Kathie: Welcome to MG Book Village, George! Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your middle-grade debut SHAD HADID AND THE ALCHEMISTS OF ALEXANDRIA, coming out on October 4th from Harper Collins. Can you please give our readers a brief synopsis of it?

George: Thanks for having me at the MG Book Village, Kathie! SHAD HADID AND THE ALCHEMISTS OF ALEXANDRIA centers on Shad Hadid, a twelve-year-old aspiring baker. Shad’s life is uprooted when he discovers he’s descended from a long line of alchemists and sent to the mysterious Alexandria Academy. Only, his arrival at the school awakens a nefarious force long lurking in the shadows, and he unwittingly holds the key to either stopping—or unleashing—their evil plot.

Kathie: I recently finished an eARC of your book, and I loved how you wove Lebanese culture together with mythology, alchemy, and lots of humor. Why was it important to you to tell this story?

George: I’m so glad you enjoyed the advanced copy. Writing this story meant more to me than getting a book deal, and that was because I felt so strongly about the need for a story that highlights an Arab hero. So much Western media paints characters of Arab background negatively, and my hope is to combat this narrative, sharing our rich culture with younger readers while giving the world a diverse lead they can root for.

Kathie: Shad is an aspiring baker when he discovers his family’s connection to alchemy and is sent to the Alexandria Academy to study it. What’s one question you think he would want me to ask him if I interviewed him?

George: You should definitely ask what part of the Alexandria Academy he most wants to explore. There’s the dining hall with all the tasty foods, of course, but also the Great Library with countless hidden secrets, among other mysterious nooks and crannies across the school. 

Kathie: Food is an essential part of this book. Do you have a favorite Lebanese dish?

George: Picking my favorite Lebanese dish is an impossible task! One that I would rate very highly is fattoush, which is a salad covered with toasted pieces of bread that give it a tasty crunch. Yum!

Kathie: If I was booktalking this story to a young reader in my library, what could I say to help convince them to try it?

George: Be sure to ask them whether they are an alchemist or a necromancer. They’ll have to read the book to discover who they side with, but the alchemists value tradition while the necromancers are much more concerned with progress at all costs.

Kathie: What’s one thing you’ve learned as a debut author that will influence your future writing projects?

George: What will most impact my writing moving forward is having a deeper goal that I’m trying to achieve. SHAD HADID AND THE ALCHEMISTS OF ALEXANDRIA was written for readers who didn’t see themselves represented in middle grade books. I’m going to be sure that I work to get across a similar goal or message through all of my books. 

Kathie: Do you have another writing project on the go, and can you share anything about it?

George: In fact, I do have a few secret projects coming up! Though I can’t go into much detail yet, I’ll just say two words…graphic novels. 

Oh, and of course SHAD HADID will have an EPIC sequel, which will take you across the world of alchemy. There’s so much to be excited about, and I’m humbled to have awesome readers along for the ride!

Kathie: Where can our readers go to learn more about you and your writing?

George: Readers can find me on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok at @ByGeorgeJreije to hear all of the latest on what’s happening with me. For personalized pre-orders and some swag, be sure to pre-order SHAD HADID AND THE ALCHEMISTS OF ALEXANDRIA from Books of Wonder in New York.

Kathie: Thanks so much for chatting with me today, George, and I hope young readers enjoy this story as much as I did.

George: It’s been a pleasure to be interviewed by you and the MG Book Village, and I can’t wait to hear what readers think of SHAD HADID AND THE ALCHEMISTS OF ALEXANDRIA!

George is the Lebanese-American author of SHAD HADID AND THE ALCHEMISTS OF ALEXANDRIA, a children’s fantasy novel with HarperCollins, and a forthcoming sequel. He has also written short stories published in collaboration with UNICEF. When not writing, George enjoys trying tasty Arabic pastries, messing with new yoga poses, and playing with his labradoodle, Sushi.

Kathie: Hi Alda, thanks for returning to MG Book Village to talk about your second book, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER (releases September 6^th from Sourcebook for Young Readers.) It’s the sequel to BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA, and I’d love to hear more about what happens to Petra in this book?

