I will be tutoring at the Gururkulam School in Chennai, India with 20 students and several faculty and staff members, March 7 - 9. This will be a great opportunity for me, the students, and other participants to read there. This school field trip in India is one of scores offered to the participants.

We will work with the local Rotary Club, which is dedicated to helping disadvantaged children. The Gururkulam School was founded by a charitable organization, Trust Children, dedicated to supporting families who live in poor areas of Chennai. There are currently 144 children who need support, mentoring, and tutoring. We will stay nearby in a youth hostel.

The trip is being led by Jeffry Kottler, a professor of Counseling at California State University, Fullerton. He is an SAS Spring 2011 faculty member who is teaching psychology courses on ship. Kottler heads a foundation that provides scholarships for lower caste girls in Nepal who are at-risk of being sold into slavery (empowerneplaligirls.org). He has worked extensively with students on social justice projects within their local communities and abroad.

He is the author of over 75 books in psychology, counseling, and education, including a New York Times bestselling true crime book, The Last Victim and Travel That Can Change Your Life.

I am a free-lance journalist and author of several award-winning children’s books, including “More Than Anything Else,” an ALA Notable Book and winner of the International Reading Association Award. It’s the story of a boy who wants to learn to read. It was just released in Simple Japanese and Chinese, and is available in Korean and Spanish and Mandarin. I have brought along copies of the Japanese and Chinese to give to families in those countries.

My other books include: the novel, “Some Friend,” which received a Publisher’s Weekly Starred Review, and “Momma, Where Are You From?” a Nest Literary Classic and winner of the Golden Kite Award Honor.

As a journalist, I write for newspapers and magazines, specializing in profiles of news-makers, women’s and social justice issues, op-ed columns, and travel. I am a member of the Author’s Guild, the Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators and the Society of Professional Journalists.

Marie Bradby
Journalist & Children's Author
mariebradby.com