Spring Reading

 

Spring Reading

 

The cherry blossoms in my neighborhood are in full bloom and spring is here, so let’s take a look at some new middle grade novels! On my blog, Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, I’ve interviewed various middle grade authors, including Maria Scrivan, Suma Subramaniam, Janet Sumner Johnson, Sylvia Liu, and Allie Millington. Here’s what they had to say…

 

Maria Scrivan’s new novel, Nat a Chance, is the latest in her Nat Enough series. I asked if her character Nat has changed over the course of the series, and she said: “Nat is a lot like Charlie Brown, except she pulls the football from beneath herself. Nat is getting more confident and comfortable in her own skin, but she still has room to grow as life continues to bring new challenges. Although Nat was based on my childhood self, the character has taken on a life of her own, and has become one of my greatest teachers. Each book is a letter and reminder to myself to be more of who I am, to move through doubt and fear, and to believe in myself.”

 

Suma Subramaniam is the author of the new novel V. Malar: Greatest Host of All Time. She said: “The inspiration for this story came from my childhood. When I was a child, my parents were committed to making seasonal festivals a family tradition. Pongal is a four-day celebration in South India when crops are harvested in mid-January. It is celebrated every year in many Indian households during the Tamil month called Thai, in honor of the work farmers do. The harvest festival symbolizes a season of hope and renewal. It marks the end of the winter solstice and the beginning of the sun’s six-month journey up to Earth’s Northern Hemisphere.”

 

Janet Sumner Johnson’s new novel, Fault Lines, is a sequel to her novel The Winterton Deception. I asked her if she knew how her new book would end before she started writing or if she’d made a lot of changes, and she said, “I suppose the better question is 'what didn’t change?' The talent show was always planned to be there. But even with that, I ended up adjusting several of the talents by the final draft give better emphasis to the book's themes. I don’t want to give away the ending for those who haven’t read, but the basic plot building to the climax never changed (even if specific scenes within that did). Until a book is written, it’s hard to see exactly what’s needed for the plot to work, so revision and changes are a big part of the magic that is storytelling.”

 

Sylvia Liu’s new novel is Near and Deer. Of its inspiration, she said, “My wonderful Scholastic editor Maya Marlette and I develop my animal friendship stories together. She came up with the premise of a dog befriending an abandoned fawn and the girl who wants to take care of it, and I filled in the details of what Sienna is like, her family environment (her family running a bed and breakfast in central Virginia), and the new friends she makes (including a boy and his forest scientist mom). Sienna’s main trait is her need to stay in control, which stems from some anxiety, and she has to learn to let go and trust others to help her with Persimmon, the fawn. I created Sienna by thinking about how someone like her would react to the situations I put her in, relying on my experiences, observation, and research.”

 

Allie Millington is the author of the new novel Once for Yes. I asked her about why a building is a character in the book, and she said, “I’ve always been drawn to writing from unique perspectives, especially objects that hold memories and meaning for people. I thought having an apartment building as a narrator would be interesting, not only because they hold meaning for many people, but they are also full of stories themselves. Though using a non-human narrator certainly has its challenges, I also find it endlessly enjoyable trying to see the world from a new lens. I think that’s where empathy plays a big part within my writing.”

 

Happy reading!

 

--Deborah Kalb