Alda: Thank you, Kathie, for having me and Petra Luna back! Well, In THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER, Petra Luna has escaped both the Mexican Revolution and the terror of the Federales. She is now in America, but still, twelve-year-old Petra knows that her abuelita, little sister, and baby brother depend on her to survive. She leads her family from a smallpox-stricken refugee camp on the Texas border to the buzzing city of San Antonio, where they work hard to build a new life. And for the first time ever, Petra has a chance to learn to read and write.

Petra, however, sees in America attitudes she thought she’d left behind on the other side of the Río Grande—people who look down on her mestizo skin and bare feet, who think someone like her doesn’t deserve more from life. Petra wants more. Isn’t that what the revolution is about? Her strength and courage will be tested like never before as she fights for herself, her family, and her dreams.

Kathie: What was it like for you to write this sequel, and how did the experience differ from writing your debut?

Alda: Originally, this story began as an idea for a Highlights Magazine article. After much research, I found out that my great-grandmother’s powerful story was indeed true. It was then I decided to turn it into a picture book. At a writing conference, an agent suggested I turn the picture book into a middle grade novel. It turns out that the picture book I wrote is now the first chapter of THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER. I then had to work “backwards” and come up with a story that would become BAREFOOT DREAMS OF PETRA LUNA.  But writing the rest of sequel book wasn’t as daunting as the first books since my research skills had improved as well as my writing.

Kathie: What’s one way that Petra grows in your new book?

Alda: Petra must learn that just because she has struggled and sacrificed so much to reach America, the struggle continues just like it does for many immigrants. America is the land of opportunities and Petra quickly learns that it takes hard work to make things happen in the new land.

Kathie: Did you have to do more research for this story, and did you learn something new while writing it?

Alda: I did have to do more research for this book, especially because my family story deviates from that or Petra’s after the refugee camp. While at the refugee camp in 1913, U.S. Immigration announced that it would soon shut the refugee camp. Like Petra Luna and her family, my great-grandmother’s family was given the option to return to Mexico after the camp’s closure or stay in America, where she and her father would be guaranteed work. My great-grandmother, only nine years old at the time, talked it over with her father and after much consideration, they decided to return to Mexico. Upon their return, my great-grandmother and her family discovered that everything had been burned to the ground—homes, farmlands, entire villages—and found themselves starting over again from the bottom with nothing but the clothes on their backs. This is where Petra’s story diverges from my family history. While the story of my family’s return to Mexico was interesting, I found out that during the Mexican Revolution, over two million Mexicans made the United States their permanent home. I was intrigued by the lives of the immigrants who decided to make a new life in America and decided this would be Petra’s story.

Kathie: Do you find it challenging to step away from the accolades, praise and feedback from others while continuing Petra’s story, or does it positively influence your writing?

Alda: I’d say I’m positively influenced by feedback, especially when it comes from readers who say they can relate to my story because their ancestors went through similar journeys, or when people tell me my story ignited their passion to share family stories with their children.

Kathie: It’s interesting to think about how immigrating to the United States today compares to Petra’s experience. What do you hope young readers will think about while reading your story?

Alda: I want young readers to realize that Petra Luna’s story is not unique to my family or to Mexicans. It’s a universal story that transcends many cultures and eras. I want them to be inspired to seek their own stories and to realize how history repeats itself over and over again.

Kathie: Will Petra’s story continue after this book?

Alda: Great question. Not sure… maybe if the audience wants more Petra Luna?

Kathie: Where can we go to learn more about you and your writing?

Alda: You can visit my website at http://www.aldapdobbs.com

Kathie: I really look forward to reading THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER when it comes out, Alda, and the best with its release.

Thank you, again, Kathie. I always enjoy your questions!

