[Sam]

Dear Mr. Korman,

My name is Sam. I am from Tampa, Florida, and I am a big fan of your books! I have read 4 of your books now those being, Ungifted, Supergifted, Restart, and the latest being The Fort. What I really like about the Fort is how realistic it is. Restart did have that "realistic" feeling but not as much as The Fort did. Now when I say realistic, I don't mean realistic that a group of kids hide in an old bomb shelter in the woods. Instead, I mean it's realistic for their lives. It had a huge impact on the book and made you really have to sit down and think about things like mental health, abuse, bullying, and OCD. Those are things you don't always see in books for young adult audiences. I also really enjoy history and appreciated how you put in an important event like the Cold War. It makes me want to research and learn more about that time period, especially the idea of the bomb shelters.

If you have the time, I would like to ask a few questions.

1) Since The Fort was my favorite, what other books of yours would you recommend that deal with more real-world, young adult issues?

2) Almost every chapter in The Fort had experiences that I could picture being on the big screen. The action, characters, and themes could make a great movie. If you wanted to make a movie from one of your books, which one would it be?

3) Other than writing, what hobbies and interests do you have?

4) Is there a topic or theme for a book that you haven't written about yet but would really like to do so?

Thank you for your time!

Sincerely,

Sam

Hi, Sam,

I could have sworn I answered your posting a day or so ago. It's possible I wrote something and cleverly erased it! Sorry to keep you waiting.

I'm glad THE FORT reached you in so many ways. I hope to continue writing material that will both amuse you AND interest you as well. Try LINKED, and also the MASTERMINDS trilogy. If you're interested in the gangster era of the 1920's and '30's, try NOTORIOUS. And watch for FAKER, which is coming out in July of this year.

If I could make a movie, it would be -- all of them! There have been 3 Bruno & Boots Macdonald Hall movies, and a TV movie of SWINDLE, Book #1. Disney Channel aso did a pretty long series based on my MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL CLUB series. And it looks like -- fingers crossed -- RESTART may make it to the screen.

Writing is hardly my hobby, Sam. It's what I do for a living. My other interests incude my family, and NFL football. Go Giants!

I have lots of ideas still, but forgive me if I don't share them. Writers guard their ideas VERY well!

OK? Hope I'm not answering you twice (and I also hope , if twice, that my answers match!)

                        Regards,                                                      -----Gordon Korman-----

[J.R.]

Dear Mr. Korman,

I believe you did. I saw it a couple days ago. It may have been erased or such.

Best of wishes,

J.R.

Thanks, J.R. You're slowly becoming my Webmaster!                                                  --GK--

[Ben]

Is there going to be another book for Fort?

Hi, Ben,

Thanks for posting. I hadn't planned either a sequel or a prequel to THE FORT, as I thought the book stands very well as a single volume. On the other hand, I would never say never! How about I give you a very indefinite "maybe" for the time being, OK? I'm not really sure if I have more to say, especially since the fort itself is gone.

                                  Thanks again, Ben.                                                           -----Gordon Korman-----

[Ethan hegger]

Hello i really liked you book the fort and restart 

[Ava]

I love your books, especially the fort. I also have OCD just like Mitchell. You are the one who got me interested in reading. I was 5 years behind in reading. Then I read your books and now I’m up to grade level in reading. I have similar issues with OCD as Mitchell. I like how Mitchell relates to me. Thank you for continuing to write books after 7th grade. You are my favorite author. 

[Emmett]

Dear Mr. Korman,

I have been reading some of your books for a some time now, (Since fourth grade) and some of them stood out to me. Restart and the fort have been my favorites, fort being first. I really like the way the characters react with each other and how all of them have a specific challenge in their life.

 

I really like the book and I think you could reach 200 at some point keep. Keep it up!!!

[Madena Naqibullah]

Hello my name is Madena and I was wondering why you didn’t have a chapter about Jeager cause I really wanted to know what his life was. Other than that the book was amazing I really loved how u connected the character to real life situations. One last question is if you make another book about The Fort I think I would read it instantly.

Keep doing what your doing.

[Lisa]

Mr. Korman,

  I am a reading teacher at a middle school in Missouri, and I really enjoy your books.  Each one that I have read with my students has been a big hit.  I am teaching summer school right now, and my class just finished The Fort.  It kept us on the edge of our seats as we followed the story of C.J. and his family.  All of the characters were realistic in that they each had issues to work through.  I would love for you to create a follow up to this story involving the five main characters.  There are so many possible conflicts to explore!

                             Lisa

Hi,Ethan, Ava, Emmett, Madena, & Lisa,

Thanks for posting, people. I'm glad to hear that so many of you have been enjoying THE FORT, which was my 100th book, and is very special to me. Thanks for writing to tell me so. Your letters:

ETHAN, I'm glad you enjoyed RESTART too. Did you know it's been on the New York Times' Bestseller List for almost 4 years? And THE FORT made the list as well.

AVA, OCD wasn't easy for Mitchell, and I'm sure it has caused you a few problems too! Thanks for writing and mostly for understanding Mitchell so well!

EMMETT, I don't know if I'll ever be able to reach the magic number of 200, but thanks for the thought! I'm at 107 right now, even though only 104 are out so far -- so I'm trying!

MADENA, good point. When I write from different characters' viewpoints, I have to choose which people, and I guess Jaeger was someone I decided was not a major contributor to the story, other than his malign influence on his friend. It's a choice writers have to make sometimes.

LISA, thank you for your support for my work with your students. I promise to take their advice -- and yours too! -- very seriously. I, too, am fascinated by the way my characters turned out. In some books they take on a life of their own, and that was the case with THE FORT.

Thanks, everyone!                                                                              -----Gordon Korman-----

 

[E.W.]

Hi Gordon, I really like your books. I've read Restart, Schooled, linked, Unteachables, Zoobreak, and more.

My favorite is either The Fort or Unteachables.

I like the setting in your books, it's always in a small or medium-sized town where it is easy to bike or walk around. 

In Unteachables, I like that Parker has a provisional license and gets to drive his truck around.

I also like that the characters (in both books) have a lot of freedom.

Thanks for your time,

Ethan

 

 

Hi, Ethan,

Thanks for posting, and also for the story idea you sent me on the other section of the website.

It's really helpful for me to have the details of what you like about certain stories, so thanks for letting me know about Parker's provisional license, the characters' relative freedoms, etc. After all, I write for an audience, and that's you! So I need to know what you enjoy reading.

I hope you'll watch for the newest release, FAKER, out just a few days. It made the New YorkTimes Bestseller List!

                                     Thanks again.                                            -----Gordon Korman-----