ONE TO READ: LINDA SUE PARK

If your house was on fire and you could only grab one thing as you ran to safety, what would it be? That's the question behind Newbery Medalist author and educator Linda Sue Park's new book, The One Thing You'd Save. The story, written not in prose but in Korean sijo poetry, is set in a middle school classroom where students weigh in on the treasured item they would rescue from the flames. 'It's a question people sometimes talk about,' says Park. 'Almost like a parlor game. But you can tell a lot about a person by their things. When I'm writing and trying to create characters that feel real, I think about what they look like and what their personality is, of course. But a huge part of building a character for me is determining what they care about and what they love.'
Born in Illinois to Korean immigrant parents, Park studied English at Stanford University. She went on to receive a Higher Diploma in Anglo-Irish Literature from Trinity College, Dublin and Birkbeck [...]