Anne: Welcome back, Jarrett! You co-founded MG Book Village and used to blog regularly here, doing author-interviews, revealing cover art, and hosting #mgbookchat on Twitter. You’ve done so much to spread MG book love — it’s great to catch up with you today!
Jarrett: Thank you so much! It’s a blast to be back. I still think fondly of the time when we all started the Village, and though I had to take a step back from things, it’s been wonderful to watch the site grow and thrive. What you all do is a service to the community!
Anne: With great thanks to YOU! Now, let’s talk about your newest book, A Work in Progress, which came out earlier this year. Could you tell us briefly what the story is about?
Jarrett: The story is a fictionalization of my own experience being bullied and body-shamed and developing disordered eating, an eating disorder, and body dysmorphia — and then, ultimately, after going through a deeply dark time and reaching a deeply dark place, getting on a path of healing and forming a more healthy relationship with my body, food, and eating.
Anne: That’s a lot. Wow. Thank you. The book’s design makes it look like Will’s notebook—like we’re reading his thoughts, stream of consciousness, including verse, illustrations, and scribbles. What made you want to tell his story in this unique way?
Jarrett: I’ve tried to tell this story for years — I started it in a creative writing course in college, actually. There were a lot of reasons why I failed to get the story out of me then and in all the intervening years. I’d pick the project back up every six or twelve months but abandon it again. One of the reasons is that I just wasn’t healthy enough yet. I hadn’t properly dealt with all the stuff that Will, in this version of the book, begins to deal with.
In an effort to get the story out of me in a way that felt complete, authentic, and “right,” I tried every sort of formal twist — first person, third person, even second person, one point of view, multiple points of view, past tense, present tense, et cetera, et cetera. Then, a handful of years ago, when I picked up the project again, two things happened: 1. I began, for the first time, to open up about all this stuff, and actually ask for help, which was the first and essential step I needed to take in order to begin to get better, and 2. I came up with the idea of telling the story “incidentally,” as if we were just peeking in on Will’s notebook.
The notebook format is modeled after notebooks I kept when I was Will’s age, dealing with the same sort of stuff he’s dealing with. Before I knew what free verse was, I was writing it, pouring out my thoughts and feelings in jagged, broken-up, often fragmented sentences and doodling, drawing, and scribbling alongside it all. So, the book took me over a decade, and took me having a breakthrough in my life off the page. It was only once I decided to try and tell this most personal story of mine in a form that was meaningful to me that it actually began to feel complete, authentic, and “right.”
Anne: That says a lot about the value of writing from the heart. I appreciate you going so deep about yourself, personally.
Many of your books are funny, but this one… not so much. It’s heart-wrenching! At the same time, it’s a satisfying read because you can turn pages quickly (there’s more “white space” than text). I think adults would get a lot out of it. Therapists could use it as a conversation-starter with clients. Did you ever imagine it as a book for readers other than just the MG crowd?
Jarrett: As someone who primarily (and, at times, exclusively) reads children’s books: YES. There are legions of adults who adore and rely on children’s books, especially these days, because so many incredible creators have turned their attention to the area. As a creator, I love it because I believe it is the most exciting and fulfilling space to be.
Generally speaking, I think kid lit publishers/editors are more okay (and sometimes even encouraging) of experimentation and rule-breaking. And for the creators, there is almost nothing more rewarding than getting to meet young readers whose lives are being actively improved and enriched by the work you do. To hear that my work has turned a kid into a reader — there’s nothing better. When crafting a book, I am ALWAYS thinking about my readers, and doing absolutely everything I can to make my books inviting (and thoughtfully, responsibly challenging) to as many kids as possible (especially those who might be more hesitant to actually start reading the thing). But I’m also often thinking about ADULT readers, because it’s almost exclusively adults who are reading these books with kids or reading them on their own in order to share them with the right kids.
I often compare my stories to Pixar movies, or more recently to the show Bluey — every story has two layers of meaning: one that’s going to resonate with kids, and one with adults. I try to emulate that in all my work, and I think all the best work out there does that.
Anne: Oh, yes — the two layers are definitely there in your work! And back to A Work in Progress…
Will’s response to a kid calling him FAT is intense. Touching. Raw. Embarrassing. Shame-filled. What was it like for you to go into such a deeply emotional space every time you sat down to write? Tell us a bit about your writing process.
