I’m so happy to have the chance to chat with you, Joy! I really enjoyed your upcoming middle grade book, A FIELD GUIDE TO GETTING LOST, which will be released by Atheneum Books on April 14th. Can you tell us a little bit about it, please?

Sure! Field Guide is a contemporary story set in Seattle, where I live, about two kids whose parents are dating each other. Sutton is into coding and science, and Luis is into stories imagination. They are both MUCH happier indoors than outdoors. But then their parents take them on a hike…

How did writing a middle grade book differ from other writing you’ve done in the past?

My debut novel was YA, but before that, I had written nine previous manuscript that did not sell, eight of which were middle grade. So it’s actually the place I feel most comfortable. The YA I write is on the darker side, so I really enjoy having middle grade stories with much more light and humor as a sort of counterbalance. The writing process is not really different from YA to MG for me, but more the emotional experience of the tone shift.

Do you tend to plot out a story ahead of time, or let it develop on its own?

I fall somewhere in between. I love the E.L. Doctorow quote about writing being like driving at night. You need to have a destination in mind, but you only need to be able to see as far as the headlights in front of you. Something like that. I never write out a full outline, but neither do I wing it completely. I tend to sort of outline (sometimes just bullet points) the first chunk of a story – maybe 50 pages. I’ll draft those, and then with what I’ve learned about the characters and the story I’ll know how to plan out the next chunk of the story. More important than planning the plot is doing pre-writing and pre-thinking about the characters—their flaws and wants and obstacles and stakes. I always do a bunch of work on that before beginning to write.

What did you find most challenging about writing this story, and what came easiest for you?

Honestly, the process on this story was incredibly smooth and such a delight. That is not to say it’s always like that! But Sutton and Luis were pretty immediately characters I knew really well; there’s a lot of myself and my kids in them. I’ve set it firmly in the town where I live.

There were no experimental things happening in the structure (a thing I tend to get myself into in YA). This is such a tiny thing, but I remember my editor gently pointing out my wild overuse of exclamation points in the early drafts. I think I was just so happy to be writing something happy!

As a mom of a child with a food allergy, it was really refreshing to see it addressed in a middle grade fiction story. Where did you find the inspiration for your characters?

I have a serious gluten allergy, and am also allergic to bees. My own kids don’t have food allergies, but I have seen through birthday parties and Halloween and playdates the struggles of some of their friends who do, and how isolating it can be to be a kid who can’t eat what most of the kids are eating.

If you could say one thing to a young reader picking up your book, what would it be?

I hope you love it! But if you don’t, let’s find you something else to read. There’s a book for every reader!

Do you have another writing project on the go at the moment?

Oh goodness, yes. In spring of 2021, I have two new books coming, including my second MG from Atheneum, which is called Across the Pond. It’s about an American girl whose family inherits a Scottish castle. The other is my second YA from Dutton, and we’re still circling the title, but it’s partially verse historical and partially prose contemporary. (There’s that challenging structure thing I mentioned before!)

Can you please tell us where we can go to find out more about you and your writing?

My website is joymccullough.com and I am going to get right on top of updating it so it doesn’t only list my debut novel! I am also on Twitter and Instagram as @jmcwrites.

Thanks for chatting with me today, Joy, and best of luck with your book’s launch!

Thank you so much for having me! For anyone in the Seattle area, the launch party will be at Secret Garden Books on April 18th at 3:00!

Joy McCullough is not outdoorsy and she has a terrible sense of direction. She did climb a Guatemalan volcano one time, and she has hiked through Discovery Park. But she much prefers to stay inside, writing books and plays from her home in the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband and two children. Her debut novel Blood Water Paint was longlisted for the National Book Award and was a William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist. Visit her at JoyMcCullough.com.

First, let me say that parents and teachers are, of course, the most important and influential people in a child’s life, but I believe authors deserve a place in the triumvirate that serves to significantly impact our children on their path to adulthood. I felt this way long before I became an author myself, so this isn’t meant as a fluff piece. It is meant to recognize and sow respect for the significant and impactful role that books, and by extension the authors that write them, play in our child’s lives.

