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Interview with Royden Lepp

By on June 24, 2024   /   Articles  

We have a problem in our house with books. Specifically, the reading of books. I know as a book blogger I should be decidedly pro-reading-of-books, but my wife and I have some safety concerns. Books can and should be read on couches, chairs, in beds, even on swings for especially adventurous types. But our boys

one of my boys demonstrating the safety hazard of a good book

have developed the troubling habit of reading particularly engaging books while walking, eating, and most recently while traveling on staircases. Only the most exciting stories pose this risk, but with authors like Royden Lepp creating hilarious and unique graphic novels like the Jurassic Jeff series, it might be time for a family intervention. 

Royden is exactly the kind of author I’m worried about — someone who has a long history of producing highly engaging and creative work like the RUST series, as well as a huge range of creative offerings and a seemingly endless list of new ideas and concepts. With Jurassic Jeff, Royden blends dinosaurs, aliens, and world domination into an unputdownable middle grade comedy.

And much to the excitement of our boys, I recently had the opportunity to ask Royden some questions about his latest venture into the world of graphic novels. Our interview is below, and while I neglected to ask him for advice about our risky reading dilemma, his insights about the creative process are absolutely worth a look!

 

Chris: Thanks for making some time to chat with me, Royden! Jurassic Jeff is such a fun series — what gave you the idea?

Royden: I love mashing up genre’s and settings. This is a weird one, but I was sitting in a church listening to someone talk and I was doodling in the hand out paper (I like to draw while I listen to people talk). I drew an alien emerging from a flying saucer, surrounded by dinosaurs and I thought “huh, that’s kind of a fun idea”.

Chris: Jurassic Jeff really stands out as something different from a lot of your other work — the palette is really vibrant and fun! What drew you to explore this style?

Royden: Yeah, Jurassic Jeff is my first foray into comedy and middle grade. I wanted to experiment with serial content and comedy and Jurassic Jeff has been a really fun and interesting exploration into another side of me as an author. But honestly I had a son entering middle grade and I was reading some of the books he brought home. Some of them were good but some made me kinda think ‘well I could do that’. My son has a great sense of humor, so I’m always trying to see if I can make him laugh with these stories.

Chris: Well it’s certainly been a hit with the boys in my house! You seem to like blending themes of old and new (I’m thinking especially of the Rust series here)…are there other themes that show up across different projects?

Royden: I’ve never realized that but I suppose it’s true. I think there is some strong imagery across a lot of my projects; young male characters in an adventure or a fight for their lives. Nature, animals, creatures, monsters, robots, and bugs. I love that stuff.

Chris: Well, you also give yourself a lot of options by working in so many different mediums (illustration, video, photography)…do you have a favorite? How did you go about learning so many different artistic formats?

Royden: I must get bored! I think there are mediums that I find so compelling that I can’t stay away from them. Photography was a really nice divergence from drawing and comics in my early 20’s. It’s such a refreshing art form. Photography led very naturally into videography. And strangely it’s all had an influence on my drawings. In RUST I would often think about the shutter speed or the aperture setting of the image I was working on. I also have a very encouraging and supportive wife that pushes me into exploring things.

Chris: Well, speaking of exploring new things, I’d love to get your thoughts about the role of AI in the world of writing and illustration. Could you speak to the potential benefits and drawbacks as generative AI becomes more prevalent in the industry?

Royden: Yeah, everything is about to change drastically. I feel the giant ship of culture creaking and groaning as it starts to head in a new direction. I won’t lie, I’m a bit scared at the moment. Change is hard. But for now I can only keep doing what I love to do; tell stories. I hope A.I. makes it easier for me to get a book done and I hope it doesn’t discourage those who are looking forward to telling their own stories, making their own art. But ultimately, fear of the future is not the way for us to live.

Chris: Well said, and certainly something us creative folks need to hear! So, what’s next for you as an author? Can you give us any clues about new projects you’re working on?

Royden: I just found a home for a really special project that I wrote during the pandemic. I’m elated that it’s going to live a life off my hard drive and in the hands of readers. That’s all I can say about it at the moment but it’s a really special story.

