It's the summer of 1986, and eleven-year-old Molly just wants to spend the summer with her friends at camp. Instead, she reluctantly heads to Israel to visit family she barely knows! With a less-than-basic knowledge of Hebrew that she picked up in Hebrew school, Molly wonders how she will be able to communicate and have fun in a country that is new and foreign to her. Luckily, surprises are in store.--from the publisher
140 pages 978-1541542334 Ages 9-13
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Interview with Author Esty Schacter
ABookandaHug: Why did you write this story?
Esty Schacter (ES): I wrote PICKLED WATERMELON as a way to cherish and save my memories of my grandparents. The rest of the book is fictional, but the descriptions of Saba and Savta, as well as their home and their store, are just as I remember them. (And a funny story about other members of the family trying to "help out" really happened!)
ABookandAHug: What did you love about this story?
ES: I love how Molly started out cautious and hesitant, and steadily became more confident and sure of herself as the story went on.
ABookandaHug: What surprised you as you wrote the story?
ES: The book was initially written in third person, and after feedback from my editor, I rewrote it in first person. It greatly improved the book, a very pleasant surprise! It helped me show Molly's experience in a much richer way.
ABookandaHug: If you were your ten-year-old self, what would you be looking for in a book and why would this book be special to you?
ES: I enjoyed stories about kids and their friends and families, so I think I would have been excited to find PICKLED WATERMELON!
ABookandaHug: What kinds of books did you read as a child/teen?
ES: I loved the All-of-a-Kind Family series, and read the books over and over. (My sons listened to them on cassette tapes!) I also loved reading books by Lynne Reid Banks, Judy Blume, Lois Lowry and E.B. White. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg was also a favorite then, and now!
