Smack Dab in the Middle

Hmmmm. I wonder if this is an accurate depiction of my thought process? Or just a photo of me at the IRL extravaganza called China Lights? Recently the New York Times asked a bunch of scientists what they were wondering about. Their responses to the prompt were fun to read. Some questions I shared, like what is dark matter? (Although I also wonder about the metaphoric use of the phrase--why is there evil?) Some I had sort of wondered--like why did writing happen? Some I would never ever have thought of--like why are humans the only species with chins???? Corollary, why do people scratch their chins to indicate that they're thinking?  So of course I had to come up with my own questions.  What it's like to be a kid today? Why is having a purpose important? Where do ideas come from?  What is consciousness? What is magic? And how can I make it? JANE KELLEY is the author of many middle-grade non-fiction books and novels, including GRACE AND THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT, whi...