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STEM Tuesday– Transportation– Author Interview

By on November 25, 2025   /   STEM Tuesday, Transportation  

 

 

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview, a repeating feature for the last Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math!

Today we’re interviewing Jennifer Swanson, author of Save the Crash-test Dummies. The book discusses how restoring the balance between the primary predator and prey was instrumental in restoring a U.S. park’s ecosystem.

This book won a Parent’s Choice GOLD Award!!

 

“Attractively designed and engagingly written—sure to appeal to readers with a taste for the scientific and technical.”—Kirkus Reviews

★ “[An] innovative blend of history, technology, and engineering. . . insightful fun. STEM at its best.”—Booklist, Starred Review

 

 

Hi Jennifer,

Thanks so much for joining us today!

 

ST: Tell us a little bit about Save the Crash-test Dummies and the impetus behind writing it?

JS: For an earlier book I was doing, I had to research the self-driving car. At the time, Google was the only one making them. I LOVED the idea of a self-driving car! I mean, I am not a fan of driving. For more than 5 years I spent every afternoon from 3pm to 7pm in the car. That’s the price of  having 3 kids in 3 different sports across town all at the same time. Have a robot drive you? YES! Sign me up! (After all, I had alerady survived 3 teenage drivers).

But I knew I wanted this book to be a trade book, so I had to find the right hook. One night I was walking with my husband and we were talking about an old Crash-test dummy commercial that they had brought back (from the 70’s). I said something like, “Hey, if we have self-driving cars, we won’t need the dummies.” He said, “Yes, that would certainly, save the crash-test dummies life.” OMG! That was it! The hook, the title—everything all in one neat package. Suddenly,  the whole book popped into my head. I sat down to write my book about the history of car safety engineering from the Model T to self-driving cars.  The rest, as they say, is, well history.

 

 

ST: It looks fascinating! Everyone should go buy the book, but can you give us one thing that really surprised you while researching?

JS: It might surprise people to know that engineers were always concerned about safety, but the first group to create seatbelts was an emergency room doctor who saw first-hand the dangers of not having them in your car. He made them for his family.

 

ST: Have you ever been to see an actual crash test in person?

JS: Unfortunately, no. I would love to do so, though! I think it would be cool to see all of the equipment that is hooked up to the dummy. These things may be called “dummies” but they are really smart pieces of equipment, holding thousands of sensors to track every tiny movement and impact. We owe our lives to these “dummies” .

 

ST: Yes, we do. You’ve been very prolific in getting books out. How long does it take you to go from concept to finished product?

JS: Well that all depends on the publisher. I have TONS of ideas. But since I write for middle grade readers, I don’t write the entire manuscript, instead I submit a proposal. Sometimes the proposals are accepted right away. Then I start writing. If that happens, it can be about 3-4 months from idea to first draft. But if it takes longer to sell, it can take a while. In the meantime, though, I’m off and running on my next project and proposal. At any one time I may be working on 4-6 different projects (at various stages of publication) at once. It’s fun, if a bit challenging. But I love my job!

 

ST: What was the first book you wrote?

JS: The first book I ever wrote was in kindergarten. I used to write “books” about my dog, Lucky. I even illustrated them (with stick figures). My first nonfiction book that I wrote was called “Uninvited Guests: Invisible Creatures Lurking Inside Your Home” by Capstone Press. Very cool, but creepy if you don’t like crawly things.

 

ST: Can you tell us about any other books you have out recently and what we might expect to see from you in the future?

JS:  Yes, thanks for asking! My two recent books are:

Atlas Obscura Explorers Guide to Inventing the World

 

The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World 

by Dylan Thuras (Author), Jennifer Swanson (Author), Ruby Fresson (Illustrator)

The team behind the bestselling Atlas Obscura presents a kids’ illustrated STEM-oriented exploration of the world’s most interesting technologies, inventions, and scientific discoveries.

 

3 weeks in the rainforest book 3 Weeks in the Rainforest: A Rapid Inventory in the Amazon
by Jennifer Swanson

A women-led team of scientists protect the Amazon rainforest from destruction as readers get a firsthand account of real-life fieldwork in action.  A compelling, nonfiction, photo-illustrated STEM read for 8-12-year-olds who aspire to be future scientists, environmentalists, and conservationists!

