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Interview with author Elizabeth Wahn, EYP Newsletter, Spring 2005

New Book Phenomenon: Wherefore Art Thou Lindsey?

Even before hitting the bookstores, Lindsey and the Jedgar is stirring up excitement. Pitched at kids—or is it?—this rollicking adventure story is turning elementary school children into Shakespeare buffs. Author Elizabeth Wahn tells us why.

You're already getting fan mail?
Yes, it's incredible! My purpose in writing Lindsey and the Jedgar was to hook kids on Shakespeare, but it looks like they've gotten hooked on Lindsey too.

Sounds like a fantasy adventure?
Yes. But Lindsey and the Jedgar is basically a comedy, and who's more playful (pardon the pun) than Shakespeare? He's a stitch, and I've freely quoted him. Young readers are positively gleeful when they discover the humor and realize that the awesome William Shakespeare is within their grasp. And when kids get excited about learning, it opens up their worlds.  full interview

Book Preview, by Michael Renolds, The American, May 2005

Lindsey's Volcano

Elizabeth Wahn's new children's book is love's labor gained, says Michael Reynolds

...Wahn's book and the Harry Potter series are similar in that they don't play down to their audiences, "In my experience, youngsters love to stretch their minds; they rise to a challenge when it's presented as fun," says Wahn. "I've used quotations from twenty Shakespearean plays and sonnets plus verse from eighteen other major poets. Kids are quite proud to discover that the awesome William Shakespeare is within their grasp. If the outcome of this book is that I manage to turn kids on to Shakespeare, I'd be pretty happy."

...Wahn, a Shakespeare devotee intent on making the bard accessible to children, seems to have more in common with the sharp-witted and impish adolescent heroes and heroines of her book than with the adults who bumble through the pages... Last year the boundlessly enthusiastic Wahn began sending bound galleys out to international schools in Italy and to schools in the United States...To Wahn's delight, she received overwhelmingly positive responses.

(Editor's note: For a sample of the kid's comments: reader's comment's )

Book Review, by Mia Rowan, The AWAR Forum, May 2005

Shakespeare for elementary school Kids?  Yes!

...In Lindsey and the Jedgar, Wahn's goal was to hook children on Shakespeare. She's accomplished that and a great deal more. A former English teacher, she employs her knack for conveying serious messages through humorous stories. In this action-packed adventure, the mystery of the Jedgar hinges on poetry and integrates dozens of quotations from Shakespeare, particularly the comedies. As the plot unfolds, all clues point to Shakespeare who turns out "to be or not to be" the key.

..trouble is brewing. The Jedgar's Inferno, a nearby volcanic island, regularly erupts and unleashes hostile creatures. Since the energetic but laughably eccentric oldsters ignore the danger, Lindsey and her friends get caught in hair-raising predicaments as they rally to unlock the mystery of  the dreaded Jedgar.  Mistakenly kidnapped through a comedy of errors, Lindsey outwits her captors and restores poetic justice on Elsinore.

Aimed at children age nine to twelve and presented in a beautifully illustrated hardback with a map of Elsinore and dozens of drawings, Lindsey and the Jedgar is a delightful book.

Book Vernissage Introduction, by Lori Hickey Mucci, Istituto Sacro Cuorre Trinità dei Monti, June 8, 2005

Excitement in the Air

What’s a Jedgar? I guess everybody is as curious as I am to find out. Unfortunately, the author won’t tell us. All she says is, “You’ll find out if you read my book.” And as of now, we can!  Lindsey and the Jedgar has just come out today, and in this evening, all our guests will have a chance to take see it. I’ve just spent a few minutes looking it over, and I’ll tell you what I’ve found out.

The story takes place on a fictitious island called Elsinore, which is located in the South Seas. As places go, Elsinore is quirky, and it’s populated by spry, Shakespeare-loving oldsters and their guests—plus exotic animals and temperamental robots. During the summer vacation, five children—three boys and two girls—go to Elsinore to visit their elderly relatives only to discover that they’ve arrived in a very strange place where visitors are required to recite a poem to pass through immigration.

In this story, there are plenty of adventures plus a mystery to solve. Why? Because even though Elsinore looks like a tropical paradise, trouble is brewing. A nearby volcanic island called the Jedgar’s Inferno keeps erupting, causing blackouts, and unleashing hostile creatures that are beginning to invade Elsinore. Yes, the Jedgar is causing big trouble, and it’s up to Lindsey and her friends to solve the problem—and they’ll soon discover that the only way to solve the problem is through Shakespeare.