Alda P. Dobbs is the author of the historical novels Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna and its followup, The Other Side of the River (September 2022). Her debut novel received a Pura Belpre Honor and is a Texas Bluebonnet Master List selection. Alda was born in a small town in northern Mexico but moved to San Antonio, Texas as a child. She studied physics and worked as an engineer before pursuing her love of storytelling. She’s as passionate about connecting children to their past, their communities, different cultures and nature as she is about writing. Alda lives with her husband and two children outside Houston, Texas.

Shari: When I saw this, my jaw dropped! It is so delightfully creepy, and the color palette really makes it stand out! What were your thoughts when you first saw it? Is there an element that stands out for you or that you particularly like?

Sarah: I literally squealed with excitement when I saw it! I got Coraline vibes, which is exactly what I hoped for. I am obsessed with the spooky title font, and the fact that Angie got Penny’s Van Gogh sunflower notebook on there! I knew this cover was going to be a tough balancing act, because it is squarely middle grade, but I didn’t want it to come off as too youthful or…twee? Angie pulled it off perfectly.

Shari: I agree – it is truly fantastic! While we wait until next August to read this spooky story, where can our readers go to find out more about you and your writing?

Sarah: I am available all the places! I try and keep my website up-to-date, I’ve got a quarterly newsletter that will be going out at the end of this month, and I’m on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and basically all the socials @sarahallenbooks! I love when readers reach out 🙂

Shari: I’m very excited to read this book, especially since I loved your debut, What Stars Are Made Of! Your second book, Breathing Underwater, is on my shelf waiting to be read – soon, I hope! Thank you so much for letting me be part of the cover reveal and chatting with me today.

Sarah: Truly my honor and pleasure! Thanks for all the work you guys do here at MG Book Village. Some of the best books being published are middle grade and we need places like this to talk about them! 

Shari: Hi Mark! Happy Book Birthday!  What a treat to get to share the trailer of your new book, Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold on its release day.  This title will definitely get readers’ attention! What would you say about your book to convince someone to read it? 

Mark: Hi Shari. Thank you for having me on the MG Book Village. It’s a real honor!

Quest Kids and the Dragon Pants of Gold was written to crack up my kids, as well as make my own inner eleven-year-old laugh. So if you’re a kid, or kid at heart, who thinks an afternoon of non-stop guffawing is time well spent, then you’re going to love Quest Kids!

Quest Kids follows four kids and their pig-dog-thing as they attempt underage questing in a medieval world. Ned is our fearless leader, who took up questing to find his missing parents. Gil is Ned’s best friend and a wizard-in-training; his wizarding teacher disappeared the same time as Ned’s parents. Terra is a 700-year-old elf who still happens to be a kid (700 is 11 in elf years). Boulder is a sensitive rock troll who often gets stuck doing the dirty work because he’s MMOR (Mostly Made Of Rocks). And the previously mentioned pig-dog-thing is their pet named Ash. Is he a pig? A dog? Or something else entirely? No one knows, but he’s cute, loyal, and intensely gassy!

The Quest Kids scour the countryside in search of quests, which is quite tough because no one is keen on hiring a bunch of kids to quest. Plus, the Quest Kids don’t really have the best track record quest-wise; they have not completed a single one. But Ned thinks all this will change with their latest quest: 

To find and shave the golden-fleeced rage beast, so they can make a giant track jacket for a dragon. 

A golden track jacket is the perfect complement to the dragon’s preexisting pair of golden lounging pants. But if Quest Kids can’t complete this shiny ensemble in one year’s time, the dragon looks to leave an entire mountain village EXTRA CRISPY! And not in the good bacon-y kind of way 😦

Shari: Quest Kids sounds like a hilarious adventure! What is the hardest part about writing a quest story, and especially a humorous quest story?

Mark: The hardest thing is to avoid mapping everything out ahead of time. It’s easy to get nervous about where the quest might go and want to safely steer things along. I try not to do that. Sure, I’ll jot down ideas, but I really just use those as jumping off points and then see where the characters take me. This leads to more spontaneity and probably more humor. Discovering what happens the same time as your characters do makes everything more fun. Even if it’s a little scarier. 

