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A companion blog for students reading "Anna's Story," by Mike Peterson.
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2009
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September
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- This video shows pictures of child workers in the ...
- Chapter One: In Silver Country
- Chapter Two: The Thimblerigger
- Chapter Three: Family Reunion
- Chapter Four: Anna Tells Her Story
- Chapter Five: Sold to the Cigarmaker
- Chapter Six: Anna Escapes
- Chapter Seven: On the Orphan Train
- Chapter Eight: Cheating a Thief
- Chapter Nine: A New Century in a New Land
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September
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About Me
- Mike Peterson
- Mike Peterson is the author of "Tommy and the Guttersnipe" and other serialized newspaper stories. He is also a newspaper editor and has been a reporter and columnist, as well as a magazine writer, radio talkshow host and advertising copywriter.
I was wondering where you get your information about the words "thimblerigger" and "shill"?
ReplyDeleteWilliam H.
Why is Anna in the town when her adopted family are farmers? Caleb V.
ReplyDeleteCaleb, you'll get your answer in the next chapter! William's question has a more complicated answer: I used to be a consumer reporter, so I wrote about ways that people got ripped off, mostly at things like carnivals. (You probably know that most of those games where you try to win a prize are very, very hard and some are completely dishonest! My job included explaining why.) For this chapter, though, I was lucky to have a book that a friend of mine helped edit several years ago, about the kind of slang used by criminals through the years. It had a whole chapter on the shell game, because that's a very old way to cheat people that is still around today!
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get the idea for the story?
ReplyDeleteAlexis A.
i was wondering why you like writing storys? Where did yuo get your names in the storys from? Last but not least who got you into wrighting books?
ReplyDeleteOlivia B.
At LACS we played the shell game at the beginning each reading class yesterday. Then when students read chapter two everyone could look back at the illustration and determine who was the shill, who was the Thimblerigger, and also who might be the railroad man. We couldn't or rather weren't quite sure who that was. We couldn't identify the man in the overalls with the bandana. To act out the game, I provided students with small plastic cups, but substituted M&Ms instead of the pea. The shill was then able to eat the "pea" as a reward for "winning." By the time a few spectators had played the game, the class Thimblerigger set up the classroom railroad man to lose. During the game we discussed what the Thimblerigger's goal would be and the shill's goal. It was lots of fun. Dawn S. LACS
ReplyDeleteOlivia, I have always liked to write. When I was just a little guy, I would make posters and write stories. I'd even fold up paper so I could write books. But -- and here's your part, Alexis -- I didn't finish very many of the stories because I needed more practice in coming up with ideas. Fortunately, I read a lot and so I learned a lot about storytelling by seeing how other people did it!
ReplyDeleteDear Mike I'm just like a thimblerigger i like to play trikes on people to get their money to. We played the game with the pea and the cups but we didn't use a pea we used m&m's. We played in reading class and Dawn is my reading teacher it was fun. i got blinded by a friend and still got it. Keep written. sincerly, Alex H. again.
ReplyDeleteI was woundering how you got into writting these kind of storys? Finally I was woundering where you got the words "Thimblerigger" and "Shill"?
ReplyDeleteI love the first 2 chapters!!!
Chelsea C.
Dear Mr.Peterson,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy Anna's story so far. Where did you get all of the vocabulary from?
Braedon T. LACS
Sorry for all the mispelled words in the first question. I really enjoy Anna's story so far!! I was wondering when you first started writing these stories if you enjoyed it the whole time you were writing them or justed enjoyed them for a while?
ReplyDeleteChelsea C. LACS
I like how you created suspense at the end of this chapter. Will you have suspense in any other chapters?
ReplyDeleteChanelle B.LACS
How did you decide to write about this topic?
ReplyDeleteChelsea H.LACS
What gave you the idea to write all of the chapters? Also, how long have you been writing them?
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Nichole G
Dear Mr.peterson, I am excited to read the next chapters of your book.
ReplyDeleteDaisy U. LACS
Dear, Mr.Peterson I was wondering if Mr.McMahon was like a character of you as if when he was saying you can't get rich quick as if you're trying to teach a lesson to people
ReplyDeleteSincerely, Daesean W.
Dear Mike Peterson, I was wondering where you got the story Anna's story. It came to me that you are good story teller.
ReplyDeleteSincerely adrien.s
Dear, Mr.Peterson I was wondering when they were playing the game with the cups how did the "Thimblerigger" take the pea with out anyone seeing?
ReplyDeleteSincerely, Daesean W. again
Dear Mike Peterson,
ReplyDeleteI like your writting!! I was wondering, where do you get the stories from? Anyway, I like your ideas, and problems in Anna's story.
Sincerely, Matt F. LACS
Mike I was wonering were you came up with anna's
ReplyDeletestory. We played the same game where you have to
pick up the cup/shell and get the M&M/pea. It was fun.Sincerly,Adrien S
I was wondering what made start wrighting the ceral stories and become and auther?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the meaning of your story. What are you trying to tell us when your write anna's story.
ReplyDeleteSincerely Joe Joe White
Hi, this is Joe Joe agian I was wondering who inspired you to write Anna's storys? Personaly I think you should make a book out of Anna's stories if you already havent. I can't wait to see chapter three.
ReplyDeleteSincerely Joe Joe White
Dear Mr.Peterson,
ReplyDeleteI am enjoying Anna's Story. In the future I hope you write more stories like Anna's Story.
Rebecca R.LACS
I was wondering how did you ever decide you wanted to write about Ann's?When you were a kid did you just alway's want to write when you got older?
