Hello, Kristin! Thank you for stopping by the MG Book Village to talk about your new novel, THE AMELIA SIX! But before we get to that, would you care to introduce yourself to our readers?

Hi, thanks for having me!

I’m Kristin, I live in Arkansas with my family, two dogs, cat, and bearded dragon. I used to be a pediatric nurse, but now I write full time, working in children’s novels and picture books.

Okay, now: Can you tell us what THE AMELIA SIX is all about?

Sure!

Six STEAM-savvy girls spend the night at the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, Kansas, when her historic flight goggles mysteriously disappear.

A bit of trivia, this particular pair actually vanished during Amelia’s lifetime. More on that in the book.

Have you always been interested in Amelia Earhart? How did you decide to write a book in which her story takes a central role?

Yes, Amelia, and the mystery surrounding her and her co-pilot Fred’s disappearance, has always been fascinating to me. But a family road trip to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum the summer before I entered fourth grade cemented my interest. I remember checking out biographies of Amelia at school. I’ve always loved looking at maps, too, so tracking her flight around the globe is thrilling and heartbreaking.

Writing a mystery about a mystery (or mysterious figure) sounded intriguing, challenging, and fun! In short, I have always been obsessed with CLUE and all things Nancy Drew. Cozy mysteries are my absolute favorite books to read. I knew wanted to try to write one myself . . . it was just a matter of finding the right setting and believing that I could pull the story off.

And I had plenty of setbacks. I actually set the story in a different famous house first! But those key figures weren’t nearly as inspiring to me, and the story fizzled. Then when my family took a detour to visit Amelia’s historic house in Kansas, everything clicked. It should have been Amelia all along.

You could’ve written a more straightforward historical novel, or written a story about a contemporary kid learning about that history, but you chose to use the subject matter to build a mystery. Was that always the plan? Do you think the mystery genre in particular is a beneficial one with which to explore the past?

I set out to write a mystery from the start, and I do think in this case it works well. Bringing contemporary kids (characters) into a historic house, namely Amelia’s, was a fun way to expose them to lots of aviation history. Time travel and historical novels are wonderful and offer immersive worlds, but I write contemporary stories best. I never thought to write this story any other way. I love mysteries and old things, and this book let me explore both simultaneously.

To answer your last question, in a way, all mysteries explore the past. Some pasts are just more recent than others.

One of the things I love about this book, as well as your first novel, VILONIA BEEBE TAKES CHARGE, is the voice. All it takes is a single sentence, and suddenly you feel like you can hear – actually hear – your narrators talking. Can you discuss your creation and development of voice in your work?

Aww. Thank you. I don’t have a clear answer, other than I live with a bunch of kids – having five myself. I hear a lot of conversations, ha. I also read a lot of books – I tell students in my Skype and school visits that books are our best teachers! I never took a single writing class when I was in school, so I learn by reading and studying others—Rita Williams-Garcia, Sheila Turnage, Karina Yan Glaser—to name a few. And I try to remember what it felt like to be a kid myself. Sometimes, when the writing is especially daunting, I pretend I’m telling a story to one of my friends.

What do you hope your readers – especially the young ones – take away from THE AMELIA SIX?

There’s one line in the book that I love: “You can be quiet and brave.”

Bravery isn’t always loud. It isn’t always shocking, stunt-worthy, or brash. We don’t have to have some grand adventure like Amelia, or like my main character Millie, in order to be brave. Bravery can be found every day, in a small act of kindness or in an unseen advocacy. Quiet, everyday bravery is courageous.

Many of our site’s readers are teachers and librarians of Middle Grade-aged kids. Is there anything you’d like to say to them – in particular those planning to add THE AMELIA SIX to their classrooms and libraries?

Thank you for adding The Amelia Six to your collection!

There’s an author’s note at the end of the book describing the top five theories of Amelia’s disappearance plus a reading list for those extra-curious students. On my website, I have links to downloadable maps of her around-the-world flight. Plus, links to youcandothecube.com for more information on how to Rubik’s speedcube like Millie.

Did you know Rubik’s loans cubes to schools as STEAM tools and for their popular mosaic projects? Check out Amelia Earhart!

https://www.youcandothecube.com/build-mosaics-with-rubiks-cubes/mosaic-templates/

When can readers get their hands on THE AMELIA SIX?

Today, June 30th, wherever books are sold!

Where can readers find you online, and how can they learn more about you and your work?

Find me at kristinlgray.com and @kristinlgray on all social media channels. Thanks again, Jarrett, for having me to the MG Book Village.

KRISTIN L. GRAY is the author of Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge, a Bank Street Best Children’s Book, and the all new The Amelia Six: an Amelia Earhart Mystery, as well as the picture books Koala is Not a Bear and Rover Throws a Party: Inspired by NASA’s Curiosity on Mars. Kristin lives in Arkansas with her five children, two dogs, bearded dragon, and carb-loving cat. She loves connecting with classrooms in person and via Skype.