Jarrett: Writing and drawing this book was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life. Not just in my book-making life, but my whole life. Typically, working on my books — even if I’m having a long and challenging and frustrating day — leaves me feeling energized and happy and fulfilled. But making this book was depleting in ways I’d never experienced before, creatively, emotionally, or psychologically.
And about how deep I went — I couldn’t have gotten there without the help and careful, respectful, thoughtful encouragement of my longtime editor. I turned in draft after draft of this book, and for several iterations of the story, she could tell I was hesitating to go to the deepest depths. I was protecting myself. I was scared. On my own, I truly don’t think I ever would’ve had the guts or motivation to go so deep. She pushed me (gently) and reminded me that I was doing this for my readers, for kids, and that the deeper and truer I made the story, the more beneficial it would be for them. I am forever grateful to her for all of that — and I let her know regularly!
Anne: That must’ve been so tough. You open with this dedication: “For anyone who has ever felt less than.” One element of the story is the way negative comments stay with people forever, and how we internalize hurt. The title suggests a way to heal. Did you know “A Work in Progress” would be your title when you started writing?
Jarrett: Thank you for that thoughtful analysis! Yes — it was always the title. It clicked from the very beginning, and I think it was honestly the only title I could bear to use for the project. Even though the work of the book was taxing and draining and tough, I struggled to let it go. I kept tweaking the artwork and text until literally THE DAY it was shipped off to be printed. I would’ve kept revising if I’d been able to. And now, when I read the book aloud during presentations at schools and conferences, I find myself continuing to revise. I’ll rephrase a line, leave a word out, add one here or there. The title is meaningful, of course, for the content of the book and Will’s journey, but it was equally important for ME and my own journey to work on this project and finally let it go in order to share it with the world.
Anne: Oh, that’s great. Always revising — always a work in progress. What are you working on now?
Jarrett: Lots of stuff! I am continuing to make more books in my Nat the Cat early readers series, and next year will be launching two new chapter book series: Scare School Diaries, the first book of which, Welcome to Scare School, comes out in July, and another one that has not yet been announced. In addition to that, I’ve got several other things in various forms of development. For fans of my work reading this: I’ve got plenty more coming your way!
Anne: Fun! And your website jarrettlerner.com is fun, too. You have a bunch of activities and artwork that educators can download. It’s great. Where else can readers go to learn more about you and your work? Please tell us your social media links.
Jarrett: Thank you! I add to my website — especially the Activities page — regularly. You can also find me on Twitter and Instagram and Threads at @jarrett_lerner and on YouTube by searching Jarrett Lerner or Jarrett Lerner Books. On my YouTube page I’ve got loads of drawing videos and lots of stuff about my books.
Anne: Excellent. Thank you so much for spending time with us at MG Book Village.
Jarrett: Thank you! It’s wonderful to come back to the Village as a guest, and I really appreciate all of the thoughtful questions.
Anne: Catching up with you has been a joy!
Author-illustrator Jarrett Lerner is the award-winning creator of the EngiNerds series of Middle Grade novels, the Geeger the Robot series of early chapter books, the activity books Give This Book a Title and Give This Book a Cover, The Hunger Heroes series of graphic novel chapter books, and the Nat the Cat series of early readers. Jarrett is also the creator of the illustrated novel in verse A Work in Progress, which has received multiple starred reviews, was a Kids’ Indie Next List pick, and was selected for the 2023 Global Read Aloud. All of Jarrett’s books are published by Simon & Schuster. In addition to writing, drawing, and visiting schools and libraries across the country, Jarrett co-founded and co-organizes the #KidsNeedBooks and #KidsNeedMentors projects, and regularly spearheads fundraisers for various reading- and book-related causes. He is also the founder and operator of Jarrett Lerner’s Creator Club. He can be found at jarrettlerner.com and on Twitter and Instagram at @Jarrett_Lerner. He lives with his wife and daughters in Massachusetts.
Anne (A.B.) Westrick (she/her) is the author of the older-MG novel Brotherhood. You can learn more about Anne at the MG Book Village “About” page.
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