The Character Book Club Welcomes Anna Green

Hey everybody! Today's a real special day, because Greg has handed over control of the Deliverers Blog to me--Kate Endria--and my friend, Hallo Tosis the dwarf. Why has Greg given us power over his blog? We've been asked to host this month's meeting of the Character Book Club! The CBC is this great club where characters from fantastic middle grade novels hang out and get to know each other better! Hallo and I are really excited to be speaking with Anna Green from Maro L. Dill's wonderful book, Finding My Place.

So, let's get right to it.

Kate:  Hi Anna! It’s great to meet you. Welcome to the Deliverers blog and congratulations on becoming a member of the Character Book Club. Hallo and I are really excited to find out more about you and your story. We aren’t from your world, but our friend Eric is, and he told us a little about the Civil War. What was it like to be living in a city under siege?

Anna:  Hi Kate! Before I became part of the Character Book Club, I didn’t even know there was another world, and now I am talking to someone from one. My brother, James, will never believe this, and he is going to be so jealous. To answer your question, living in a city under siege is very difficult. It was very hot during those summer months, and the caves we had to live in weren’t exactly underground—they were built in the sides of yellow clay hills. It was muggy, and there were an awful lot of mosquitoes, too. But the worst part was that my family was separated because of the war. Only three of us were together—myself and my younger siblings, James and Sara.

Hallo:  I heard tell you had t’ live underground for a spell. I’m a dwarf, an’ m’ folk live in the

Dwarf Kingdom under the Iron Mountains. What was it like livin’ in a cave an’ bein’ bombed an’ such?

Anna:  I really like the way you talk. To be honest, it was not very enjoyable to live in a cave. We were very bored. We had to stay inside to be safe from the shells flying overhead, so we played games like checkers and marbles. But James is a cheater, and so it is not very fun to play with him. Mrs. Franklin, our mean neighbor whom we lived with for a while, wanted us to do chores all day inside the cave. She would make up things for us to do. It was not easy.

Kate:  War is dreadful. What was your life like before the war? What do you do for fun?

Anna:  Before the war, my family lived all together in a house in Vicksburg, and we were very close. My pa read to us all the time, and my mom and our servants made delicious suppers. My older brother Michael helped me with my school work if I had any trouble. He is one of the smartest people I know. My youngest sister, Sara, who is only 6 played with her dolls a lot. My ma always wanted me to learn to be a proper lady, but I was much more interested in the books my pa was reading or writing my own stories.

Hallo:  For a long time, I was kind of a loner, don’t ya know. What’re your friends like?

Anna:  My friends are mostly at school. Once I came home, I had chores and played with my sister and brother. I didn’t have much free time. But I have a crush on one boy named Albert. I will tell you more about him later. I think Kate is more interested in boys than you are, Hallo.

Kate:  One of my favorite things about being part of the Deliverers and going on Assignments to different worlds is that I get to learn about how others live. What’s it like living in the 19^th century?

Anna:  I thought it was wonderful, but then I came here to talk to some other characters and saw these machines called computers. But, you want to know about the 19^th century. We lived in a nice brick house, but it was hot in the summer. In the winter, we had fires and wood stoves to keep us warm. We had a lot of chores to do just to live, although in town we did have a general store where we could go to get supplies. We travel around on a horse or in a wagon or buggy. Girls wear dresses all the time, and church is very important in our lives. My pa often reads to us from the Bible at night by a lantern. One thing kids always want to know is where did I go to the bathroom? I did not have a bathroom in my house or in the cave. We had to go in outhouses.

Hallo:  M’ Pappy an’ I didn’t get along so well for a while, but now we’re thick as thieves. What are your parents like?

Anna:  It’s hard for me to talk about my parents. I don’t really want to tell you why, but during the Siege, they are not able to take care of us. But before the war, they were wonderful, kind, and loving. My pa understood me better than my ma, but I know she loved me just the same.

Kate:  If you could travel anywhere in time, when and where would you go?

Anna:  Oh my gosh, I don’t know. I think I would travel to when I’m 16 (that’s just three years from now) because I want to know if Albert is going to marry me or not.  I also heard that the war ends in 1865, and so I want to leave the war behind.

Hallo:  We’re comin’ up on the holidays. M’ folk like t’ have a kinda wild time when it comes t’ celebratin’. How do your folk celebrate Christmas an’ such?

Anna:  We always have too much to eat, including a huge turkey that my brother Michael hunts for us. He loves to hunt. Sometimes, we would go to my grandparents’ plantation a few miles away from town, but it took a very long time to get there, since we had to ride in a wagon. Sometimes, they came to our house. We always go to church on Christmas Eve and thank God for giving us his son, Jesus. In the morning when we wake up, we each have a few presents to open, and we sing Christmas songs.

Kate:  Okay, so I’ve been dying to talk about this, but wasn’t sure how to bring it up. Eric and I have been on a few Assignments together now. I really like him, but sometimes he drives me crazy. I think we’re just friends, but there are times when I catch myself hoping it might be something more. He seems to be totally clueless about that sort of thing. How did you and Albert get together? How did you know that you liked each other?

Anna:  Kate, I have been waiting for you to tell me about Eric and to ask me about Albert. At first, I couldn’t even talk in front of him. It was like bees were buzzing in my stomach the entire time he was in the room. But then he helped me when my parents weren’t able to during the Siege. We spent more and more time together, and then one day, he kissed my hand, and I felt it all the way to my toes.

Hallo:  Well that’s interestin’ an’ everything, but can’t we talk about somethin’ else? Eric might just be readin’ this, don’t ya know. Do ya have any soldiers in your town and what’re they like?

Anna:  Hallo, unfortunately, the soldiers that bombed us for 47 days while we lived in caves are the ones that won the Siege. Our army had to surrender, and now we have Yankee soldiers in Vicksburg. Some of them are nice, but most of them take our food and belongings. We have all started to bury items we want to keep away from them. My brother Michael says things will go back to normal in a while when these soldiers become busy with other people and other cities. I hope he’s right. 

Kate:  Thanks Anna, it was great meeting you and finding out a little bit about yourself and life in the 1800's.

Hallo:  Yeah, it was real illuminatin', don't ya know, 'cept maybe that girl stuff 'bout who likes who, but I guess that can't be helped.

To find out more about Margo L. Dill and her books, visit her website.
You can also get a copy of Finding My Place on Amazon.