Author Study: Elvira Woodruff

Author Study: Elvira Woodruff

Author Study: Elvira Woodruff

​Elvira Woodruff

• ​Author of many popular books for children

• Wrote both picture books and novels for middle grade readers

• Work has won many awards and honors

• Born in Raritan, New Jersey in 1951

• Lived for the last twenty years in Martins Creek, Pennsylvania

• Likes to travel to research her stories

• Likes to work in her garden (morning glories being one of her favorite flowers)

• Enjoys baking cookies and pies in her kitchen

Multiple Choice

Elvira Woodruff wrote many picture books and novels.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

In what state was Woodruff born in?

• Wisconsin

• New Jersey

• Maine

• N

Multiple Choice

In what state does Woodruff live in?

• Wisconsin

• New Jersey

• Pennsylvania

• New York

​Elvira says....

"​I didn’t discover my gift for writing until I was pretty much an old woman of thirty-five! Even though I loved creative writing in elementary school and on into high school, I never imagined it as a career for myself."

​

​"I went to college for two years and majored in English literature, still clue less about how I was going to make a living. At nineteen I was too restless to sit in a classroom any longer. I remember just wanting to get out and live my life. So I quit school and returned home to New Jersey, married my high school sweetheart, and took a job as a janitor in an office building."

​

Multiple Choice

Woodruff was in her 30's when she discovered her career for writing.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

How long did Woodruff attend college?

• 1 year

• 4 years

• 2 years

• 2 months

Multiple Choice

What did Woodruff major in?

• Art

• Music

• Biology

• English Literature

​Elvira obtained many jobs-

Elvira worked as a gardener, receptionist, ice-cream truck driver, window-dresser, store owner, and storyteller in a library.

​

She believes having experienced so many different jobs and meeting all kinds of people has broadened her writing and the subjects she's interested in.​

Multiple Select

Please select the jobs that Woodruff did.

• gardener

• ice cream truck driver

• janitor

• window dresser

​About our book...

​“An overnight camp-out turns into a harrowing trip to colonial America in this action-packed novel…Young history buffs and adventure seekers alike will enjoy this journey to the past.”—Publishers Weekly

​

​Scholastic Press, February 1993

​Ages 8-14

​

​When five kids take a walk along Lake Levart late one night, a mysterious wooden rowboat beckons them aboard. As if in a trance, they all step inside. But what they don't realize is that this enchanted boat is headed backward in time, to the time of George Washington. And their neighborhood lake has been transformed into the icy Delaware River on the eve of the battle at Trenton. Through encounters with Hessian soldiers, revolutionaries, and even George Washington himself, Matthew, Quentin, Hooter, Tony, and Katie watch history unfold before their eyes as they see first-hand the grim realities of war and learn the cost of their freedom. How will they ever find their way back to the safety of their familiar suburban homes?

Multiple Choice

What famous leader does this book involve?

• Benjamin Franklin

• George Washington

• George Bush

• Thomas Edison

Multiple Choice

This book is a time travel adventure.

• True

• False