Worm Story Interview

Worm Story - Interview With The Author: Morris Gleitzman

Interviewer: Good Morning everyone, and a big welcome to the first episode of our new show - Puffin, the best books. Today on our show we have the one and only, Morris Gleitzman! How are you today Morris?

Morris: I'm good thanks, and I'd like to say hello to everyone out there watching this show.

Interviewer: Thanks Morris. So let's get this show on the road shall we? Today we're going to be talking about your latest book, Worm Story.

Morris: That's right.

Interviewer: So as I understand it, this book is about the human body, and a worm trying to find his meaning in life?

Morris: You've hit the nail on the head there.

Interviewer: Well I'm going to ask you some questions that I'm sure most of you out there are dying to here the answer to.

Morris: Well fire away. I'll try to answer most of them.

Interviewer: Okay, did you purposely portray the main character Wilton, as being an obese worm? Or did it just add character to the book?

Morris: Well yes I did. By making Wilton obese, it showed kids that no matter what you look like, what abilities you have or how smart you are that you can overcome anything that is put in front of them. Yes, it did add some character to the book, and I suppose him being obese, also added sympathy to the book.

Interviewer: I see. But what made you write a book about this topic? It's very unusual.

Morris: I think that I wanted to write something that wasn't like anything else out there at this present time, apart from fictional books which I think most kids wouldn't read. It is a different topic to write about, but the human body's a confusing apparatus, which meant there were more obstacles that I could write about.

Interviewer: I think we all agree that the human body is confusing, so did you have to put any research into this - to get all your facts right?

Morris: Yes of course I did. Kids out there reading this wouldn't want the wrong information, unless the book was meant to be like that. I couldn't have the body's stomach in his leg, or his heart in his head as it just wouldn't work. If I did that, people reading this book that haven't had much education in that field might start believing what I write.

Interviewer: So then this book is also an educational one?

Morris: Well yes and no. It is educational because of the fact that I refer to parts of the human body, and you may pick up a bit of this and a bit of that from reading it. But it's also meant to be a fun book to be read and enjoyed by kids around the globe. If young children found out that this was purely educational, they would never pick it up and read it.

Interviewer: I see where you're coming from, but couldn't this book create a discussion about the social aspects of life?

Morris: That's another topic that I've incorporated into this book. They're sort of like subliminal messages. After reading the novel, teachers will be able to discuss what the disadvantages of being overweight are, how to eat healthily, what the effects of bullying have on other people and also, friendship are some key aspects of this book.

Interviewer: So where did you get the idea of having Wilton obese?

Morris: Well when I first started writing this book, they were all normal worms, bacteria and so on. But recently on the news stories about obesity and the problems kids face from it have been popping up everywhere, so I changed the main character around a bit, and because of that I think that this book has achieved much more than it would have.

Interviewer: But don't you think that children, who are obese, will be put off by the topics faced? At one stage in the book, Wilton has fallen down a hill and because of his weight problem he can't