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VIOLET AND THE PIE OF LIFE by Debra Green: Interview + Giveaway

By on March 24, 2021   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

Today, I’m thrilled to present my interview with Debra Green, author of Violet and the Pie of Life and many more books for kids. Debra is known for writing with both humor and heart, and her new middle-grade novel is no exception. Plus, there’s pie! What’s not to love? Debby has generously offered to send an autographed copy of her book to a lucky winner. Read all about her and her new book and then scroll down to click on the Rafflecopter for a chance to win. (U.S. only).

All About the Author

In addition to Violet and the Pie of Life, Debra Green, AKA D.L. Green, AKA Debra Garfinkle, is the author of several humorous chapter book series such as Zeke Meeks, Silver Pony Ranch, and The Funny Girl.

She lives in Southern California and spends her mornings writing fiction before her day job as a lawyer. She loves giving writing workshops and talks at libraries, schools, and conferences.

To learn more about Debra, visit her website.

 

 

All About the Book

Tell us about Violet and the Pie of Life.

It’s a contemporary middle grade novel with humor and heart, about a math-loving seventh grade girl named Violet Summers who uses charts, graphs, and equations to try to fix her life. She has a lot to calculate after her father leaves and she wins the part in the school play that her best friend wanted. There’s pi, pie, laughs, and a cry.

 

What was the inspiration behind the novel?

Me, she says narcissistically. My parents went through a messy separation and divorce when I was about Violet’s age. Also, I was in the same play, The Wizard of Oz, that Violet is in. And I’ve always liked math; it’s so clear-cut, with only one right answer. Finally, like Violet, I love pie.

  

I loved all the mathematical diagrams. Was it difficult coming up with the drawings that reflect Vi’s problems (and solutions) in life?

Thank you. It wasn’t hard coming up with the diagrams. That was very fun. My brother is a math professor, and I think I have a little of that math gene. But I am not good at drawing, so it wasn’t easy trying to convey my vision to the artist at my publisher, Holiday House. I asked three twelve-year-old girls (my friends’ daughters) to look through all the charts and graphs and equations to inform me which ones were boring, hard to figure out, etc. Then I revised and deleted the ones that weren’t working. The girls were very helpful. I wanted the math diagrams to be entertaining and not resemble pages from a math textbook in any way. I think the artist at Holiday House carried that off really well.

 

I agree. As a kid, were you involved in school plays like Vi?

I was the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz. I loved playing the villain. I also played the nurse in Romeo and Juliet, which was the one funny part in that tragedy, and the wacky woman in The Madwomen of Chaillot. Even as a kid, I always got the comic relief roles.

 

Writing Middle-Grade Fiction

You write for many age groups. What aspect of writing for the middle-grade audience makes it special for you? 

My preteen years were the hardest of my life. When I was ten, my parents separated, my best friend died of leukemia, my grandfather had a fatal heart attack, and my dog died after getting hit by a car. I was like Job Junior. Many decades later, I may still be still processing some of that pain through fiction. Books have always helped get me through bad times. I hope to bring some cheer to a middle-grade reader who might need it.

 

Wow! That had to be so difficult for you. What else do you hope readers take away from Violet and the Pie of Life?          

I hope readers see that math can be fun, interesting, and useful. I hope they’ll open themselves up to new friendships. Most of all, I hope readers will find my novel entertaining.

 

What is your best tip for those interested in writing for the middle-grade audience?

Keep asking yourself whether you’re writing honestly. Even if you’re writing humor or fantasy, characters’ motivations, actions, reactions, and emotions should ring true so that readers will care about them and their stories.

Click here for an archived Mixed-Up Files post on Debra’s tips for writing funny.

 

What can readers look forward to seeing from you in the future?

I’m excited to have a story in the anthology coming out next March called Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories.

 

We here at The Mixed-Up Files are looking forward to that book, too. Congratulations, Debra, and thanks for talking to us and offering to send a signed copy of your novel to a lucky winner! 

For a chance to win, click the link below before Saturday midnight:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Diversity in MG Lit #25 March 2021 Early Chapter Books

