ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Avi
Avi - a name given to him by his twin sister - was born in New York City in 1937. Raised in a home with a
family history of authorship and books, newspapers were a major part of his early life, just as they are today. It
was his childhood reading of serialized stories in New York newspapers that gave him the desire to revitalize
the tradition. Though he struggled with writing in school, by the time he left high school, Avi had decided to
become a writer. In 1970, his first book was published and since then he has published - in the United States
and around the world - more than fifty-five books for your people. The recipient of many writing honors,
which include the
2003 Newbery Award
, two
Newbery Honors
, the
Horn Book Award
, the
Scott O'Dell Award
, the
Christopher Award
, plus many state awards, Avi is known for his wise stylistic range and prolific literary skills.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR - Lauren Castillo
Lauren Castillo is a recent graduate of the Illustration as Visual Essay, Master of Fine Arts program at the
School of Visual Arts in New York. She works as an Assistant Art Director by Day, and Illustrator by night.
Currently, Lauren is finishing her first picture book,
What Happens on Wednesdays
by Emily Jenkins, with Farrar,
Straus and Giroux. Other forthcoming books include,
When Pigs Ran New York
written by Linda Stanek, and
Buffalo Music
, written by Tracey E. Fern. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.
Lauren's work may be viewed at
.
THE SETTING -1884 The water route between New Port, New Jersey to New York City.
(Standards 1, 2, 8, 11, 12)
1.
Where would we place 1884 in our country's history? Use the Animated Atlas at
to place this date in historical context. Note the eight colored
horizontal categories which show what was happening in the presidency, literature, the world, etc.
Question
: Would Thaddeus Bates and his sister, Abigail, see the Statue of Liberty in New York
Harbor as they sailed on the
Neptune
?
2. The map on page 4 gives the reader an idea of the area of New Jersey and New York in which
Sudden Squall
takes
place.This map shows the two states and their common water ways, Staten Island, Kill Van Kull, and the Hudson
River, all noted in the story. Follow the voyage of the
Neptune
throughout the story on this map.
3. “Throughout the 19th century, New York and New Jersey waged many disputes over their valuable, shared
harbor and waterways. A dispute over the boundary line through the harbor and the Hudson River - settled
by the Treaty of 1834 - once led state police to exchange shots in the middle of the river. The impasse eased
when the states agreed that the port area was, in effect, one community and that conflict squandered the
port's potential. The states sought a governmental body to oversee port affairs and found a model in the
Port of London, administered by what was then the only public authority in the world.” Today the Port
Authority is the organization which oversees and maintains the bridges, tunnels, bus terminals, airports,
subways, and seaports for New Jersey and New York.
Source: History of the Port Authority
/
3