I have two boys who are currently ages twelve and nine. They are both happy readers who enjoy a plethora of styles and subjects from The Giver to Wings of Fire to Weird But True facts and a thousand others. Mostly, as I did when I was their age, they enjoy stories of the fantastical—books that spark their imagination and carry them beyond the boundaries of their own world, their own perceptions and suppositions into the possibilities of their mind’s eye. I mean, isn’t that one fun reason that we all read? Even when reading nonfiction, we’re looking for that kick to the imagination, right?

But an MG author’s job is not merely to tickle those neurons in an exciting way. Sure, some escapism can be a nice respite from the world—we all love that about books. But for MG’s, reading quite literally packs their brains more than any other period of cognitive development. It is a unique and important opportunity.

Explosive growth in neuronal connections occurs during the middle grade years. The gray matter of the brain thickens, branches reaching out and tying things together at a pace like never before, with almost no bounds at what sticks. This “process of thickening of the gray matter peaks at about age 11 in girls and age 12 in boys, roughly about the same time as puberty.”[1] And after that, during the teen years, the gray matter thins and branches are pruned as the teen focuses in on what they enjoy, or more relevantly what they spend their time doing.

And this is exactly why middle grade books (and the authors who write them!) are so important. We supply the fodder upon which the mind grows, while having the advantage of working with a brain for which the possibilities of belief are endless. And, I might add, this is why writing for this age group is so FUN. We have no boundaries of how things “should” be. I’d argue our primary job is to instill a sense of wonder at how things “could” be. As Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”[2]

To boot, when a child explores a new book, they have an unmatched capacity for understanding, respect, and tolerance. It is during this period in the child’s life when they’re soaking up everything without pre-conceived judgement. This provides a critical developmental opportunity for encouraging empathy and kindness, as well as ambition and motivation.

It is during this time in our lives that we begin considering abstract concepts like love and justice and the duality of life — we can be two things at once. For example, in The Eye of Ra (my middle grade novel), the main character John can be skittish while at other times brave depending on the circumstance. And his sister Sarah shows a selfish disregard for others at some times, while she’s courageously selfless in key moments. The idea that people can contain multitudes, as Walt Whitman said, is a concept best introduced to the middle grade audience.

Additionally, and this one can get loopy but it strikes at the heart of the middle grade experience, children in this stage of development can engage in metacognition — to think about thinking — as well as problem solving and deductive reasoning.[3] They’re more aware of themselves, which is a part of decentration, the “gradual progression of a child away from egocentrism toward a reality shared with others.”[4]

A reality shared with others—what an honorable and important realization to be a part of, as an author.

Speaking personally, I remember third grade almost like it is when my life started. I have a few memories prior to that, but third through fifth grade is much more filled in, more alive. I remember doing a Read Around the World challenge in third grade and I remember reading Tuck Everlasting and James and the Giant Peach and Journey to the Center of the Earth as key pieces of the mobile that is my life.

I still approach books with that same excitement of possibility. I mean, is there anything as thrilling as opening a new book? For middle graders, that thrill is the brain stretching to make connections and consider concepts it has never considered before. That thrill is growth. As educators and authors, our job is to feed that growth responsibly.

1. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/interviews/giedd.html
2. “Einstein on Cosmic Religion and Other Opinions and Aphorisms” by Albert Einstein, Quote Page 97, Dover Publication, Mineola, New York. (This Dover edition is an unabridged republication of “Cosmic Religion and Other Opinions and Aphorisms”, originally published in 1931 by Covici-Friede, Inc., New York)
3. http://www.nea.org/tools/16653.htm
4. https://dictionary.apa.org/concrete-operational-stage

Ben Gartner is the author of adventure books for middle graders and thrillers for adults. His writing for both audiences shares an ability to grab readers by their neurons for a thrilling ride, maybe even teaching them something in the meantime. Ben can be found living and writing near the mountains with his wife and two boys. He can be found at the following places:

https://bengartner.com/
https://twitter.com/BGartnerWriting
https://www.facebook.com/BenGartnerAuthor/
https://www.instagram.com/bgartnerwriting/

You can purchase The Eye of Ra at: IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781734155211
Amazon: https://amzn.to/397nAm3
Everywhere else: https://books2read.com/the-eye-of-ra-ben-gartner

We’re happy to have you visit MG Book Village today, Anne! Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?

