Celebrate National STEM Day with Sandra Neil Wallace!

Hi, readers, writers, and STEM enthusiasts! It’s November - a month when we celebrate togetherness, family, and STEM. What better way to mark the month, and celebrate National STEM Day, than with Sandra Neil Wallace and her book Rock Star: How Ursula Marvin Mapped Moon Rocks and Meteorites?

This true story follows Ursula Marvin - a female geologist who charted new territory as a scientist and fought gender discrimination at every turn in her career. She broke barriers in science, helped create the field of planetary geology, and achieved so much more.

Want to learn more about Sandra and her new book - and hear an amazing writing tip, too? Read on…

Q: Hi, Sandra! Thanks for joining #SeasonsOfKidLit. We're thrilled to host you and hear all about your new book. First, can you share more about yourself and your path to becoming a children's author?

A: I’m thrilled to be here celebrating National STEM Day. Thanks for inviting me! My path to becoming a children’s book author wasn’t something that I planned. It evolved from my years in journalism. As a broadcast news reporter working my way up to being a news anchor and sports anchor, I learned so much about storytelling, conveying information in a short amount of time, and navigating tight deadlines. When I was asked by Highlights for Children to write about my experience as an ESPN sports announcer on live TV, that really sparked my interest in writing for children. But it took ten years of rejections before my first book was published. I really persisted!

Q: Your book is a perfect read for National STEM Day (on November 8th or anytime of the month/year!). It follows Geologist Ursula Marvin's expedition to Antarctica and her search for meteorites. What an amazing idea for a book! What encouraged you to write this story? What was the research process like?

A: It’s so exciting to be on your blog for National STEM Day. I mean, long before the word STEM became popular, Ursula was carving out workspaces for women in STEM. I was encouraged to write this story after learning about Ursula Marvin’s impact on geology and space science by reading her obituary in the New York Times. Ursula was such a trailblazer, uncovering new information about the moon and our solar system. I also loved that she was a scientist explorer, becoming the first woman to search for meteorites in Antarctica. But what really resonated with me was that Ursula had grown up in Vermont, close to where I live in New Hampshire. She’d hiked the same mountains that I do, which sparked her interest in exploring and geology.

As for researching Rock Star, as I was about to travel to the Smithsonian archives in Washington to explore the Ursula B. Marvin Collection, the Covid-19 pandemic hit, and the archives shut down. 

With so much of the collection still undigitized except for Ursula’s Antarctica Ice Journals, I had to become an intrepid reporter, drawing on my background as a journalist, conducting phone interviews and logging email conversations with scientists and explorers who had worked with Ursula. I also interviewed her family. 

P.S. Readers, I read and LOVED this story. It's perfect for any reader who's into space, geology, and STEM.

Q: What takeaway do you hope readers of all ages have from reading your book? 

Rock Star is really an invitation to explore. We want children to be curious and brave, and this is a true story of a trailblazing geologist who ignored societal expectations and studied the solar system, making seismic discoveries in science.

Q. What was your process like for creating backmatter for your book? What tips do you have for anyone who is also looking to write backmatter for their book? 

Great question! As soon as I begin my research, I create a backmatter file that I continue to fill up as I’m writing and researching the story. I view backmatter as an offering of different entry points for young readers and educators to take a deeper dive into the story. Timelines are important, and I also work to balance factual lists by creating sections that offer more personal connections, including quotes or journal entries, to keep backmatter lively.

Q: Can you share more about working with Nancy Carpenter - the amazing illustrator of your book? Her work is so remarkable!  

A: I’m so lucky to have collaborated with Nancy. Her illustrations provide such a range! There’s lots of snow and icy scenes in Rock Star, and Nancy created every spread in a different and wonderful way. I admire the approach and perspective that Nancy took with her acrylic paintings—from the opening pages, where you can follow Ursula’s puffs of breath as she skijors over icy fields in Vermont, to the joyful depictions of Ursula exploring in Antarctica, searching for meteorites in moraines while riding her snowmobile that she nicknamed Blue Ice.

Q: Would you like to leave a writing tip or a treat for our readers? 

A: I’d like to leave a writing tip, please! Revisions are something I’ve learned to embrace and even look forward to. But before sending in my final draft of a manuscript, I always read my work out loud. Wherever I come across something that gives me pause, I mark it but continue reading. Then when I’ve finished reading the entire manuscript aloud, I circle back to the places where I paused or stumbled and examine why that may be. Usually, I end up making changes that really strengthen the manuscript.

SUCH a great tip! Thanks again for joining us and sharing a closer look at your book. It was a pleasure having you with us this month.

Readers, please leave a comment below to thank Sandra for stopping. by.

About Sandra Neil Wallace:

Sandra Neil Wallace writes about people who break barriers and change the world. Her true stories for young readers have received 20 starred reviews and won several national awards including the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery, and the NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book for Marjory Saves the Everglades. A former ESPN reporter and the first woman to host an NHL broadcast on national TV,  she continues to break barriers and create change as co-founder of The Daily Good, which supports thousands of students through global food pantries and literacy programs in New Hampshire. Visit Sandra at SandraNeilWallace.com

For more about Sandra and her book, check out the below links:

National STEM/STEAM Day is Nov 8

★“A luminous tribute befitting a brilliant trailblazer.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Instagram:

Sandra Neil Wallace: @sandraneilwallace

Nancy Carpenter: @nancycarpenterillustrator

SimonKids: @simonKIDS

Blue Slip Media: @blue_slip_media 

Facebook:

Sandra Neil Wallace: Sandra Neil Wallace

Nancy Carpenter: Nancy Carpenter

SimonKids: @SimonKIDS

Blue Slip Media: @blue-slip-media 

Bluesky

Sandra Neil Wallace: N/A

Nancy Carpenter: Nancy Carpenter 

SimonKids: N/A

Blue Slip Media: @blueslipmedia.bsky.social

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