Shari: Get your popcorn, folks, it’s time for the trailer!

Shari: Wow! What a fun book trailer! What were your thoughts when you first saw it? Is there an element that stands out for you or that you particularly like?

Mark: Thanks, Shari! I actually cobbled that trailer together myself. When I wasn’t constantly drawing growing up, you’d find me playing with the AV equipment. So ANY excuse I get to do that again is very welcome 🙂

My favorite part was finding music that seemed to work. Then I fine-tuned the edits a little closer so that the music sort of propelled everything along. It was so much fun!

Shari: Wow, well done! I love how the music really sets the mood for the story! If you can share, will there be more Quest Kids adventures, and what might they encounter on their future quests?

Mark: I’m working on the second quest right now. It is tentatively titled Quest Kids and the Dark Prophecy of Doug. In it, the Quest Kids must face a dark and mysterious character who has written a dark and mysterious prophecy that’s sending the world into, well, darkness. Yup, things are glum. But this Doug fellow might know where Ned’s parents are. Plus, they should probably stop him from fulfilling his altogether downer of a prophecy.

Shari: Dark and mysterious prophecies are always intriguing! Is there anything you’d like to share about yourself with our readers?

Mark: I was always the weird kid who lived for drawing and making people laugh. I was fortunate enough to do those two things for a few years with my syndicated comic strip Cow & Boy. Now I feel super blessed to combine my only two life skills once again with Quest Kids 🙂

Shari: Thank you so much for sharing your talents with young readers! Where can our readers go to find out more about you and your writing?

Mark: My website markleiknes.com is your best reference for all things Mark Leiknes related. It lists everything I’ve published over the last ten years and where to find them.

Shari: Mark, thank you so much for letting me be part of your trailer reveal and chatting with me today. I hope you have a fabulous launch day, and I look forward to sharing your book with my young readers!

Mark: It’s been my pleasure, Shari. Thank you again for having me!

Shari:  I love all the details, and the way the title is positioned in the steam from the kettle! What were your thoughts when you first saw it?

JAC: I love how the artist chose details – the cats circling Tick, her expression, how the scene captures one of the core conflicts of the story. I love the summery feel, too, how the light falls through the trees and how the leaves swirl around just a little. It’s just lovely.

Shari: What kind of readers do you think will be drawn to this story, and what do you hope they take away from it?

JAC: I think this story will appeal to readers who’ve ever felt like they had something to prove, especially to an adult who was important to them. At the core, this is a story about a kid who isn’t sure her dad will look at her the same way once she grows up, who feels like she has to be helpful to earn his love. It will also appeal to readers who like a friendship story, who like seeing kids overcoming their differences and having one another’s backs.

Shari: Where can our readers go to find out more about you and your writing?

JAC: My website is https://www.jandersoncoats.com/. I’m on Twitter way too much, Facebook sometimes, and Instagram not enough (all handles are @jandersoncoats). If you’re trying to cut down on your social media, I have a monthly-ish newsletter that’s mostly good book news, reading recommendations, and pictures of my cat: https://www.jandersoncoats.com/newsletter/. Thanks for your interest in my work!

Shari: Thank you so much for letting me be part of the cover reveal and chatting with me today.

JAC: Thanks so much for having me!

Shari: Hi Kathleen! I’m so excited to chat with you today about your debut novel, Cabby Potts, Duchess of Dirt, which just released on September 1! Tell us about your book, and what led you to write this story!

Kathleen: Thanks so much for having me on MG Book Village!

Cabby Potts, Duchess of Dirt is set in Kansas in 1875, the year after the grasshoppers devastated the state. My main character, Cabby, is an “outdoor kind of girl,” more interested in farming than fashion. Cabby’s struggling homestead is her first real home, and she’s desperate not to lose it, even if that means accepting a housemaiding job at stuffy, high-class Ashford manor. She’s also a bit naïve and has what her mother calls an intemperate tongue. These qualities get Cabby in trouble when, hoping to save her home and get out of a job she hates, she hatches an improbable matchmaking scheme between her romantic older sister and the young lord of Ashford Manor. When her rash plot backfires, Cabby must use her voice to stand up for herself, a Native American friend, and her entire community threatened by land-grabbers.