Chris: Well I can’t wait to learn more! Okay…now for the lighting round:

Favorite place to write?

Ideally; Vancouver island staring out at the ocean. Realistically; in my living room with my family (but with headphones on).

Favorite authors?

I’ll say biggest influences; Michel Gagne, Jake Parker, Kazu Kibuishi, Doug Tenapel.

Best dessert?

Baklava

Do you have any pets?

Yes, at the moment my son and I are keeping a leopard gecko named Tang, and two different species of praying mantis, a ghost, and a blue papua giant. The ghost mantis is getting ready to lay eggs.

Favorite elementary school memory?

Running through the woods as fast as my lungs would let me.

Favorite dinosaur?

The Quetzalcoatlus is the most insane creature I’ve ever imagined. A flying reptile the size of a giraffe!?

Favorite piece of advice for other writers:

Find your voice. Other people might write or draw like you but only you can be YOU. Find out what makes your voice unique and lean into it. There’s nobody out there like you.

Huge thanks to Royden Lepp for the interview! Jurassic Jeff: Race to Warp Speed is available now from Penguin Random House. Until next time!

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The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman: An Interview with Author Gennifer Choldenko

By on June 21, 2024   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

I’ve been a fan of Gennifer Choldenko since I first read Al Capone Does My Shirts (a 2005 Newbery Honor Book). I also had the pleasure of attending a writing revision session she was giving at a national writing conference.

When I saw the opportunity to interview her about her latest book, I couldn’t resist! I was absolutely blown away by  The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman. It is a wonderful book that will be both a window and a mirror: some children will see themselves in the book, and other children will have a chance to understand what someone else may be going through and feel empathetic.

I couldn’t wait to interview her and pick her brain to learn more about it.

 

About the Book

First, here’s a summary of The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman:

Eleven-year-old Hank is used to taking care of his little sister, but after his mom is gone for a week and they’re out of food, Hank risks asking for help from a former friend of his grandma’s. With no word from his mom and a grumpy caretaker who hates teenage boys, Hank is worried that he and his sister will be separated and sent to foster care.

This is a heart-wrenching and redeeming story about kindness, family, foster care, resiliency, and forgiveness inspired by Gennifer’s own childhood experiences.

 

Hi Gennifer!

Wow, I just finished the book last night. Just when I thought the story couldn’t get more intense, it would!

Hi Natalie, thank you so much for your enthusiasm for The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman!  And thank you for taking the time to interview me.

 

This book had so many twists and turns. Did you know all the things that would happen to Hank before you wrote it? Or, in other words, are you a plotter or pantser?

I’m a mixed blood.  Half plotter/half pantser.  I make outlines but if I stick to the outline the book goes corpse on me.  I think that’s because I’m imposing my will on the story, rather than giving the characters the space to come to life on the page.  Still the outlining of the book helps me get a grasp of the macro of the story. It activates my brain so that I can see the book as a whole.  I outline, then start writing, then toss out that outline, and keep writing.  Then I get lost again and do a new outline and then toss out that outline too.  On and on I go until I get to the end of the book.

That is my usual process.  Though this book was a little more on the pantser side. It came tumbling out in more or less a workable shape.  The big changes came from recommendations my editor made.  I had never worked with her, before so it was a little scary to tear the manuscript apart, when I wasn’t entirely sure her suggestions were on target.  But I decided I’d give it a try and see what happened.  I could always go back to the old draft.  I put my all into making her changes and . . . the book got way better.   She was right.

 

The topic of The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman is very serious, and sadly, one that some readers will relate to on a very personal level. What is your hope for those readers?   

Many kids in similar situations do not tell anyone what is happening at home. Few kids want to be yanked out of their homes and put into foster care.  But because they feel they have to keep quiet, there is no chance of getting help and often they feel like they are the only kids who are experienced what they are going through.  I hope The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman will reach out and touch them.  I hope it will make them feel less alone and give them faith that there is a way out of the mess they are in.

 

About the Author

How did your writing journey begin? Any other interesting jobs you have had?

