. Her teen novel Freefall won the Sydney Taylor Honor Award for teen readers and her picture book Jodie’s Hanukkah Dig was named a Notable Book for Younger Readers. The fantastic Ms. Levine was kind enough to answer some questions for me as part of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour. You can even tell in this interview what a great storyteller she is, so if you haven’t picked up Freefall, I don’t know what you’re waiting for!

One of the things I really love about FREEFALL is the juxtaposition between Aggie’s “normal” teenage girl life (having crushes on boys, hanging out with her best friend, etc.) and her life in military training. Was one type of scene easier or more fun for you to write? If so, why?

There were so many scenes I loved writing it’s hard to choose. But if I have to choose one, well, the runner up is the scene where Aggie is in Noah’s room and she notices all the bits and pieces that make up his personality, from the oil rags on the floor used to clean his gun to the crumpled up pieces of paper on which I imagine he’s jotted down lines of a song. I loved capturing the juxtaposition of Noah as a regular guy who plays the guitar, reads the Beats, smells of shampoo, is a bit awkward around the girl he likes and all with a gun under his bed waiting for when he has to return to his base within 12, 24 or 48 hours.

But one of my favorite scenes is close to the end where Aggie is on the bus going back to Jerusalem from Nahariyah. Aggie is sitting next to a girl she doesn’t recognize, only to discover that it is the girl who was her commanding officer during boot camp. For me, this scene captures the double lives led by many Israeli youth. When in uniform they take on the responsibilities demanded of them. And when off duty, out of uniform, they love, desire, dream, fear and fantasize like all teens everywhere.

To read more go to: http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/01/interview-with-anna-levine.html

FREEFALL gets an HONOR

THE 2009 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS ANNOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES

Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winner for Teen Readers:
Freefall by Anna Levine
(Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

list of all the winners and more interviews @:

www.sydneytaylorbookaward.blogspot.com

Last Friday afternoon, realized that I wouldn’t have enough milk for Shabbat so ran to the Mall for last minute provisions before the stores closed. I usually avoid the Mall on Friday with all the shoppers who, like me, have forgotten or didn’t have time, and it can get kind of crazy. On my way out, I saw and heard a group of Capeura dancers. They were amazing! So graceful and talented. So now I’ve decided that maybe I should venture out Friday afternoons.

Hannukah is around the corner! For all those who have not yet bought JODIE’S HANUKKAH DIG, there’s still some time.

Sorry have been away on a book tour and haven’t had time to update. Here’s an interview with me on Carol’s Bookluver –http://bookluver-carol.blogspot.com/2008/11/anna-levine.html

Anna Levine is the author of Freefall.

1.) What made you start writing?

Writing is my way of trying to make sense and understand my environment. I was born in Canada, spent a few years in the States, lived in Italy and am now in Israel. Though my environment keeps changing, writing gives me a sense of place and a sense of security. I never feel lonely if I have my pen/paper or my computer with me.

2.) What were you doing when you first got the idea for Freefall? Did it come to you all in a sudden or did it come slowly, in little pieces?

I was eavesdropping. My kitchen and living room are one open space separated by the dining room table. My son was sitting in the living room with his friends. They had all received their draft notices and were talking about what they wanted to do in the army. The girls were as much apart of the conversation as the boys. And I began thinking, what if? What if there was a girl who wanted to do her service in a combat unit but she was underweight? Would she, despite the pressure on girls to be thin, gain the weight to be able to attain what she wanted? And if she got what she wanted, would she be able to cope? Face her fears? Prove she was up to the task? As I started to interview girls who were before their draft, and girls who were in combat units, the story began to come together.

) What was the hardest scene to write in Freefall?

To read the answer to this and more questions go to: http://bookluver-carol.blogspot.com/2008/11/anna-levine.html

I saw this sign hanging outside a store in Yaffo. Makes one wonder what they’ve got inside.

Which period of history would you buy?

Your character has to deal with an issue that comes up. In order to sort it out, he/she has to do something that is totally out of character.