By on March 24, 2021   /   Articles, Book Lists, Diversity, Fiction  
Early chapter books are an often overlooked section of the middle grade book world. Yet they are a vital link in getting children from sounding out words and sentences to reading with real fluency. Early chapter books are read by kids as young as four and readers–particularly English language learners as old as ten or eleven–though the sweet spot is six to nine years old. Some kids breeze through early chapter books in a few months. Others spend years building the reading muscle.  Below are a handful of new chapter book series with diverse characters.
cover zoey & sassafras'sZoey & Sassafras: dragons and marshmallows by Asia Citro pictures by Marion Lindsay (first of an 8 book series available now) Zoey and her precocious cat Sassafras have the ability to see magical creatures just like her mother who is a scientist. She uses her ability to help sick or endangered magical creatures who come to her barn for help. Each book features Zoey using the scientific method to figure out how to help the magical creature. Though Zoey & her parents are depicted as an African American family, there is little to mark that identity beyond the pictures. Because Zoey’s interactions are all within her own family, it doesn’t feel unnatural as it might if she were at school or in the neighborhood. The Zoey and Sassafras  website has dozens of handy printable resources for teachers. The series is from a small publisher in Seattle, WA, Innovation Press. It’s geared toward the younger end of early readers.
cover ways to grow loveWays to Grow Love by Reneé Watson pictures by Nina Mata (second in a 2 book series so far, on sale April 2021) I admit I am especially fond of this series because it is set in Portland OR, my hometown. It features favorite places from my own childhood including the Saturday Market, Oaks Park, and my beloved county libraries. I also liked how the faith of Ryan Hart’s family is depicted in the moral lessons they impart and the summer bible camp they attend. Ryan spends a summer preparing for the birth of her baby sister and adjusting to all the changes that entails from doing more chores to choosing a name. This series is longer and more complex than the others making it best for 6 to 10 year olds. A good companion for readers of Clementine, and Ramona.
And now a personal aside. The majority of children of all races in this country are religiously observant. The entire culture of worship, vacation bible school and summer camp, church based sports teams and scout troops, social justice activities, youth groups, rites of passage, and sacraments, all of it, gets left out of children’s books. There’s absolutely no justification for it. Even in conversations specifically about diversity we seldom include religion. That’s a blind spot that could use some attention.
Wind Riders: Rescue on Turtle Beach by Jen Marlin pictures by Izzy Burton (first in a series of unknown length to be on sale July 2021)
This new series is very much an heir to the Magic Treehouse books. In this series Max and Sophia find a magic sailboat and are transported to Hawaii. They solve a light pollution problem in order to save hatchling sea turtles. The series proposes to feature a new animal and ecosystem with each book and the heroes solve an environmental problem each time. In the illustrations Max is portrayed as a white boy and Sophie is dark-skinned though neither is identified by ethnicity, race or religion. Like Zoey & Sassafrass, this zippy text glazes over racial differences without remark. This one is also geared for the 4 to 8 year old end of the chapter book audience. There is back matter with more information about sea turtles and a helpful diagram showing the parts of a sailing ship.
Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey, words & pictures by Erin Entrada Kelly
I have seldom read a chapter book as emotionally true as Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey. Our hero is the delightfully cautious and introspective Marisol, a Philippine -American girl living in Louisiana. The two things I appreciated most about this book was the main characters disarming honesty about her many fears, and her steadfast best friend Jada. So many chapter books address the problem of the mean, snarky, bullying girl.  It’s easy to forget that children–even girls–are as capable of kindness as they are of cruelty. I loved Jada’s unquestioning acceptance of Marisol’s many quirks. I loved their imaginative play and the hilarious names they gave to household appliances. And I loved the girls unwavering faith in their friendship.  I also appreciated the leisurely pace, which meandered from one summer activity to the next while Marisol thoughtfully addressed her fear of climbing the magnolia tree in her back yard. This is a perfect choice for a tender-hearted reader.
JoJo MacCoons by Dawn Quigley (first book in a series of unknown length)
JoJo MacCoons is Ojibway living on her reservation. There’s much all kids will find familiar about this cat loving, overly literal, and wonderfully earnest first grader navigating the friendship challenges of school for the first time. There’s a sprinkling of Ojibway words and elements of her culture in the text making it a gentle introduction to one of the principle tribes of the upper midwest.  Plentiful illustrations capture Jojo’s spunky personality perfectly.
There is a Glaring Problem with the books I’ve reviewed above. None of them have POC boys for main characters. It’s not just a problem among diverse chapter books. There are very few white boy main characters in early readers. Jack from The Magic Treehouse and the Waylon series from Sara Pennypacker are the only two that spring to mind.  Unless you count series that have been around since the 70s like Nate the Great and Encyclopedia Brown. Boys in this age group have to settle for animal proxies in The Bad Guys, Dogman, The Dragon Masters. We can do better and if we hope to get boys of all races and ethnicities hooked on reading. It would help to have a few characters as well developed as Ryan Hart and Marisol Rainey to usher them into the world of books and show them it’s a place they belong. If I’ve missed a solid chapter book series with a boy protagonist, please drop a comment.
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Interview with Lisa Fipps, Debut Author of Starfish

By on March 19, 2021   /   Articles, Author Interviews, New Releases  

People are buzzing about Lisa Fipps and her debut novel, STARFISH! For good reason, it’s bound to be a classic. This poignant novel in free verse has already earned numerous starred reviews and a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection. Wow! And she is just getting started.

