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How Do We Live With Our Mortality?
Into the Wind follows a young boy who, while fixing up a sailboat, befriends his elderly neighbor. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
When I was a boy, I had a feisty, independent, widowed and elderly aunt who was an artist and loved sailing. As she aged, she didn’t seem to mellow or retire or relax, but seemed to come even more alive, to throw herself with increasing energy at what she loved, even as that became more difficult. She painted with a trembling, arthritic hand. Some weeks before she died, she managed—in a wheelchair!—to get herself into a small boat and, with the help of someone who held the rudder, sail through some rough weather. That was the germ of Into the Wind.
Was there anything from your own life that you incorporated into Rusty’s and Hazel’s relationship?
Yes. There is a certain amount of my relationship with my aunt in Rusty’s relationship with Hazel. Like Hazel, my aunt was odd and demanding—you might even say cantankerous. We rubbed each other the wrong way. But she took an interest in me, and slowly I took an interest in her and came to appreciate her quirky sense of humor, the challenges she faced and the wisdom she had as an aging woman who mostly got around in a wheelchair. We became unlikely friends.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The main theme was intergeneration friendship. How could that happen between a boy with his life ahead of him and a woman near the end of hers? What might connect them? What might each of them gain from that connection?
Our mortality is another theme, something that children from eight to twelve are beginning to grapple with. By then they may have lost a loved pet or, worse, a relative. How do we think about that? How do we live with our mortality? Maybe Hazel shows Rusty a way. Sadly, life comes to an end, but it can be filled, like Hazel’s, with curiosity, fun, humor, generosity, growth, energy, friendship, love, wonder, and meaning—all of which might be passed from one generation to another. I hope that’s what readers feel and understand when they finish Into the Wind.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I write books for children and adults, and I’m usually working one or the other, or sometimes both. At the moment, I have an adult nonfiction draft on my screen and parts of a children’s story in a folder on the side of my desk. When might they be available? I don’t know, as I haven’t finished them yet. Sometime soon. Fingers crossed. Information about my previous books is available on my website.
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Into the Wind
Into the Wind by William Loizeaux is a children’s story about how an unlikely friendship develops between a young boy and an older woman in a wheelchair. It takes place during a difficult summer for both on the island where they live. After Rusty’s mother is admitted to an inpatient treatment facility on the mainland for depression, Rusty’s neighbor gives him an old sailboat that he works on repairing and learning how to sail. Hazel is a widow whose family lives far away on the west coast, and she hires Rusty to do odd jobs around the house for her to earn a bit of money. As they spend time together, the two find that they share an unexpected connection.
The author has an engaging writing style that will draw readers into the story. The main character is relatable and believable, with a sometimes humorous point of view. This heartwarming story takes place on an island, and the author’s descriptions of the boats and water paint a vivid picture of the quaint tourist town where Rusty and his family lived. I could easily imagine the smell of the sea and the sound of the seagulls as they flew over the boats tied to the dock as though I was experiencing what Rusty did in the story.
I learned a lot of interesting things about sailing while reading this book, and I liked that various sailing terms were explained organically throughout the story for readers who are not familiar with sailboats. The author also includes a glossary of nautical terms at the end of the book. Watching the friendship between Rusty and Hazel is magical. Two people so different, in different stages of life, can find common ground and connect on a deep emotional level. They are both going through some challenging moments in their lives, and spending time with each other helped them cope.
This memorable book includes illustrations by Laura Jacobsen. They are done in shades of gray, like pencil drawings. They really add to the story as they are sparsely used and added to key moments in the story. My favorite was the image of Rusty pushing Hazel through the park with cards clipped to her wheelchair wheels. The innocence and simplicity of the scene remind readers to hold onto the small moments in life.
Into the Wind is a middle grades level chapter book. This emotional story deals with friendship, compassion, death, and grief. It is a wonderful story to help kids learn about love and loss and about the importance of treasuring the moments you have with people.
Pages: 138 | ASIN : B08PDGZRXS
LITERARY TITAN 