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 Meet Zaydek |
Table of Contents
Zaydek G. Michels-Gualtieri
A fifth-grader living in Washington, DC, Zaydek Michels-Gualtieri loves making clay creatures, racing cars, playing computer games, and working on his solid foil ball. He is a little brother to Akaela (13) and a big brother to Miralah (4). Though he occasionally works on his catapult designs, he really does love being a brother!
An Interview with Akaela Michels-Gualtieri, March 2001
- Your story is based on your life with your sisters. What do they think of your book and CD?
- My little sister loves that her voice is in the song. She likes looking at the book, but she doesn't like that the girl is a pest some of the time. Kaely likes being an author and has had fun with her own book. I'm thinking she's excited for me.
- Your mother and older sister are both published authors. How much did they influence your writing? Did they help you or was it somewhat intimidating?
- Yes, they did help me with my book and they are very supportive.
- As a first time author, what did you think of the whole process of having your words changed (edited) and having illustrations put to your words?
- It bothered me a little when they changed some of my words. It was fun to see what Daniel came up with. It made it so you could actually know what is happening clearly.
- What advice do you have for kids who want to write books?
- Think of clever ways to express your ideas. When you get stuck, ask adults for advice.
- Did you help with any of the illustration choices? Dan Liegy, the illustrator is also a brother. Did you ever get a chance to talk to him about that?
- I've never met Daniel. Each time he would do some drawings, my mom would show them to me. I told her what I liked and what needed to be changed. It was fun to work on the pictures.
- What's the coolest thing about working with an illustrator?
- You get to tell them what you want to happen in the pictures.
- Your book includes a CD of music and story narration and we know you love to sing. How involved were you with the songwriters for this CD? Do you play an instrument?
- I helped come up with the words and the ideas for the song. We talked about what it was like to be a brother and tried to come up with words that I would say naturally. It was a little hard to make sure all the sentences rhymed. I couldn't really help too much with the music other than saying what I liked and didn't like. The part that was the most cool was planning the Devil's section and coming up with the conversation between the Devil and the boy. I took piano lessons for a while. Now I'm taking clarinet lessons, but I'm not too good yet.
- What was the coolest thing about working on your own song?
- You get to express yourself in a different way than usual.
- In the book, you build a catapult to send you sister to planet Xeron. Did you really do this?
- I didn't actually build a catapult big enough for Mira, but I do have a catapult that shoots a ping-pong ball across the room. I do sometimes think about building one that could shoot someone to another planet. I knew I wanted to send Mira to planet Xeron, but I needed my mom's help to figure out how to spell it.
- What advice do you have for kids who are having trouble getting along with their brothers and sisters?
- They are pretty much going to be there the rest of your life so you should work on getting along.
- What are your favorite books?
- I like all the Captain Underpants books and the Series of Unfortunate Events books. And also the Horace Splattly books.
- What's next? Another book or just getting ready for Middle School?
- I'd like to write another book, but next time, I'd like to write about race cars and driving and stuff, maybe.
Zaydek's Favorite Things
- Favorite Books
- Horace Splattly books
A Series of Unfortunate Events books
Captain Underpants books
- Favorite Activities
- Collecting Dragons
Hiking
Playing computer games
Eating
Making clay creatures
Working on his foil ball
Rollerblading
Trying to identify different cars
- Favorite Foods
- Pomegranites
Scrambled Eggs with sausage
Macaroni and Cheese
Hot chocolate
Whipped Cream
Pizza
- Favorite Things to Do with My Younger Sister
- Chase her
Play Tag
Play Super Nintendo together
Play computer games together
Draw
Catch fire flies
- Favorite Subject in School
- Math
Language Arts
Art
P.E.
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