I met Lisa via Twitter and immediately fell in love with her kind spirit and sensitive soul. Also, we share a love of all things British and pugs!

My kind of gal.

Please grab a cup of tea and join us for a bit of chitchat.

          About the Author

Lisa Fipps is a graduate of Ball State University, award-winning former journalist, current director of marketing for a public library (where she won the Sara Laughlin marketing award), and an author of middle-grade books. Starfish is her debut novel. She’s working on her next novel and several others. She currently lives in Indiana and lived in Texas. 

  1. Tell us about Starfish. 

Starfish is a middle-grade novel in free verse about a fat girl named Ellie. Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like “no making waves,” “avoid eating in public,” and “don’t move so fast that your body jiggles.”

She’s found her safe space—her swimming pool—where she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. At the bottom of the pool, she starfishes. Stretches out. Takes up all the room she wants, instead of living by the fat girl rules society taught her.  The pool is also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie’s weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who love Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie is able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life—by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.

 

  1. How did you come up with the idea?

Starfish is the book I wish I had when I was a fat kid trying to cope with the bullying. I never told anyone what I was going through. I never reached out for help with the emotions: sadness, anger, shame. I never stood up for myself. I thought I deserved to be treated badly because society teaches us that if we’re fat, it’s our fault. If we truly hated being bullied, we’d just lose the weight.

 

  1. Do you base your characters on people you know? If yes, spill the beans!

Starfish is not based on people I know, but it’s based on experiences I had. The names of characters are based on people I know. For example, Sonya, Catalina’s mom, is named after author Sonya Sones, a mentor and friend. The school librarian is named after my elementary-school librarian, Mrs. Pochon. She was the best!

 

4. How much of your real-life experiences play a role in the stories you tell? 

Not everything that happens to Ellie happened to me, but a version of everything that happens to Ellie happened to me. So, yes, real-life experiences play a huge role in Starfish. As far as future works, I think there’s a bit of every author in every story they tell. Sometimes authors draw on real-life experiences. Other times they dip into their emotional wells when characters need to authentically express feelings. a

 

5. What books did you like to read when you were a kid? Do those books influence your writing? 

I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I grew up poor. So that meant reading cereal boxes, recipe books, newspapers, magazines, my mom’s books – hence my love for Erma Bombeck when I was a kid – the entire World Book Encyclopedia, and library books. Authors have influenced my writing more than specific books. Once I like a book by an author, I read all their books. Authors who influenced me the most when I was a kid and teen include DuBose Heyward (because of The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes), E.B. White, Norman Bridwell, Beverly Cleary, and Ernest Hemingway.

 

   6. What are you working on now? 

I’m always working on something. Well, actually, several somethings. Sometimes a scene or a character trait for a novel comes to me when I’m writing my work in progress. So, I stop, write it, and go back to my WIP.

 

  1. What is your writing process? Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I see what I call video clips in my head of scenes, things that help reveal a character’s personality, etc. I watch them and make note of them. It’s kind of odd. I’m a total pantser. I think that’s because I was a journalist for years. But I do plan the overall book. I just don’t do detailed outlines. That totally zaps me of my creative energy. I like to let the story tell itself through me rather than control it so much.

 

  1. Loaded question: How long was your road to publishing and what happened along the way?

Starfish took a while because of personal commitments. I started it while working six part-time jobs for three years as I transitioned from journalism to marketing. Then I got a full-time marketing job – right before my mother almost died in a car accident and needed a lot of care, which is right after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I was working full-time, being a full-time caregiver, and writing Starfish. I’m not a patient person by any stretch of the imagination. So, I was frustrated that I couldn’t just devote all my time to Starfish. But the process taught me that you make the time and find a way to focus on what’s important to you.

 

  1. What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

I give aspiring authors the same advice Norman Bridwell gave me. He’s from my hometown. I interviewed him several times when I was journalist. I mentioned to him that I was writing a book. He told me to keep going, even if I got rejections along the way. He wrote me the sweetest letter on Clifford the Big Red Dog stationery. I still have it. If you want it – really want it – don’t stop. Just keep going.

 

  1. Do you have a favorite middle-grade book?

Hmm. There are far too many favorites for me to name them all. But some of my favorite middle-grade authors include Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Linda Sue Park, Karen Hesse, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Jerry Spinelli, Gary Schmidt, and Andrew Clements. I could go on. And on. And on.

For more information about Lisa, please visit her website.

 

 

 

 

 

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