 

As for what’s in the future, I have a middle-grade graphic novel about science coming out in 2027. And a book titled, How to Talk to an Alien (Should You Ever Meet One), also in 2027.

 

Thanks so much for having me!

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The Case of the Disappearing Book: An Interview with Susan Martineau Author of Real-Life Mysteries and Disasters

By on November 21, 2025   /   Author Interviews  

When I brought Real-Life Mysteries and Disasters into my home, it immediately created a mystery of its own. Every time I went to grab the book from where I had left it, the book had vanished! Leave it on the side table and a few minutes later Poof! empty table. Leave it on the chair and next thing I know Puff! nothing there. Since it is exceedingly difficult to interview an author about a book you haven’t read, I had to get to the bottom of this book’s disappearing act. (Plus, if I could discover the source of this vanishing power, maybe I could harness it to clean my house!) Once the book re-appeared, I laid it in the middle of the living room floor like bait in a trap and . . .  Snap! caught my eight year old and my ten year old in the act of swiping it to read. I couldn’t have been happier to discover that the cause of my confusion was my boys’ love of this fascinating book! (And I did harness their powers to clean their rooms.)

Today I’m interviewing Susan Martineau author of Real-Life Mysteries and Disasters an engaging middle grade browseable book that examines evidence of mysterious circumstances and spooky happenings like: Does the Loch Ness Monster actually exist? What made the Black Death so lethal? And was there really a documented case of time travel? My boys were drawn in by the colorful illustrations and case-file design then held captive by the often eerie information.

So, if you are feeling brave. . . let’s investigate!

Emily Starr: What sparked the idea for Real-Life Mysteries and Disasters, and what made you want to dive into these topics?

Susan Martineau: I’ve always loved reading about mysteries and strange or extreme events. My dad was really into all things mysterious, so there were a lot of books in our house for a budding mystery fan like me. The one I remember best is the Reader’s Digest Book of Strange Stories and Amazing Facts. I used to pore over it in fascination and horror (usually when I was supposed to be doing my homework)! I became quite obsessed with trying to work out what had really happened and if any of it was true! It was handy to be taken on holiday to Scotland so I could sit for hours by Loch Ness in Scotland in the hope of spotting the monster. As an adult, I’ve now visited quite a few of the places mentioned in the book. I am disappointed to say I didn’t see Bigfoot when I was hiking in California or Queen Marie-Antoinette at the palace of Versailles in Paris. I still love mysteries, though, and for as long as I have been a writer, I have wanted to write my own book about strange happenings and unexplained events. It was amazing to finally get the chance!

Emily Starr: Fifty mysteries is a lot of rabbit holes to go down! Because many of our blog readers are also authors, can you please share how you managed so much research?

Susan Martineau: It was a huge task, but so enjoyable, and it certainly did lead me down an incredible number of rabbit holes—and some pretty weird and wacky ones at times! Once I’d decided which mysteries and disasters to include, I read as much as I could about each one. I tried to go back to primary sources like eyewitness statements and diary entries where possible. I looked at any videos or photos, and I read the books that some people had written about their experiences. I checked out newspaper reports, documentaries, and other secondary source material, too. The whole time I was asking, “How reliable or credible are these witnesses or reports?” and “What are the theories being put forward to explain these mysteries?” I always tried to find as many sources as I could to corroborate what was being said or written. In the case of the disasters, I also checked what the specialist experts or organizations said or did about the terrible events. It left me in awe of the bravery of some of these people, like volcanologists who put their lives at risk to figure out when a volcano might next erupt.

Emily Starr: Was there any mystery that you felt more convinced was true after you read all of the evidence? If so, why?

Susan Martineau: There is one form of “haunting” that I find especially fascinating and really rather comforting. These are the “friendly ghosts,” or Third Man Syndrome. There are many stories about folks in danger or difficult situations being “visited” by a benign presence (often a deceased loved one) who helps them get through and watches over them. I read a brilliant book by John Geiger called The Third Man Factor as part of my research. I was blown away by just how many people, from NASA astronauts and extreme mountaineers, have experienced this. It may be our own brains conjuring these “ghosts,” but I think there’s something to it, and I want to believe in it!

