Kara LaReau’s The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters is one of my all-time favorite series. The books are sharp, savvy, and seriously funny, and I am seriously upset that the series has come to a close. I will miss Jaundice, Kale, and the cast of one-of-a-kind characters that they met on their adventures. Fortunately for us all, Kara (along with illustrator Jen Hill) has given the girls a glorious sendoff in the form of Flight of the Bluebird — it might just be the best book of them all. I’m delighted that Kara chose to stop by the MG Book Village to chat about the book and what else she’s been working on lately. Check out the interview below — and then, if you haven’t already, fly over to your local bookstore or library to get your hands on Flight of the Bluebird!
~ Jarrett
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Thanks again for stopping by the MG Book Village on your tour, Kara! Let’s get right to it. Flight of the Bluebird is the third book in the Unintentional Adventures trilogy. What are some things readers will learn in this final installment?
Among other things, they’ll learn just who (and where) Jaundice and Kale’s parents are, whether or not the Bland Sisters are twins, and how they got their names. Oh, and they’ll learn that this isn’t exactly their “final” adventure!
In the second book, The Uncanny Express, Jaundice and Kale have a series of mysterious dreams involving their parents and a ringing phone. Will we learn more about this mystery in Flight of the Bluebird?
Jaundice and Kale learn that what seemed like a souvenir paperweight Jaundice pocketed in The Uncanny Express is really one of a pair of magical scarabs that allows them to communicate with anyone in possession of the scarab’s twin — as long as the scarab is placed near one’s head. Jaundice had the scarab in her smock pocket during The Uncanny Express, which is why she kept dreaming of a phone ringing; it was like a “missed call” from their parents. Readers will learn a lot more about these scarabs and their origins in Flight of the Bluebird. And there will be a lot more mysterious dreams!
Dreams figure prominently in this series. Can you talk more about that?
Well, aside from writing, sleeping is one of my favorite things to do (especially now that I have a 5-year-old, and a writing career, and a full-time day job!) and I’ve always been fascinated by dreams, so it’s no surprise that I’ve incorporated both into these stories. Dreams are so powerful; while they often seem random and ridiculous, they can be full of meaning if you break them down. And while Jaundice and Kale seem bland and pretty reserved, there’s a lot of emotion they’ve repressed in their parents’ absence, so it felt right that some of those emotions would manifest in their dreams.
What was the hardest thing about writing this story?
For sure, the hardest thing was saying goodbye to the Bland Sisters. I love them so! But this was also the first story in the series (and in my writing career, to be honest) that takes place in a real location (Luxor, Egypt) and features a real, rich culture, so I really wanted to do it justice. I got very lucky (Jaundice and Kale might even call it “serendipity”) to find a renowned Egyptologist from Brown University, just a few minutes from my house; he and his wife (also a well-traveled archaeologist) were very generous with their time and energy and expertise and helped me to keep the details in this story respectful and authentic — although, of course, I did take a few artistic liberties!
What’s up next for you, now that you’ve said “Bland voyage” to Jaundice and Kale?
I’m still working on the Infamous Ratsos chapter book series; I just saw Matt Myers’ (brilliant!) jacket and interior sketches for Book 4 and delivered the text for Book 5. And I’m working on a new chapter book trilogy about a cat who may or may not be a zombie; the first book, called Rise of Zombert, is being illustrated by Ryan Andrews, and I’m hard at work writing Book 2 right now. And I have a picture book called BABY CLOWN coming out next year, illustrated by Matthew Cordell; I’m just about to see some artwork for it and I couldn’t be more excited!
As bummed as I am about saying bye to Jaundice and Kale, I’m so glad we’ve got so much more to look forward to you from you! Can’t wait!
Kara LaReau was born and raised in Connecticut. She received her Masters in Fine Arts in Writing, Literature, and Publishing from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts and later worked as an editor at Candlewick Press and at Scholastic Press. She is the author of picture books such as UGLY FISH, illustrated by Scott Magoon, and Good Night Little Monsters, illustrated by Brian Won; an award-winning chapter book series called The Infamous Ratsos, illustrated by Matt Myers; and a middle-grade trilogy called The Unintentional Adventures of the Bland Sisters, illustrated by Jen Hill. Kara lives in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband and son and their cat.
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