Thank you for having me, Kathie! I’m thrilled to be here today! My mother named me for Anne of Green Gables, and after living in Hawaii, California, and Texas, I recently married my college sweetheart, and now live in Canada (though not on Prince Edward Island). I’ve been an educator of children and adults, and a co-owner of a children’s only bookstore. Books, especially middle grade novels, have always held a special place in my heart.  

Congratulations on the release of BLUE SKIES, which came out March 17th. What was your writing process like for this book? Are you a pantser or a plotter, and do you prefer to work in short bursts of writing or longer stretches of time?

BLUE SKIES began as a picture book. A couple of years later, a generous editor offered feedback and suggested I revise it as a middle grade. Years after that, I enrolled in VCFA and graduated with a completed manuscript. I received lovely rejections. More years passed, and because I couldn’t get the “train story” out of my mind, I decided to rework it one more time. That revision led to others, and eventually the manuscript that went on submission. Throughout the fifteen plus years process, I benefited from my mentors, critique partners, agent, editor, librarians, and friends. I am thankful for each one.

I am a first draft panster, though I research in broad stokes before I put my fingers on the keyboard. Somehow I always know how I want the story to end.

My preference is to write for two-plus hours at a time, but that isn’t always possible. So if my window is fifteen minutes or more, I’ll try to jump in: journaling, brainstorming, and research count.

Where did the inspiration for this story come from?

I love sharing this part of the book’s journey! It falls into the category of—you never know where an idea will come from. An image of a train (representing an archived exhibit) on a staff member’s computer at the Texas Memorial Museum caught my eye. That night I read about the Merci Train. In 1949, 49 boxcars from France, filled with gifts from the heart were sent to U.S. in thanks for our support before, during, and after WWII. I knew then and there that I wanted to incorporate that expression of generosity into a story.

Is there a character in your book that’s most like you?

Yes! That would be Glory Bea, because like her, I was a Daddy’s girl. My dad has been gone over fifteen years now, and I miss him everyday.

What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned on your publishing journey?

I’m learning to slow down and find joy in each part of the writing and publishing process. In turn, this enables me to focus on the now and not worry about what’s next.

Where can our readers go to find out more about you and your writing, and do you have another writing project on which you’re currently working?

Thanks for asking! My website is http://www.annebustard.com. I’m Anne Bustard on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

I’m dipping back into a middle grade manuscript that’s been resting. It’s a story set in Texas, sparked by an unusual historical event.

Thanks again for inviting me to MG Book Village, Kathie! I’ve loved connecting! Happy reading and writing to all!

We wish you all the best with your book’s launch, Anne!

Anne Bustard is the former co-owner of Toad Hall Children’s Bookstore and MFA graduate from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of the middle grade novels Anywhere But Paradise and Blue Skies, as well as two picture books: Rad! and Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly, which was an IRA Children’s Book Award Notable and a Bank Street Book of the Year.

Welcome to MG Book Village, Kenneth! I’m so glad that you could join us today. I’d like everyone to know about your new book, BLOOM, which just came out on February 11th with Harper Collins. Can you give us a brief synopsis of it?  

After a heavy rainfall on Salt Spring Island, strange, spiky black grass takes over farmers’ fields. Next, black vines grow into houses, and up the nostrils of sleeping people. Then giant pod-like plants wait underground to swallow up prey, small and large. These are very mean plants we’re talking about here. Nobody knows where they’ve come from, or how to kill them. Very quickly the plants spread worldwide and bloom, producing a highly allergenic pollen. The only people immune to these plants are my three teenaged heroes from Salt Spring Island: Anaya, Petra, and Seth. They’re flung together to save the world. 

This is the first book in The Overthrow series. I know the second book, HATCH, is scheduled for release on September 15th, and I believe there’s still one more book after that?

Oh yes! The third and final book THRIVE is scheduled for Spring 2021!