Emily Starr: How would you recommend educators use your book to teach students about disinformation and misinformation?

Susan Martineau: I love the idea that educators might use my book for this essential critical literacy skill. It’s so important for students to navigate the jungle of content out there on the internet and in other forms, too. I would try to make it fun, though! After sharing one of the mysteries from my book plus case file, maybe the students could choose another mystery or disaster (there are some suggestions for further investigations in the book) and research it. They could then make their own case file, along the lines of the ones in the book. They might draw diagrams or timelines to analyze the information. However, the most important thing is for students to consider WHO is writing or presenting the information, WHY they are writing it, and WHEN it was written. Can the students find the most reliable sources of information and corroborate it across more than one source? It is important to encourage healthy skepticism and enable students to think for themselves. My tips for all budding mystery investigators are: keep an open mind, follow the facts, and try not to be influenced by emotion or fear!

Emily Starr: The book is designed like a series of case files. While making the content look appealing, it also helps young readers to access the text. How did you come up with that organization idea?

I am so lucky to have a wonderful designer and illustrator, Vicky Barker, working with me. I wanted the first double-page spread of each mystery to “tell the story” and get the reader hooked on it without having too much to read. I think Vicky’s artwork really helps get things rolling along. Then I asked her to design a “detective”-style pinboard for the second double-page spread so that it would change the tone and make it like a serious investigation. I love watching detective shows, and I wanted it to look like one of those old-fashioned pinboards with sticky notes and bits of evidence, along with visuals and the main theories that might explain what has happened. It was important to have a “follow the experts” section for all of the disasters, too, as I really wanted to reassure young readers that there are wonderful people out there trying to prevent disasters from happening. The inclusion of “Big Words” is something I love to put into all my books, as I like learning new words myself!

Emily Starr: Were there any mysteries you uncovered that didn’t make the book? If so, could you share one and why it was excluded?

There were so many mysteries on my list, and it’s growing all the time! In fact, I have just published two books in the UK that include many of the stories I could not include this time. Tales of Scary Beasts and Tales of Ghosts and Hauntings also tell the stories of weird occurrences and unnerving mysteries followed by a “let’s investigate” section for each chapter so that readers can flex their critical muscles.

I had some misgivings about including Spontaneous Human Combustion in Real-Life Mysteries and Disasters at first, but it was one of the stories that always fascinated me (such a gruesome child!) as a young Reader’s Digest reader! It made the cut, and I believe that, like me, children have quite an appetite for this kind of tale!

However, there are some very peculiar mystery stories that I feel are not appropriate for young readers. I haven’t included UFO abductions in any of the books. I started to feel a bit uneasy about the accounts I was reading and the unpleasant things that people said happened to them.

Emily Starr: Are there any future projects in the works you can share with our readers?

I’ve been working on new editions of two other books I’ve written recently. How to Question Everything and How to Think Like a Scientist are toolkits for young readers to learn critical literacy skills. It is essential for them to be able to see clearly through the bombardment of information coming at them through social media and other platforms. The new editions include information and advice on AI-generated content. Students need to be aware of how AI is used, and how it is teaching itself to use information and data. I’ve also included some fun activities in both books and hope they can be of use to educators.

My aim is to enable young readers to be nimble, confident, and thorough fact-finders, unafraid of being curious about the wonderful world around them. My motto, learned from my father, is “Be brave and always think for yourself!”

 

Susan Martineau was born in London, but has lived in various parts of the world including Holland, France and Malaysia. She has written over 30 books for children and won the Blue Peter Book with Facts Award for her book Real-life Mysteries. She is fascinated by strange and weird information and tries to shine a light into the most unusual corners of the world, sparking a passion for discovery and curiosity in her readers. Susan spends a good deal of her time lost on the internet or rummaging through libraries researching, unearthing and checking facts for her books. She loves quiz programs and annoys her family by thinking she knows the answers. (Sometimes she does!) Keep your eyes peeled for new titles exploring the world around us.

