The Sherlock Society: An Interview with Author James Ponti [S7 EP. 223]

Listen to the full episode below:

Teacher friends, it’s Marie here, and I’m extra excited for you to hear today’s episode. I get to sit down with middle grades author James Ponti! James is here to tell us about his inspiration behind The Sherlock Society, his journey from working in television to becoming an author, and so much more.

To top it all off, my middle school son Wyatt is acting as my co-host to help me interview James!  Wyatt has read some of James’ books and is a big fan, so it’s amazing to hear the excitement in their voices when they talk to each other.

If you aren’t already familiar with James Ponti’s books, check them out after listening to this interview! We love them because of how engaging and accessible they are for the middle-grades audience. During our conversation, James even gave some ideas of how you could pair The Sherlock Society with other texts for a thematic unit.

Meet James:

James Ponti is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of four middle-grade book series, including City Spies and The Sherlock Society.

His novels have been named to forty-five state award lists and translated into a dozen languages. He's a two-time Edgar Award-nominee, winning in 2018 for Vanished. He lives with his family in Orlando, Florida. 

Topics Discussed:

  • Supporting students while reading a multi-layered story

  • The story behind The Sherlock Society

  • Hidden benefits of reading (and writing) mysteries 

  • Why James listens to his books on audio

  • How James’ background in television has helped him with his writing

  • Types of books that you could pair with The Sherlock Society

  • Done-for-you resources that James has for teachers

  • What James hopes teachers and students walk away with after reading The Sherlock Society

Resources Mentioned:

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More about Brave New Teaching:

Join hosts Amanda Cardenas (Mud & Ink Teaching) and Marie Morris (The Caffeinated Classroom) in discussions about being brave, trying new things, and all things teaching! As seasoned classroom teachers, Amanda and Marie bring their experience, insight, energy, and oh, so many opinions and ideas... It's time for all teachers to take their classroom and teaching practice into their own hands!

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