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Letter to the editor

An author's way to a boy's imagination

Experience helped Sharon Robinson zero in on how to write page-turners for the younger set.

By Piper Castillo, Times Staff Writer
Published October 25, 2007

Keeping Boys on the Page
Sharon Robinson will appear on a panel with Elise Leonard, Blake Nelson and R.L. Stine at the Times Festival of Reading at 2:45 p.m. Saturday in the Fish & Wildlife Institute auditorium.

Robinson will also talk about Slam Dunk! at 11 a.m. in the Poynter Institute South Pavilion. 

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Through her own son, Jesse Simms, Sharon Robinson learned something: "It takes a lot of patience and persistence to engage a reluctant reader."

Robinson, an educational consultant for Major League Baseball, has written three books about her father, baseball great Jackie Robinson. Last month, Scholastic released her second novel for young readers, Slam Dunk!

At the Festival of Reading you'll talk about the adventure of getting boys to read, a task daunting to many parents, impossible to others. How tough is it?

I wouldn't say it is impossible, but I think boys often need high-interest books to encourage them. As a mother who had difficulty getting a son to read, I know it can be an ongoing struggle.

Do you find that you need to come up with particular ways of writing for boys?

It does work to engage boys through sports, and they seem to also be attracted to facts and numbers. And at author events, I actively get boys involved. For example, I get them to act out scenes from Slam Dunk! It gets them into the tension of the moment.

Are girls easier to write for?

Well, I've never written just for girls or just for boys so I can't answer that completely . . . but the girls frequently seem more captivated by the author and writing process.

What was your son's favorite subject, and did he help lay the groundwork for your writing?

Jesse is a math whiz. Language arts was very tough for him. . . . I realized that you have to understand that kids learn in different ways. He was more visual, so the material needed to be visual.

How did you realize the personalities of Jumper and Nia in novels Safe at Home and Slam Dunk!?

They are based on real kids. Nia is a girl I just fell in love with. She was very vocal, and that got her in trouble just about all the time. With Jumper, he is a composite of several children. He's my son on some level, but he is made up of several kids that I met in Harlem.

You grew up in the suburbs of Connecticut, yet your novels are urban based. How have you dealt with the sense of place?

The neighborhood in Slam Dunk! is my brother's neighborhood . . . he moved to Harlem in the '80s. I met with kids through a program in Harlem, and they taught me stuff. For example, I knew how to play hide and seek in the suburb, but these kids taught me how it would be played in an apartment building.

My 11-year-old son wanted me to ask you some questions. First, were you sad when the Dodgers left Brooklyn?

Yes, like everyone was. But the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn was a secondary blow. I was sad when they traded my dad. I thought it meant he wasn't good anymore. I was feeling hurt for my father.

What athlete did your father respect most?

Joe Lewis.

You're going to miss some of the World Series because of the festival.

Well, I could still make games six and seven. I'm hoping for a long World Series this year.

Piper Castillo can be reached at pcastillo@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8827.

[Last modified October 24, 2007, 20:11:02]