5th Graders Connect to Author, Train To Midnight
On December 2nd, Pleasanton fifth graders connected by distance learning to the author of Train to Midnight, Janie Lynn Panagopoulos. The interactive live discussion with Mrs. Panagopoulos, allowed the students to ask questions about the book, the life of an author, and the research behind writing a book. Train to Midnight is a fiction book, based upon factual information about the Underground Railroad.
The following is from Mrs. Panapopoulos’ website at http://www.jlpanagopoulos.com/train-to-midnight.htm.
“Malaika and her brother Sammy have been arguing about the Underground Railroad when they are caught in an afternoon storm. The crash of a falling tree branch sweeps them back into the lives of Malaika and Samson who are escaping slavery along the Underground Railroad. Separated from their mother, the pair have made their way across the Ohio River to the home of a Quaker couple who introduces them to Daniel, a crude but warm-hearted abolitionist.
Reluctantly, Daniel agrees to accompany the youngsters on their journey through Indiana and Ohio to Detroit, Michigan, where they hope to rejoin their mother and take a boat to the safety of Canada. But the trip is fraught with danger as two slavecatchers chase the trio all the way to the border. In true Panagopoulos style, Train to Midnight creates the drama of a family’s separation and weaves it with historical detail, adventure, and unforgettable characters.”
Her name is Janie, she has two sons named Chris and Nick. She visited all historical facts in the book Train To Midnight. Including the secret room under the kitchen. Janie’s favorite character was Dannie. My favorite character was Sammy. The scariest part of the book was when they got captured. She had to rewrite it once cause her publishers thought it was too sad for young readers. My favorite part of the book was when Sammy and Malaika found their mother mothers name written in the train.
Our favorite part of the book was when they were just about to cross the river and the patty rollers came but Dainel, Samson, and Malaika crossed just before the pattyrollers
could catch them. We think it’s cool how Janie goes to the places before she writes about them. We think Janie is a very good writer. She has many many good books! She has inspired us to write. Also, to read. We think she is very funny, too!
My favorite part was when I heard you actually went in the hiding place and you didn’t decide when you came out. It was cool when the kids found their moms name on the wall. The patty rollers were cool cause they never stopped trying to find them. The kids in the story are cool because they are sneaky.
I liked Samuel. I learned that to be a writer you have travel to the place where your writing about. It was a good book it was a exciting book.I liked Samuel because that one part where he tried to take the cat and when the people where searching the wagon they found a cat.I learned that the slaves before they crossed the Canadian border wrote there name at a place too show who all crossed the border.I learned a lot about the the under ground railroad.I learned that you need to reed lots of books that give information on what you writing about.I learnd that you can use people that you know and write a book using there pesonalities to write a book.
We really liked your book.We hope we can read one of your other books.Keegan liked the character Daniel because he took them to there mother.Dillon liked the character Samson because he talked when he saw his mothers name Bess.We liked how you traveld every where in the book.You inspired us to read more of your books.We learned more about the underground railroad.We learned it takes a while for the book to be published.You had to rebuild your house cause you have a lot of books.We learned that it takes a lot of time to write a chapter book.What inspired you to write a book.
Janie is a great writer,I hope I can read all her books. And I l earned that it takes her 5 years of research and writing the book.She made names in the book like Samuel , Malaika and Daniel.In my favorite part of the book their mother was ahead of them and they were trying to catch up to her until the end when they finally catch up to her Samuel startes talking more when he sees his mother again.
Hi , Janie
This is Josce . Did you see names scratched on the wall? I also was wondering how did you come up with the characters . like Danel, Samson, Malaika . I like malaika because she is a girl tring to take care of her brother and was I’m guessing a little scared to be with out her mom.Why was danel mad at his wife I know he was a hard working man because he worked and tried to get his wife to help get the water and stuff.But he could have went easier on her. I really liked it when sam talks to them it was really sad when he would not talk .I really learned about the under ground railroad . when you had to get in the trap door was it scary or was it fun ? I think it would be fun but I never tried it. I wish I could . you really inspierd me to write a book . I will read as many books as you do and read all of your books becase my mom wants me to find some thing to do so I think you helped me figure out what I should do when I grow up . I would love to be an athor like you . How do you come up with stuff to write about ?Thank you for writing a intoressting book.