This is not the first time you’ve written a book that would be described as “creepy”; so many students adore THE NEST. Where did the inspiration for BLOOM come from?

Well, two places. The first was a “first line” I had banging around in my head for a while: “There was a dead patch in the garden where nothing grew.” I liked that line an awful lot, and it took my imagination in all sorts of dark and deep directions. But mainly the idea came from a nightmare my daughter had. She was good enough to share it with me and I knew it was the seed of an entire novel — or three! I won’t tell you the nightmare, but if you read the second book HATCH, you’ll encounter it very quickly!

Did you have the whole series planned out before you started to write, or did the story develop on its own?

This was really the only time I knew the overall concept of each book before I got started. With Silverwing I wrote a book at a time, whenever I had a good idea. Same with Airborn. And really, I prefer to write this way: when you write a preconceived trilogy it’s like writing three books every time you write one, because you have to make sure it fits together perfectly with its companions. The first book BLOOM in particular took a lot of planning and revising. 

I’m thrilled to see even more readers outside of Canada become familiar with your books. What are your thoughts about how to promote Canadian authors and their writing?

Well, I’m very fortunate in that I have separate publishers in the US, as well as countries around the world, so I rely on their promotional efforts which sometimes include me doing book tours, and attending conferences or trade shows. My main concern at the moment is promoting Canadian writers in their *own* country, given the 50% drop in domestic sales of Canadian books over the last decade or so. Many good initiatives have been proposed to counter this. I’ve been pondering the value of a 35% quota on display space for Canadian books in bookstores — based on the CRTC’s regulation of 35% Canadian songs on our radio stations. It’s a very simple idea. Our books have to be seen before they can be bought.

I know many readers, myself included, are turning to fiction that is dark or dystopian right now. What do you think it is about these types of books that we’re drawn to in times of turmoil?

We’ve always loved a good disaster story. Ironically they’re rather comforting because typically order is restored and people prevail. As well there’s always the “well at least things aren’t THAT bad” feeling, which can spur  reader gratitude and a sense of comparative wellbeing. Had I been prescient, I wouldn’t have chosen to launch BLOOM during a pandemic, but there it is! Mainly I look at it as a gripping adventure story that, I hope, will offer some enjoyable escapism for my readers. 

I love your writing (THE BOUNDLESS is my personal favorite) and you have a number of books published for kids from picture books up to young adult novels. Where can people go to find out more about you and your writing?

I am active on Twitter @kennethoppel and much less active on Facebook @KennethOppelFan and not at all active on Instagram. I also have a YouTube channel where, at present, you can watch me do daily readings from my body of work!

Thanks for taking time to talk with me today, Kenneth, and all the best to you and your family over the next challenging weeks.

 Thanks for having me. Everyone, please stay healthy!

Kenneth Oppel is the bestselling author of numerous books for young readers, including Airborn, which won the Governor General’s Award for children’s literature, and the Silverwing trilogy, which has sold over a million copies worldwide. Some of his other books include The Boundless, The Nest, Every Hidden Thing and Half Brother, winner of the Canadian  Library Association’s Book of the Year for Children. His latest novel is Bloom. Visit him online at www.kennethoppel.ca or twitter @kennethoppel

Hi, Karla! Thank you so much for joining in today to tell us a little bit about your upcoming book, NEVER FEAR, MEENA’S HERE! (March 24, 2020 from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers). Before we talk about your new book, can you tell us about your debut book, MEENA MEETS HER MATCH, that came out in January 2019?

Sure! Meena Zee is a scrappy, imaginative third grader who wants to make the best Valentine box in her class. She especially wants to beat Sofía, who was her best friend until Sofía inexplicably stopped playing with her at recess. Meena starts scavenging in the neighborhood recycling bins for supplies, but when an unexpected seizure sends her to the ER, her parents and teacher won’t leave her alone long enough to work on her big idea. The scarier Meena’s diagnosis looks, the more frantically she works to create the winning box. But she can’t see how her trash-picked project can compete–or how she’ll ever outshine Sofía if her own body is a mess.