As for what led me to write this story: When I learned that British aristocrats had founded a settlement on plains of Kansas in the 1870’s, I imagined a young homesteader going to work at one of the grand homes of the settlement. And the character of Cabby was born. 

Shari: Cabby Potts sounds like such a fascinating character, full of schemes and plans, but with her heart in the right place.  Was there a particular inspiration for her character, and what do you like most about her? 

Kathleen: You’re right, Shari. Cabby is impetuous and quick to draw conclusions, and she tends to leap before she looks! But, like you say, she has a big heart and would do anything to save her family and her home. She was inspired by some of my favorite literary heroines, Laura Ingalls and the pioneer women of Willa Cather. Like them, Cabby doesn’t care about “frippery,” and she’s eager to get her hands in the dirt.  

Shari: HIstorical fiction requires some research to get the setting and details just right.  Would you tell us about your research process? What drew you to this period of history? Were there any fascinating factoids you came across during your research that didn’t make it into the book?

Kathleen:My book is based on the true story of the Victoria settlement in Kansas, so of course I began with learning everything I could about that. In general, I like to begin with books that situate the time period I’m studying in a larger historical context. I follow that up with more specific books and then with primary sources. For Cabby Potts, I consulted homesteader journals, 1870’s editions of the Dodge City Times, an 1841 book by Dr. Samuel Sheldon Fitch called Diseases of the Chest (fascinating, trust me), Mrs. Beeton’s book on the duties of a housemaid . . . etc.! Since I work for Rutgers University as a writing instructor, I’m lucky enough to have access to the rich depth of primary materials owned by the university. I think primary sources are key not only to authentic details but to the language of the times.

Several experts also helped me with questions, and of course, Google is great for filling in details. 

I learned so many fascinating tidbits of information in my research, many of which I couldn’t include in the book but would be happy to tell you about sometime! Some facts that DID make it into the book: people used to believe that walking on the prairie could cure consumption (tuberculosis)—housemaids were not allowed to whistle in the house—dried up buffalo dung was burned for fuel.

One fact that got me thinking was that fully half of all homesteaders didn’t make it and never “proved up” on their claims. We tend to romanticize homesteading on the prairies, but it was brutally difficult.

Shari: What is your favorite part of writing a book? 

Kathleen: Well, my least favorite part of writing a book is outlining—in fact, I just can’t do it. I have an idea of beginning, middle and end before I write, but it’s not a detailed outline.

My favorite part of writing might be revising, oddly enough. I like going over and over a sentence, polishing the style, working on voice, finding just the right words. I also love the research process but have to avoid going down too many rabbit holes. 

Shari: What has been the most surprising aspect of your debut publishing experience, and how would you describe releasing your story into the world?

Kathleen: I didn’t know what to expect in the publication process, so all of it has been surprising, challenging, and exhilarating! I’ve been so grateful for the help and generous support I’ve received, beginning with my publisher, Michele McAvoy of Blue Bronco Books. I’m especially impressed by librarians, who are always working to keep up with new releases and are willing to read and promote new books. And fellow writers have helped by reviewing and boosting as well. The writing community is the best!

Shari:  If readers enjoy Cabby Potts, what other books do you think they will enjoy?

Kathleen: If they love prairie/pioneer stories: Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park, May B by Caroline Starr Rose, and classics like Caddy Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink.

If they love all things British: A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus, The War that Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, and classics like the Narnia books.

If they love historical fiction with funny, spunky heroines: Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, and The Summer We Found the Baby by Amy Hest. 

Shari: What are you reading these days?

Kathleen: I was able to pick up some great ARC’s at the ALA Convention in DC (so much fun to sign books there!), including The Secret Battle of Evan Pao, by Wendy Wan-Long Shang and The Last Mapmaker, by Christina Soontornvat. And I have a long middle-grade TBR!