I think that everybody who picks up the book and thumbs through it will be every bit as impressed as I am. It’s a beautiful, hardback volume—full of dozens of illustrations. You’ll soon get to see them, and when you do, be sure to take a good look at the map of Elsinore Island. The island is shaped like a whale—covered with the local landmarks, which makes it easy to track the characters on their adventures all over the island.

Tonight, we’re here in this glorious Renaissance cloister of Trintà dei Monti not only to inaugurate the book, we’re also about to be treated to some special entertainment. The publisher and the author have collaborated to turn one of the chapters from Lindsey and the Jedgar into a theatrical production titled What Does This Gorilla Have to Do with Shakespeare? As a world premiere, tonight’s entertainment will be performed by the highly talented student-actors from the Istituto Sacro Cuore and the American Overseas School of Rome. So, players, let the performance begin!

Review: Book Vernissage and Theatrical Performance, by Francesca Maggiolini, FAO Casa Gazette, July 2005

What Does This Gorilla Have to Do with Shakespeare?

A crowd gathered in the magnificent Renaissance cloister of Trinità dei Monti (top of the Spanish Steps, Rome, Italy) on June 8 to catch a glimpse of Shakespeare with a simian slant at the Lindsey and the Jedgar vernissage. The imaginative, fantasy adventure was written by former English teacher Elizabeth Wahn with the goal of hooking elementary and middle-school-aged children on Shakespeare—and fully illustrated by Ivy Steele.

... So, what about the gorilla? The highlight of the evening’s program was a theatrical performance called What Does This Gorilla Have to Do with Shakespeare? based on Chapter 11 of the story. In the episode, the children ward off gorilla attacks with declamations from As You Like It and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Great fun for an audience of all ages. The youngsters were particularly delighted to discover that the formidable William Shakespeare was within their grasp.

The book, despite its hair-raising predicaments, probes universal childhood experiences with good-hearted optimism and gentle humor. Through the eyes of Lindsey, a typical child, young readers are drawn to examining their own values, fears and aspirations. In facing challenges, Lindsey gains inner strength—and learns a lot about Shakespeare.

During the ensuing reception, a line formed at the book signing table as enthusiastic guests eagerly snapped up copies of the handsome 240-page volume and admired Ivy Steele’s charming illustrations: 55 drawings, a map of Elsinore Island—the fictitious setting, five child portraits, and a beautiful cover painting.

Review: Author Elizabeth Wahn visits RIS, by Jacopo, Grade 6, RIS Report, monthly magazine of the Rome International School, May 2011

A Dream Comes True

An author coming here, during RIS book week, to talk about her book? It seems it could be reality only in a story, but as Walt Disney said: “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”. And it really looks like G6K have tested this quotation, and to be rewarded, they now have one wish fewer.

That’s because an author did indeed come to their class, to talk about the book she wrote: Elizabeth Wahn, author of Lindsey and the Jedgar. It’s a very good book, 227 pages of pure fun (and an autograph for the sixth graders, who received the book directly from the author’s hands), about a girl, going on vacation in an archipelago. Here, everything is beautifully green, except for one island; Jedgar’s Inferno. A black, dead volcano with strange eruptions. Or what if it isn’t a volcano, after all? What if someone lives inside? What if it is the Jedgar’s palace: and, especially, what on earth is a Jedgar? But will the main character, named Lindsey by the way, find the secret behind the mystery of the strange archipelago? And will Shakespeare turn out to be – or not to be – the key? Well, you can’t know without using 15€, or £ or $ or whatever currency your parents pay your wages with and taking a some time off from your life… Yes, I mean by reading the book!

Children's Author, Elizabeth Wahn, visits troop 404, by Zoe Milak, Girls Scout in Rome website, January 1, 2012

Author Elizabeth Wahn visits Girl Sout Troop 404

On December 3rd, Girl Scouts Junior troop 404 received a visit from children’s author, Elizabeth Wahn, to discuss her book, Lindsey and The Jedgar, as part of their work on the aMuse Journey. Lindsey and The Jedgar is a fast-paced fantasy adventure that turns children onto the fun of Shakespeare. Ms Wahn told the girls that she has enjoyed writing since she was a little girl and explained how she honed her skill through practice, practice, practice, encouraging them to do likewise. She recounted how she came up with the story line for her book and the writing process. After teaching the girls a few lines from Shakespeare, Ms. Wahn read excerpts from her book until the meeting was interrupted by….  Well, check out the photo at the top of this page to find out what happened.