ReplyDeleteMackenzie S. LACS
Daesean brings up an interesting topic that might help answer Joe's question. It's important somewhere at the beginning of a story to hint about what the story is about, and so Mr. McMahon does what a good father would do: He tells his boys something he thinks they should know. Now watch how that lesson plays out through this entire story, because you'll have a chance to think about it more than once! (For instance, why do people get cheated at the shell game? Because they want to get rich quick and so they act foolishly!)
ReplyDeleteAnd let's talk about that shell game. It is fun to trick people, but it's not fun to get beaten up if it makes them angry -- which is what was about to happen to that thimblerigger when the railroad men came to help their friend. And it's not fun to go to jail either. But let me answer the question about how the thimblerigger was able to move the pea around: Any good magician could do that. My son worked at a magic shop after school and he learned all sorts of tricks -- he can do amazing stuff! But just for fun, not to cheat people out of their money.
As for why I write and how I get ideas, I love telling stories and using my imagination. Everybody is good at something, and I guess that's the thing I'm good at. It's the thing that is the most fun for me, anyway.
This is Joe Joe, where did you get the idea of the names Tommy Anna Mr.McMan and baby Jake. Are they people from your family? Or people you knew.
ReplyDeleteFrom: Joe Joe White
Dear Mr. Peterson,
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed the first two chapters of the story. I like how there was a lesson in the first chapter, and the suspense in the second chapter with the shell game.
Katey N. LACS
Dear Mr. Peterson,
ReplyDeleteI love the serial story, "Anna's Story", that you have been writing for the newspaper. The first two chapters have been great! Before we read the second chapter we played the shell game and I was the "thimblerigger". It was very fun! The first two people were my "shills" and the third was "rich man" we were trying to get money from. I thought it was great to have the experience to do something that was in the story! I have a few questions for you also…. Have you always wanted to write since you were young? Where did you get your ideas from for the story?
Sincerely,
Bryanna M. LACS
Love the book so far. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteScott B.- LACS
Dear Mike Peterson, I really enjoy reading your short stories because they keep me interested. Have you published any stories other then these ones? Keep up the good work and I can't wait to read the rest of your stories in school.
ReplyDeleteRebecca S. LACS
Mr.Peterson,
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering if there was a specific reason why you chose the names Anna, Tommy, and Jake?
Meghan R.-LACS
Dear Mike Peterson, I love the first two chapters
ReplyDeleteof your book. I was wondering if you wrote any other serial stories besides "Tommy and the Guttersnipes", and "Anna's story" and are you going to make another serial story. Keep up the good work
Lee B LACS
dear Mike Peterson, The first chapter was interesting and I was wondering if the horseshoe gives them any luck at any parts of the story and the second chapter was amusing (to bad the thimblerigger is going to get tackled) like the thimblerigger I also like to play tricks on my sister.
ReplyDeleteLee B LACS
Lots of questions, and I'm trying to remember what I already answered, but here's one piece of information: My great-grandmother came from Ireland and her name was Bridget McMahon. Her brother, who also came here, was named Thomas, and that's where I got the name Thomas McMahon. And Lee asks about the horseshoe -- well, I won't say one way or another, but if you read the whole story and then go back and read the first few chapters again, you'll find that many of the things there turned out to be important ... and that's all I'll say!
ReplyDeleteWe read chapter three today. It was very interesting. Keep up the good work!! :)
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Bryanna M.- LACS
Dear,Mike
ReplyDeleteI loved this story The Thimblerigger the charecter thimblerigger is a tricky guy thats like me. The storys you have wrote they are great. Every time I read stories I wonder how authors always think of the story your stories were great my teacher mrs.Sweredoski and class mates love them also.
Sincerly,
McKenzie M. LACS
Dear Mike Peterson,
ReplyDeleteI watched the Youtube video and it was devastating to see what life would have been like.
Scott B.-LACS
Noah R. LACS Dear Mike Peterson, Have you ever played a game like the one you wrote about?
ReplyDeleteYou know, Noah, I've got a son who knows some magic and a friend who is a professional magician, so I would never, ever try to play the shell game as a "contestant," because I know you can't possibly win! (And they wouldn't play it in the sense of being thimbleriggers, because they're pretty honest people, and it's not right to cheat folks out of their money. And it's not fun to go to jail, either!)
ReplyDeleteDear Mr. Peterson I was wondering why you wrote anna's story? And where did you get all those different words
ReplyDeletedid you get tricked by a Thimblerigger
ReplyDeleteHow did he cheat
ReplyDeleteHow did he cheat
ReplyDeleteWell, I wrote Anna's Story because a lot of kids and teachers enjoyed a story I did before about Tommy and Jake called "Tommy and the Guttersnipe" and they asked me to write another one.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't really enjoy gambling, so I've never been cheated. I tried playing poker and I tried betting on a horserace and I found out I could lose money even if everyone was being honest, so I decided to stop.
And a thimblerigger is like a magician who knows ways to make things "disappear" and "re-appear" by distracting you and moving his hands in a confusing way. There are some other ways that thimbleriggers can make the ball (or "pea") go where they want it to be, but they're all pretty much the same things a magician would do to make a quarter disappear from his hand and then pull it out of your ear.
how could you follow tommy and the guddersnipe it must be hard
ReplyDeletewhy did u write about a thimbilrigger? have u have seen that happen before?
ReplyDeletedanielle.
if you are going to make a story what would be the story
ReplyDeleteDanielle: I saw a crook on the street one time, but he wasn't actually a thimblerigger, he was doing a game called "Three card monte" which is very similar. (And it's also a fake for cheating people.) But I was just a kid and my father wouldn't let us stop and watch. Oh well!
ReplyDeleteAnd SMS is reading the story I made, so that's the answer to that. And John, you're right, Tommy and the Guttersnipe was hard to follow, but I hope I did a good job!