We asked readers in 5th and 7th grade to share questions with us about the NYSRA Charlotte Award nominated book Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf (Holm & Castaldi, 2007). The illustrator Elicia Castaldi shared these answers with us about the process of creating this unique and critically acclaimed book.
To begin here’s an example of Ms. Castaldi’s work for the book. She writes, “I usually take a bunch of photos, as well as scan things like receipts and tickets, etc. Then I use Photoshop to create the finished product.”
Before: photo
After: illustration
Mrs. Wilcox’s 5th graders asked,
Why did they put stop in between every sentence on the telegraph?
It seems silly to write that way, but traditional telegrams used the word “stop” between sentences. This is why we included it.
Why did you put some police blotters in a book about middle school?
The police blotters were a way to follow along the mischief that Ginny’s older brother Henry was getting himself into.
Why did you put computer messages on some pages?
Sometimes Ginny and her best friend Becky Soo would chat over Instant Messaging.
Why did you put drawings on most of the pages?
The entire book is told through pictures. Part of reading the story is looking at all the “stuff”.
What was the reason for the bank account sheets?
The bank account sheets are to show that sometimes mistakes cost money.
Why did you have the brother go to bad boy school?
Ginny’s brother went to Bad Boy School so that he could be taught the lessons of his bad behavior.
A 7th grade student asked,
Did you plan on the book being “told through stuff” or was it originally going to be written with normal text?
The book was always planned to be told through “stuff”. In fact, it was inspired by Jennifer Holm’s actual 7th grade artifacts.
Did Jennifer L. Holm or Elicia Castaldi come up with the ideas for objects or did they decide together?
It was a collaboration. Jennifer sent me a bunch of her real “stuff” from middle school, and I also gathered things from my past and present.
Did Jennifer L. Holm or Elicia Castaldi have any experiences similar to Ginny’s that inspired the book?
The book is fictional, but it was loosely inspired by Jennifer’s experiences. I definitely identified with Ginny’s 7th grade struggles. I think we can all relate.
Was it difficult coming up with all of the stuff to use in the book or was it fun just being creative?
It was so much fun going on a scavenger hunt to find all the “stuff” in the book. For the record, I got the meatloaf for the front cover at my corner deli which has a really gross buffet. It was perfect!
Elicia Castaldi
Oct. 15, 2009
