We had the opportunity to interview Nim's Island author Wendy Orr.  We took that chance, and she very graciously answered 20 quesions for us.  Enjoy!

WaldenFans.com: Tell us a bit about yourself, for our readers that might not know much about you.

Wendy Orr: I was born in Canada, grew up in Canada, France, and the USA but married an Australian while studying occupational therapy in London, UK, and so have lived in Australia ever since! My husband Tom and I have a grownup son and daughter. I started writing 20 years ago and have written picture books and novels for young adults and adults as well as my main genre of junior novels, like  Nim's Island.

WaldenFans.com: Can you give us a quick teaser for Nim's Island that will give us an idea of what we're in for?

Wendy Orr: Nim and her scientist dad, Jack, live an eccentric but idyllic existence on a tropical island. When Jack sails off on a two day plankton-finding excursion, Nim is happy to be alone with her animal friends, including sea lion Selkie and lizard Fred. However a violent storm comes up and Jack' s boat is damaged,  losing its mast as well as his satellite dish, so that he can't return to Nim or communicate with her. Meanwhile Nim answers an email from Alex Rover, the world's most famous adventure writer, and when she is injured attempting to answer Alex's research question, turns to the adventure hero for help. Unfortunately the real Alex Rover is in fact an agoraphobic woman, who must also draw strength from her own fictitious hero and face her fears to try to rescue Nim.

Created in partnership with NOAA's National Marine Sanctury Program and the National Wildlife Federation and adhering to National Standards in Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, Visual Arts and Character Education, this guide and poster contain lessons to introduce students to the idea of protecting the ocean the way Nim and her father do, and to understanding the idea of creatures' dependence on their habitat for survival.

Please also check out walden.com/reelthinking for information on our upcoming Animal Planet special hosted by Jeff Corwin and the Nim's Island: Our World Reel Thinking™ Environmental Challenge, through which your class could win a cash prize to implement an environmental project.

About the Book, the Movie and the Educator Guide

Walden Media has partnered with 20th Century Fox to bring Nim's Island to the big screen. The movie, starring Jodie Foster, Abigail Breslin and Gerard Butler, is directed by Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, who also wrote the screenplay based on Wendy Orr's book.

Nim's Island tells the fictional story of an adventurous girl named Nim who lives on a remote island in the South Pacific Ocean. You might think that because Nim lives far from "civilization" she would be very lonely. But Nim is blessed with many good friends, including a bird named Galileo, a lizard named Fred, a green sea turtle named Chica and a sea lion named Selkie who looks after Nim as though Nim were one of her own pups.

As a book, Nim's Island is a fun, engaging read. As a movie, the story expands beautifully to fit the big screen, becoming as informative a look at marine life in the South Pacific as it is a story packed with intrigue and adventure. To further expand Nim's Island as a teaching resource, we have partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuary Program, tapping their educational expertise and their strong belief in stewardship of the ocean. With NOAA we have created lessons that will enhance your students' experience of the film and deepen their appreciation for the riches to be found in the ocean. Along the same lines, we have also partnered with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for their valuable insight and knowledge of animals and the many different habitats in which they can be found. Building on our past work with NWF, we feel privileged to be working once again with an organization whose influence on children — and the world they will one day inherit — is profound.

Though Nim's Island is an imaginary story, its depiction of the bio-diversity and richness of marine life is very real. So is its message of protecting for future generations all of the treasures to be found on and around Nim's Island. We hope that like Nim, our film encourages students to explore, respect and appreciate our oceans and coasts.