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Emily StarrAs a former fourth grade teacher and founder of StarrMatica, a STEM publishing company, Emily Starr has developed award-winning K-5 science curriculumand professional learning materials for 20 years. She is a member of the Iowa State Science Leadership Team, a peer reviewer for the National Science Teaching Association’s journal Science and Children, and a frequent presenter at state and national education conferences. Her debut middle grade nonfiction book will be released in 2026 from the Iowa Ag Literacy Foundation.
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When the Hammer Builds the House: Grappling with AI in Kidlit

By on November 20, 2025   /   Articles, For Writers, kidlit, News, Op-Ed  

Two years ago I wrote an article about how to utilize AI as a tool in children’s writing. At the time, ChatGPT was still in its first iterations, and many creatives had only the faintest ideas about generative AI. In the middle grade world, authors were mostly just trying to figure out what AI would mean for them, if anything at all. 

I think it’s safe to say things have changed since then, and I wanted to come back to this topic with fresh eyes to see if the undertones of techno-optimism that permeated my first piece on the subject still resonate the way they did back in 2023. There are, after all, some new realities that authors must face head-on.

For one, it’s simply no longer accurate to say that AI writing is cheesy, formulaic, and easy to spot. Large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have become astonishingly good at mimicking human authors in tone, humor, and even complex themes woven through longer pieces. YouTuber and developmental editor Alyssa Matesic recently did a side-by-side of AI writing and short stories written by professional authors, and the two were startlingly difficult to tell apart.

That also begs the question of how AI models have gotten so good. Since 2023, big tech companies have scraped vast libraries of unlicensed and copyrighted material to train their models. It’s a controversial topic, and too intricate to dive into here, but it has forced many authors to divert attention away from the creative process and think carefully about how to protect their work.

Still, the biggest issue probably isn’t about detectability or fair use, but the mere fact that AI writing exists at all. The very possibility of humanlike AI writing has cast a shadow over the legitimate efforts of human writers everywhere. Even the once-loved em dash has become a symbol of AI skepticism, with many authors consciously adjusting their tone and techniques to look less like the AI that used their writing to develop its own voice in the first place. It’s a strangely ironic dance that creators across all fields have been doing since generative AI exploded onto the scene in the last few years. 

So is it really fair to say that AI is “just a tool” the way I described it back in 2023? It would be a bit like a master craftsman returning to his worksite after a lunch break to find that his hammer had come to life and built the rest of the house without him. It sounds nice, but what if the craftsman actually enjoyed building houses? What if he’d spent his whole life learning to do it well? What if everyone then assumed that all his houses – countless hours of work – had been built by the magic hammer? 

So what is a middle grade author to do in this strange new world? Since this post is just around the corner from Thanksgiving, I’m choosing to slant toward gratitude. Even in this weird and sometimes scary landscape of publishing in 2025, there are quite a few things to be thankful for.

 

Authors are fighting back and winning.

A U.S. federal judge gave preliminary approval to a $1.5 billion settlement between Anthropic PBC and authors who alleged nearly half a million books were pirated to train AI chatbots. It’s a major win for writers wanting more accountability from AI developers.

Readers want human-made books.

As AI writing continues to permeate the book market, consumers are becoming more vocal about their preference for human work. In a recent poll by YouGov, well over half of respondents reported that they’d feel less fulfilled after learning a book they’d read was authored with AI. There are also new projects popping up like the “Human Authored” initiative from the Authors Guild. It’s a promising sign that readers are rediscovering the incredible value of human connection and contribution.

 

As a tool, AI is only getting better.

In its rightful place, AI continues to be a transformative technology that can untether creators and allow them to make and explore more than ever before. As a research tool, for example, AI cites its sources with more accuracy than it did back in 2023, and it can also summarize and synthesize material extraordinarily well. Even for this piece, which is admittedly a bit skeptical of AI’s prevalence overall, I used AI tools to find sources and make connections. I just had to keep that hammer locked up in the toolbox when it came time to write, design the art, etc. Many have equated this dynamic with letting AI “do the dishes”. Artificial Intelligence can handle the chores so creatives can do the fun stuff (although not all the time, as we learned from NEO — skip to 2:55 for a good laugh).

 

So have I changed my mind about AI over the last two years? Should you? These are questions worth exploring, but let’s not spend too much time perseverating on a dynamic that changes almost daily. 

After all, we’ve got writing to do.

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