First, a bit about Teresa:

Teresa R. Funke is the award-winning author of six works of fiction for adults and children based on true stories from World War II, including her multi-cultural series for children, The Home-Front Heroes, and her adult books, Dancing in Combat Boots and Remember Wake. Her short stories, articles, and essays have appeared in numerous publications. Her blog, Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life, has led to radio appearances and speaking invitations. Teresa is also a sought-after speaker, presenter, and writer's coach, working with clients all over the country.

Why did you pick to write books for Middle Grade readers?

In a sense I didn’t choose middle grade, it chose me. As the author of two works of fiction about World War II, I started getting invited to schools to speak to the kids about writing and the war. These were mostly fifth-grade classrooms. Come to find out, these kids knew nothing about WWII. They’d never even heard of Adolph Hitler. But on two different occasions, the students opted to skip recess to hear me keep talking! At one visit, one girl said, “Mrs. Funke, this is so interesting. Why don’t you write some books for kids about the war?” That seemed like a great idea to me! So I immediately came up with the concept for The Home-Front Heroes books and knew I wanted to aim for middle grade.

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