Melissa Wiley Author Post

Rabbit-Trailing with The Nerviest Girl in the World

As a writing coach and a homeschooling mom, my favorite thing to do is find a compelling read-aloud to use as a springboard for all kinds of learning adventures. I love to assemble a collection of resources—books, poems, music, videos, art, recipes, games, maps, you name it!—that let elements of the book spill off the page into the wide world. These rabbit trails (as homeschoolers call them) help readers form rich connections with history, geography, science, and culture. And they’re fun!

The process is quite similar to the way I research my historical fiction novels. I like to collect as wide a variety of resources as possible, immersing myself in the world of the story I want to tell. I had a marvelous time gathering resources for The Nerviest Girl in the World, which is set on a ranch in San Diego County in 1911 in the very early days of silent film. Even more fun? Sharing them with kids!

My main character, Pearl, is an eleven-year-old girl who lives on a cattle-and-ostrich ranch. Her older brothers are cowboys who get roped into the moving picture business when a silent film director and his crew set up shop in town. Before she knows it, Pearl winds up making these newfangled movies right alongside her brothers.

As her name hints, my Pearl was inspired by the intrepid silent film actress Pearl White. My Pearl finds her way into the pictures by a different path, but it was definitely Pearl White’s incredible balloon stunt in The Perils of Pauline that got me thinking about all the dangerous situations my character might have found herself in back in the days when all actors did their own stunts, and there were no such thing as safety regulations!

Film Clips

Naturally, my first pick for a Nerviest Girl rabbit trail is The Perils of Pauline, which is available on YouTube. Pearl White really did climb down a rope from a hot-air balloon high above the ground—in a skirt, no less!

The next stop on the rabbit trail is another serial film, The Hazards of Helen starring Helen Holmes. My favorite installment is episode 13, “The Escape on the Fast Freight”.

The Hazards of Helen had 119 weekly installments—one of the longest film series of all time.

From there it’s a short hop to more silent-film fun. I’m especially fond of Buster Keaton, who has my family screaming with laughter in every scene. Here’s a compilation of some of his most hair-raising stunts.

Picture Books

My feeling is, you’re never too old for a good picture book! My family often uses picture books as introductions to a new time or place—even at the high school level. Here are delightful selections related to silent film:

• Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin Taught the World to Laugh (and Cry) by Gary Golio
• Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life: Hollywood Legend and Brilliant Inventor by Laurie Wallmark; illustrated by Katie Wu
• Lights! Camera! Alice!: The Thrilling True Adventures of the First Woman Filmmaker by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Simona Ciraolo

Newspapers and Photos

My research process for historical fiction draws heavily on local newspapers from the period in question. Old papers are crammed with story starters! I have a collection of intriguing articles I love to share with kids in school workshops; together we ponder the possible backstories of articles, like the one about the two well-dressed women who were arrested in an apple orchard in the middle of the night. I’m dying to know why they were wearing their best clothes to steal apples!

From the advertisements, we learn about food, clothes, furniture, entertainment, and all sorts of fascinating tidbits. The Library of Congress maintains a database where you can look up papers from your area and find out whether libraries near you might have copies.

Old photos are great story prompts, too!