Hi,I like Daniel he is cool! your book was cool, it must have been hard for u to be in that underground railroad!
I learned that Canada does not allow slavery in their country.She goes to the places that she travels to a lot of the places that she wrights about.I learned that her 3rd grade teacher that made her start writing.She went to site where there was a little hole in the floor.She went under there for 2 hours and she wished she had went to the bathroom and got a drink before she went down there.There was no place to go to the bathroom.I learned that she went to the 2nd baptist church in Detroit,Michigan.That was her favorite part was when they saw where their mother’s name was engraved into the wall and they new she was still alive and they new that all of them were going to be okay.I part to I would like to b reunited with my mother if I was in slavery for a long time.I learned that she has over 4,000 books in her house and if she gets anymore in the upstairs in her 3 story house than the floor will stat to crack and before she knows it the house will be laying on the ground.
Hi I like Daniel from the book Train to Midnight because he is cool. I learned that they didn’t have any light down in where they hid inside the place’s that they slept in. I also learned that they didn’t have any water or food where they slept inside the trapdoor. It must have been hard to get to Canada without any slavecatchers find them and aresting them. I also learned what the life was like of a former slave and what it was like for them when they were running away from there masters and trying to get to Candada. I learned that when the author was in third grade she talked alot and her teacher told her to put her ideas on paper so she started writing book’s.
That’s what i learned about the author the author and the underground railroad.
Janie,
I thought you were fun and creative. You are very experienced with going and learning about how people lived throughout history. I liked Malaika and how you named her after a friend. I thought it was a good book. My favorite part was when Daniel thought the kids how to write there names. It is cool how you take at least five years to research everything you write about.
I learned that there is really a 2nd babtist church in Detroit. I also learned that the when you went to a safe on the underground railroad, if any thing aws happening that might have you be captured they would put you in a trap door uder the dining room after they put you under the room there was absolutly no place to go to the bathroom. there was nothing down there except staw, a pillow, and some blankets. There were slave catchers that tried to catch slaves for there pay. Samsung first spoke his first words in the story when he saw his mothers name written on the wall in the church in Detroit. My favorite part of the story is when they crossed the lake.
Daniel and the cat were my favorite characters. Daniel was cool and the cat was very aggressive when she was almost stabbed. It must of have been hard for Daniel to risk his very own life to save other people he just met. He was very brave to be a part of the underground railroad.I bet that it would be very cool to be alive when you could be dead and your not even injured or hurt. And all the credit you got for being in the Underground railroad.
I learned alot and had fun!!! I didnt know it took so long to write a book. I also didnt know that you did so much research. I learned alot about the Underground railroad. My favorite character was Daniel because he went out of his way to help the kids find there way. I didnt know that Malaika and Sampson were real people. I liked the part when you told us about how you got locked under the trap door I didnt know that all they had was a straw pillow and some blankets. I didnt know that the pattyrollers were the people who tried to catch the run away slaves. My favorite part of the story was when the kids found their moms name ingraved on the wall of the second baptist church . I didnt know they had to roe from Lake Michigan all the way to Canada.
Her name is Janie. I think that it was a great experience for me and i think that she is a great author.So I’m going to tell you about the book.The first thing I want to tell you that this book is about to runaway slaves and there mother has already gone off to the underground railroad.there is a girl her name is Malaika.The boys name is Samuel.They meet a guy named Daniel then a guy that he knew that man said that he was supposed to take these kids to the underground railroad.Daniel said”my wife would think of more of me if i would get off the couch.so he takes them Samuel did not speak the wole way and when he got to a wall and saw his mothers name he spoke.that is my story……;)
My favorite part was when the Pattyrollers were stabbing the hay with the pitchfork were hiding and when they were working in the field .I also liked the part when they were going to Canada and they were being chased.When they were going acrss the lake and the people who were chasing them were shooting their guns.