Tag: Anna Staniszewski

Finding Your Way into Your Story

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For almost a decade, I’ve considered myself a children’s author who writes funny books about serious topics. While the stories I’ve published feature silly magical creatures, over-the-top embarrassing situations, and plenty of goofy puns, they also touch on more emotional elements such as bullying, chronic illness, and divorce. I’ve become used to thinking of humor as my “in” into tougher stories, a way to make the subject matter more accessible to myself—and to readers.

However, when I set out to write my newest novel, The Wonder of Wildflowers, which deals with the complex issue of immigration, funny just wasn’t cutting it. No matter how many times I tried to infuse humor into a story inspired by my own experiences as a young immigrant acclimating to a new, seemingly magical world, it just fell flat. I was ready to abandon the project and move on.

Then one day, I had an epiphany. What if my character wasn’t navigating a new world that only seemed magical to her because of where she’d come from? What if this new home really was magical? Perhaps it was the only country in the world to have access to magic. Once I knew that, the rest of the story fell into place fairly quickly. It turned out that magic was my “in” this time.

Now, whenever I approach a new project, I consider what my strongest “in” will be. Perhaps it will, once again, be humor or magic. Or maybe it will be a certain relationship that I’m curious to explore or a specific type of setting that I’m excited to depict. Knowing your “story in” can help you decide what to emphasize in your narrative, and it can also motivate you to keep going if you get stuck. And, ultimately, it can help keep you—and your readers—engaged in the story you’re telling.

Anna Staniszewski is the author of over a dozen books for young readers, including the novels The Dirt Diary and Secondhand Wishes, as well as the picture books Dogosaurus Rex and Power Down, Little Robot, and the Once Upon a Fairy Tale early chapter book series. She was a Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library and a winner of the PEN New England Discovery award, and she currently teaches in the MFA Writing for Children Program at Simmons University. Visit her at http://www.annastan.com.

Cover Reveal: THE WONDER OF WILDFLOWERS, by Anna Staniszewski

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Hello, Anna! Welcome to the MG Book Village, and thank you so much for hosting your cover reveal here. We’re very excited! Before we get to all of that, though, would you care to introduce yourself to our readers?

Thanks so much for having me! I’m the author of over a dozen books for young readers, including the tween novels The Dirt Diary and Secondhand Wishes; the picture books Power Down, Little Robot and Dogosaurus Rex; and the forthcoming Once Upon a Fairy Tale chapter book series. I write a lot of different kinds of stories, but I think what they all have in common is a sense of humor and a touch of magic.

Now, can you tell us about the new book — THE WONDER OF WILDFLOWERS?

10-year-old Mira is an immigrant in a country that’s nearly closed itself off from the rest of the world in order to protect its most precious nature resource: a magical substance called Amber that makes people stronger and healthier and smarter. As Mira struggles to find her place in a community that shuns outsiders, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to fit in.

The book is a bit of a departure from your previous novels, correct? Would you care to talk about that, and what led you to write this particular book?

My family moved from Poland to the US when I was five, so—like many immigrants—I had to quickly learn a new language and figure out how to assimilate into a new culture.  I suspect this is why the thread of not fitting in is a common one in many of my books, but for a long time, I shied away from writing about my own experiences. I thought: “There are so many great immigrant stories out there. What do I have to add?” Then one day, I started to wonder what would happen if I sprinkled a touch of magic into my own story, and that turned out to be my “in” into writing this more personal novel. By setting the book in a slightly fantastical version of our world, I was able to tell a tale inspired by my emotional experiences of being an immigrant but focused on Mira’s unique struggles.

Okay — let’s get to the cover. Were you involved in the process at all?

My editor, Krista Vitola, and I talked about ways to convey a sense of magic through the cover, since that element of the story is only hinted at in the title. In our conversation, I mentioned a couple of book covers that I thought successfully highlighted that kind of magical feeling, including Savvy by Ingrid Law. My editor passed that info along to the art director, Chloe Foglia, and I was so excited to see that she and the illustrator, Julie McLaughlin, really took that inspiration to heart and ran with it.  

What did you think when you first saw the art?

I immediately fell in love with it. It’s so visually stunning and creates such a perfect blend of magic and mystery. I love that one of the Amber wells is front and center on the cover, since that’s such a huge part of the story, and that we get to see a hint of something brewing in the town in the background. The cover illustration exactly captures the feelings I was hoping to convey in the novel!

All right — let’s see it!

WOW! It’s FANTASTIC! I love all the movement of the rounded shapes and curves, and the hint of drama and even menace with the lightning bolts, dark clouds, and shadowy houses. When can readers get their hands on THE WONDER OF WILDFLOWERS, and where can they learn more about you and your work?

The Wonder of Wildflowers will be releasing in Spring 2020 from Simon & Schuster. In the meantime, I have a few other projects in the works. Readers can check them out at www.annastan.com.

Born in Poland and raised in the United States, Anna Staniszewski grew up loving stories in both Polish and English. She was a Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library and a winner of the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award. Currently, Anna lives south of Boston with her family and teaches courses on writing and children’s literature at Simmons College. When she’s not writing, Anna spends her time reading, daydreaming, and challenging unicorns to games of hopscotch. She is the author of several tween novels, including The Dirt Diary and Once Upon a Cruise, and the picture books Power Down, Little Robot and Dogosaurus Rex.