 It began when I was in third grade, and I wrote my first autobiographical story.  It was called The Adventures of Genny Rice and it was about a grain of rice that went down the garbage disposal and all the characters she met down there.  The coffee grounds man, the half a grapefruit lady, the bent spoon.  It was an absolute hoot to write.  And that planted a seed that maybe someday I could come up with weird ideas for a living.

 

I read that this book was inspired by your own childhood. Was it hard to write about something so close to your heart or did you find it cathartic?

Well first off, I want to clarify The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman is not thinly veiled autobiographical fiction.  It is fiction fiction.  I made the story up based on a lot of research.  That said, the character Hank Hooperman was inspired by my big brother, Grey.  And the relationship between Hank and his little sister Boo was a lot like the relationship I had with Grey. Some of my fondest memories of Grey were when he built “Disneyland” in the living room, and I got to try out all the rides.  Or when my parents weren’t home for my birthday, so he wrapped gifts and presented them to me every hour.  Each time he’d make the delivery it was with a different theatrical or musical fluorish.  My big brother made stuff fun for me just as Hank tries to do with Boo.

But that doesn’t answer your question.  Okay, here’s your answer.  Yes, it was cathartic.

 

Author, her dad, and her brother (who inspired Hank)

Any little details from your childhood that you snuck into the book?

An interviewer recently asked me how I created Boo.  I told her she was a lot like me when I was little.  And the interviewer asked: “You remember what it was like when you were three?”  It seems impossible that I could remember, doesn’t it?  And I do have a vivid imagination so maybe I just made her up.  But in my heart of hearts, she feels like me.  Even the fact that Boo liked to play with trucks.  I have such a visceral memory of the way the sand felt on my legs as I played with my dump truck.

 

Research/Writing

What was your original spark for The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman?

A manual on foster parenting.

 

What do you feel has changed about your writing since you wrote your first middle grade book?

When I first started writing there were a limited number of novel ideas, I had the skill set to bring to the page.  In other words, I could think up the ideas, but I didn’t have the chops to write them.  But after publishing 13 novels (counting the two I co-wrote with Katherine Applegate Dogtown and the soon to be released second book in the series: Mouse and His Dog) my ability to write what I imagine has increased dramatically.

 

For Teachers

Do you have a curriculum guide or discussion questions posted online?

Yes!  It will be available on my website: GenniferCholdenko.com at the end of August 2024.

How can we learn more about you?

My website: GenniferCholdenko.com or on Facebook: Facebook.com/Gennifer Choldenko, twitter @Choldenko or instagram GenniferCholdenko, threads @GenniferCholdenko

 

Thanks for your time, Gennifer.

 Thank you, Natalie!

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Round up of Black-authored MG titles in honor of Juneteenth

By on June 19, 2024   /   Articles, Book Lists, Diversity, WNDMG  

Juneteenth is upon us, and in honor of this day, we are recommending some beautiful Black-authored MG titles to read.

June 19th marks a Federal day of Independence in American history, an important day commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States. And what better way to celebrate this day than to educate children about history, inform them of the importance of striving for freedom and justice, and recognize the harm that was perpetuated on African Americans, both during slavery, and afterwards, through Jim Crow laws and years of systemic racism (that impacts Black Americans to this day).

The following books would make perfect additions to classrooms and libraries, as well as informative and important summer reads.

Check them out, get them at your library, make an order- each title is linked below!

  1. FREEWATER by Amina Luqman-Dawson: (this one is one of my favorite reads ever)

Winner of the John Newbery Medal
Winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award
An Indiebound Bestseller
A New York Times Bestseller

Award-winning author Amina Luqman-Dawson pens a lyrical, accessible historical middle-grade novel about two enslaved children’s escape from a plantation and the many ways they find freedom.

Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.

In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.

Deeply inspiring and loosely based on the history of maroon communities in the South, this is a striking tale of survival, adventure, friendship, and courage.

2. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson’s National Book Award and Newbery Honor winner is a powerful memoir that tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.

A President Obama “O” Book Club pick

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

3. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

In this Newbery Honor novel, New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three sisters who travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them. A strong option for summer reading–take this book along on a family road trip or enjoy it at home.

In One Crazy Summer, eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She’s had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a radical new life in California. But when the sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with their mother, Cecile is nothing like they imagined.