Did you know you were going to be writing a sequel at that time?

I wrote the first book as a stand-alone, but when Krista Vitola at Simon & Schuster made an offer on the book, she asked for a second one, too. I was thrilled for a chance to follow Meena on a new adventure and see what she got up to next!

I just had the opportunity to read NEVER FEAR, MEENA’S HERE!, and I truly enjoyed it. I love that Meena is so headstrong and spirited, and yet there is some truly important subject matter covered as Meena accepts what it means to have epilepsy. How would you describe this book in your own words?

In the new story, Meena finds an unusual object that seems to give her superpowers. She spends a lot of time trying to figure out what her powers are and how to use them. She’s also starting treatment for epilepsy, and she sees that as a weakness. I’d say it’s a story about Meena confronting her sense of grandiosity. On the one hand, that’s a quality I love about her. She is single-minded and fearless in going after what she wants. On the other hand, she needs to learn to learn to think about how her actions affect other people and to consider her friends’ feelings instead of bulldozing over them. She also needs to learn that her medical condition won’t stop her from doing great things–but that sometimes small acts of kindness and solidarity have the biggest impact of all.

I love the cover of this book. Can you tell me a bit about the design team?

Tom Daly at Simon & Schuster designed both books. I love the playfulness and exuberance of his vision! Rayner Alencar illustrated the first book. He has a very eye-catching, anime-inspired look that was the perfect way to introduce readers to Meena as a character. Mina Price illustrated the new book. She did an amazing job of creating something that is faithful to the original yet still very much in her own style–and in a way that hints at the story to come. I feel very fortunate to have hit the illustrator jackpot twice!

I know the subject matter of the book is close to home for you. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this series?

My daughter Amelia started having seizures when she was nine years old. It was a scary time for our whole family, especially at the beginning while she was being tested for a possible brain tumor. Amelia taught me a lot during that time about how young children deal with fear and uncertainty. They feel and think about it deeply, but they also find ways to cling to their “kid-ness.” I really wanted to explore that in the first book.

In the second book, I wanted to develop the sibling relationships, especially between Meena and her little sister, Rosie. I’m a middle child myself. I have an older sister, and I am an older sister, so I feel like I have insight into both experiences. My daughter Mara is the little sister in our home. I wrote the second book for her. Even though Rosie isn’t the title character, I wanted to give her a chance to shine and to help Meena grow and learn something about herself. Completely by coincidence, the book comes out on Mara’s birthday. I couldn’t have planned that, but to me it’s perfect.

If there’s one thing you’d like our readers to know, what would it be?

I’d like them to know that the new book expands and develops Meena’s whole web of relationships. We get to know all the other characters better, especially Sofía, Rosie, and cousin Eli. I’d also like to keep reminding everyone that books about girls are not just for girls. I think that might be an adult hang-up even more than it is for kids. When I go to book signings, most adults bring their daughters and granddaughters and nieces along. I love that they do. I’m grateful they think the girls in their lives will connect with the book. But I want them to know that boys do, too. When I go to schools, the boys I meet are every bit as enthusiastic about Meena’s story as their female classmates.

Are there more Meena stories on the way, or do you have another project on which you’re working right now?

I don’t have plans for another Meena story right now, but I’d love to revisit her world some day. I spent the last year working on a new middle grade novel. It’s a middle-school friendship story and deals with some tough themes related to real life versus virtual life and our need for connection versus the importance of standing on our own two feet. It is very much the book of my heart. I can picture the cover so clearly that it almost hurts. I hope I get to see it in print some day!

Some helpful links:

www.karlamanternach.com

https://www.simonandschuster.com/series/The-Meena-Zee-BooksSocial media handle: @mskarlam (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)

Thank you so much for joining us today, Karla!

Karla Manternach grew up in small-town Iowa, a grubby kid in tube socks who once stopped a parade by running in front of a fire truck for candy. When she was older, Karla detasseled corn, read Star Trek novels, and studied languages nobody speaks anymore. Today, Karla lives with her family in small-town Wisconsin where she creates books for young readers and works as a freelance writer. She is currently at work on a new middle grade novel.