Shari: Can you tell us what you are working on next?

Kathleen: Well, I have some irons in the fire, but most of them are unformed at this point. I hope to settle down to writing this fall.

Shari: Where can our readers go to find out more about you and your writing, and what is one thing you’d like young readers to know about you?

Kathleen: Readers can connect with me on my website: https://www.kathleenwilford.com/ 

Or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kathwilford

A couple of things people might not know about me:

I was born in a place that no longer exists: The Panama Canal Zone, Panama. (The Canal Zone was once a U.S. territory but was formally returned to Panama in 1999.) I also lived in Costa Rica and Colombia. I can speak some Spanish, but I’m rusty. 

I love to mow the lawn!

Shari: Thank you so much for joining us at MG Book Village to chat about your book.  I can’t wait to read it!

Kathleen: Thanks so much for having me!!

Kathleen Wilford was born in Panama and has lived in four different countries and three different states—but never in Kansas, where her book is set. She studied literature at Cornell University and at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she now teaches writing. When she’s not teaching or writing, Kathleen can be found outdoors, chasing her disobedient dog.

Cabby Potts, Duchess of Dirt is Kathleen’s debut novel for kids.

Shari Sawyers is a School Librarian in Texas. You can read more about Shari at the MG Book Village “About” page.

Anne: Hello, Wendy! I’m so glad you’ve stopped by MG Book Village to chat about your newest novel, The Secret Battle of Evan Pao. It came out this summer and I loved reading it. Would you please give readers a super-brief summary of the story? 

Wendy: Sure! Evan Pao moves to a small town in Virginia, hoping to get a fresh start after his dad’s scandal in California. While most everyone is friendly, one kid makes sure that Evan feels like an outsider, focusing on the fact that everybody in town has a connection to the Civil War—something that Evan does not have. When Evan discovers, though, that Chinese soldiers did fight in the Civil War, he hopes to gain a sense of belonging, but instead is confronted with a choice he never expected to make. 

Anne: Great. I’ll ask about the Chinese connection in a sec, but first… dogs play a huge role in Evan’s story! Are you a dog lover? And what about cats? (There were no cats in the book. I grew up with cats. Just saying.) 

Wendy: For the record, I have two cats and a dog, I love them all, but what can I say? There’s something about a dog. Zoe is a pandemic puppy—we got her a few months into the pandemic—and she is still surprised when we leave the house. 

Anne: Awww, Zoe looks super sweet!

Okay, now back to the book: do you see yourself in any of the characters in the story? Is any part autobiographical? How much of you is inside this gentle, sensitive, and insightful protagonist Evan? 

Wendy: The story is written in multiple third-person points of view, but much of the story is told through three boys—Evan, of course; his new best friend Max; and the boy who wants to exclude Evan, Brady. I feel attached to the three boys for different reasons. Evan is very sensitive to people’s feelings, which is definitely me, though like Evan, I also have my blind spots! I relate to Max because he tries to do the right thing, but can be a bit clumsy about it. Brady is a dog lover and has an older brother like me (though my older brother is nothing like Brady’s!). 

Anne: As the new kid in a small Virginia town, Evan notices things that no one else seems to question, like the fact that there’s a dead person on the Virginia state flag, the oddness of naming a school “Battlefield Elementary,” and the way “Yankee” became a Northern-versus-Southern thing. When did you first cue into ironies like these and decide to weave them into a novel? 

Wendy: I started questioning things a few years ago, probably around the same time that we started having a national discussion about Confederate statues, though I do remember, as a kid, thinking that Virginia having a Lee-Jackson-King Day—a holiday for two Confederate generals and a Black civil rights leader—was pretty weird. Living in Virginia, it’s hard to see how incongruous it is to have places named after people who fought against the United States because they are everywhere. Until they were renamed, I lived near Lee Highway and my kids’ friends went to JEB Stuart High School. Once you start noticing these kinds of details, it’s kind of hard to stop, to be honest. That’s where a lot of those observations came from! 

