You might know S.D. Smith as the author of the Green Ember series of books. He also happens to be hilarious – which makes this episode so much fun!

At all five Great Homeschool Conventions in 2018, Sarah Mackenzie interviewed S.D. Smith live on stage. At one point, he flipped the whole thing on its head and interviewed Sarah. Hilarity ensued, and somehow they even managed to have a bit of serious conversation.

Plus a secret is revealed: Did you know that S.D. named a character in his books after Sarah?

You get to hear the whole thing on today’s episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast. You’ll hear:

  • what it really means to write for children
  • why the Read-Aloud Revival changed the name of its tagline
  • what happened when Sarah met her “other favorite author” (scroll down for the photo that goes with that story!)

This one is great for the whole family – you don’t want to miss it!

Click the play button below:

Listener Guide

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast:

  • 3:45 Are you heading to a Great Homeschool Convention?
  • 5:40 Meant for reading aloud …
  • 7:25 Writing for children
  • 10:27 If S.D. wasn’t an author …?
  • 13:37 S.D. makes fun of Sarah for a bit …
  • 16:33 Going full-time
  • 20:00 His heart’s desire …
  • 22:25 S.D. takes over the podcast
  • 25:47 Vision and heart for reading aloud
  • 29:10 Why did people respond?
  • 30:12 A new tagline
  • 33:52 Kids’ questions
  • 41:44 Let the kids speak

First, the picture S.D. was talking about in the podcast:

Yes, that’s Kate DiCamillo. And yes, it’s also every single one of my neck veins. To get the scoop on this photo, listen at around minute 14:07 of the podcast. AHEM.

Quotes to remember:

“The thing that I love about kids is that they’re so generous, so sweet, so special. They’re considerate, they’re kind, and I think that extends to the sort of the way they behave in person. But also to the way that they’re thinking about stories. They’re ready to welcome good things into their hearts and they’re ready to surrender in a good way- to just get lost in the story.” -S.D. Smith

One of the things I think is so powerful about reading stories with our kids is that we get practice. Every time we read a story, we encounter a character who has to overcome obstacles. If we give our kids stories as they’re growing, by the time they’re grown and they face those obstacles in their lives they’ll know, they’ve seen, and they’ve borne witness to heroes finding what they need in themselves and in God to meet the obstacle- to overcome the obstacle.” -Sarah Mackenzie

“The books began as stories I told my kids. So they were read-aloud and they were improvised in the moment.” -S.D. Smith

”I thought I was writing a manifesto on reading aloud. And then as I was writing, I realized it was more like a manifesto on connecting with our kids… and reading aloud ends up being the avenue we do that with. But the point isn’t the books. The point is the children.” -Sarah Mackenzie

Books from this episode:

(All links are affiliate links.)

The Green Ember
The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
The Black Star of Kingston
The Read-Aloud Handbook: Seventh Edition
Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace
Ember Rising (The Green Ember Series: Book 3)
Bridge to Terabithia
Ember Falls (The Green Ember Series: Book 2)
The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids
The Last Archer: A Green Ember Story

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