Anne: I hear you! In my Virginia town, the high school used to be Lee-Davis and has recently been renamed. Now, in the book, one of my favorite parts was learning new historical tidbits, such as the fact that Chinese men fought alongside Americans in our Civil War. Really interesting! How did you come to learn this history? 

Wendy: I have a really terrible memory, so I can’t remember where or how I first learned about the Chinese soldiers. If I had to guess, I would imagine it was through the work of Ruthanne Lum McCunn, who has written both fiction and nonfiction about the Chinese American experience, particularly in the American West. I ended up using one of her scholarly articles to pin down details for the book. What I can tell you for sure is that once I found out about these soldiers, I knew that I was not going to rest until I had them in a story.  

Anne: I found these lines especially touching: “[Because of] the Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese were not allowed to become citizens, not even someone who had fought in the war. But [the Chinese man Edward] still went out and saluted the flag every evening… [He] must have loved the United States when it did not seem to love him back, would not call him a citizen” (pages 170-171). These lines broke my heart. I’m so glad you included them in the book. While you were writing this section, how did you feel? Would you talk a bit about your writing process? 

Wendy: One of the trickier parts about writing about the soldiers was trying to convey their story without getting too bogged down in the weeds; some of the more well-known men had very complex legal or life stories. But sometime while I was writing this book, I heard that expression, and it seemed to fit this situation and sum up the experience of being Chinese-American, both then and now. I was raised to love the United States, and I do believe in the highest ideals of our country, though we are still fighting to reach those ideals. At the same time, the recent increase in violence against Asian-Americans has been frightening and disturbing.  

My writing process for Evan Pao was unusual in a lot of ways. I started writing it before the pandemic, and then, a few months in, I had an opportunity to write books for the American Girl of the Year, but on a very short deadline. So I hit pause on Evan Pao to write those books, and when I came back, the world had changed in so many ways, but most notably, the rise in anti-Asian hatred. That brought the issues I wanted to explore in the book into a whole new light, and I really struggled with whether I wanted to talk about forgiveness at that point. At the same time, I kept finding little phrases or ideas that pushed me to stay the course of how I originally envisioned the story. When I was writing the ending, I was trying to really hit that right note, and then Chloe Zhao won the Academy Award for Best Director, and included the chengyu (Chinese idiom) in her speech that people are basically born good. It was a gift to hear that! 

Anne: Love it. There’s so much hope in that idiom. So much optimism.

You’re already known for your novels The Great Wall of Lucy Wu and The Way Home Looks Now, plus two books co-written with Madelyn Rosenberg (Not Your All-American Girl and This is Just a Test), and the picture book The Rice in the Pot Goes Round and Round. What are you working on now? Will you be writing more novels for middle-grade readers? 

Wendy: I have a few irons in the fire! Madelyn and I are trying our hand at screenwriting. I have a picture book out on sub, and I’m toying with a non-fiction picture book idea. And I do have an idea for a middle-grade that I’ve been pondering for the last few years. Middle grade books are really my first love, so I think I’ll always have something MG to work on. 

Anne: Where can readers go to learn more about you and your work?

Wendy: Readers can visit my website, https://wendyshang.com/. You can also follow me on Twitter @WendyShang, or Instagram @wendyshangbooks.

Anne: Thank you so much for stopping by MG Book Village, and for writing such a heartfelt and eye-opening story for middle-grade readers! 

Wendy: Thank you for having me!  

Wendy Shang is the author of numerous books featuring Chinese-American characters, including The Great Wall of Lucy Wu, winner of the Asian Pacific-American Librarian Association award, and the American Girl 2022 Girl of the Year books. Wendy’s most recent book is The Secret Battle of Evan Pao, which has received three starred reviews. While she joined the Wordle craze in 2021, she remains a stalwart New York Times Spelling Bee fan. In addition to her writing, Wendy works for the Pretrial Justice Institute. She lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her family, dog and two cats.

Anne (A.B.) Westrick is the author of the older-MG novel Brotherhood. You can learn more about Anne at the MG Book Village “About” page.