While the girls hope to go to Disneyland and meet Tinker Bell, their mother sends them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers. Unexpectedly, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern learn much about their family, their country, and themselves during one truly crazy summer.

This novel was the first featured title for Marley D’s Reading Party, launched after the success of #1000BlackGirlBooks. Maria Russo, in a New York Times list of “great kids’ books with diverse characters,” called it “witty and original.”

4. Ghost by Jason Reynolds

A National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature.
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Ghost wants to be the fastest sprinter on his elite middle school track team, but his past is slowing him down in this first electrifying novel of the acclaimed Track series from Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award-winning author Jason Reynolds.

Ghost. Lu. Patina. Sunny. Four kids from wildly different backgrounds with personalities that are explosive when they clash. But they are also four kids chosen for an elite middle school track team–a team that could qualify them for the Junior Olympics if they can get their acts together. They all have a lot to lose, but they also have a lot to prove, not only to each other, but to themselves.

Running. That’s all Ghost (real name Castle Cranshaw) has ever known. But Ghost has been running for the wrong reasons–it all started with running away from his father, who, when Ghost was a very little boy, chased him and his mother through their apartment, then down the street, with a loaded gun, aiming to kill. Since then, Ghost has been the one causing problems–and running away from them–until he meets Coach, an ex-Olympic Medalist who sees something in Ghost: crazy natural talent. If Ghost can stay on track, literally and figuratively, he could be the best sprinter in the city. Can Ghost harness his raw talent for speed, or will his past finally catch up to him?

5. The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander

rom the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that tells the story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family.

In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves his family, playing oware with his grandfather and swimming in the river Offin. He’s warned though, to never go to the river at night. His brother tells him “There are things about the water you do not know. ” Like what?Kofi asks. “The beasts.” His brother answers.

One fateful night, the unthinkable happens and in a flash, Kofi’s world turns upside down. Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life and what happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.

This spellbinding novel by the author of The Crossover and Booked will take you on an unforgettable adventure that will open your eyes and break your heart.

The Door of No Return is an excellent choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, book groups, and homeschooling.

6. The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon

Travel through time with National Book Award Finalist Kekla Magoon in a page-turning fantasy adventure about family secrets and finding the courage to plot your own life story.

Since Grandpa died, Dally’s days are dull and restricted. She’s eleven and a half years old, and her exacting single mother is already preparing her to take over the family business. Starved for adventure and release, Dally rescues a mysterious envelope from her mother’s clutches, an envelope Grandpa had earmarked for her. The map she finds inside leads straight to an ancient vault, a library of secrets where each book is a portal to a precise moment in time. As Dally “checks out” adventure after adventure–including an exhilarating outing with pirates–she begins to dive deep into her family’s hidden history. Soon she’s visiting every day to escape the demands of the present. But the library has secrets of its own, intentions that would shape her life as surely as her mother’s meticulous plans. What will Dally choose? Equal parts mystery and adventure–with a biracial child puzzling out her identity alongside the legacy of the past–this masterful middle-grade fantasy rivets with crackling prose, playful plot twists, and timeless themes. A satisfying choice for fans of Kindred and When You Reach Me.

7. The Marvellers by Dhonielle Clayton

Dhonielle Clayton makes her middle-grade debut with a fantasy adventure set in a global magic school in the sky —an instant New York Times and #1 Indie Bestseller!

“The Marvellers deserves the highest compliment I can give a book: I want to live in this world.” –Rick Riordan, #1 New York Times bestselling-author

Eleven-year-old Ella Durand is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts, like brewing Indian spice elixirs and bartering with pesky Irish pixies.

Despite her excitement, Ella discovers that being the first isn’t easy–some Marvellers mistrust her magic, which they deem “bad and unnatural.” But eventually, she finds friends in elixirs teacher, Masterji Thakur, and fellow misfits Brigit, a girl who hates magic, and Jason, a boy with a fondness for magical creatures.

When a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjuror’s aid, tensions grow in the Marvellian world and Ella becomes the target of suspicion. Worse, Masterji Thakur mysteriously disappears while away on a research trip. With the help of her friends and her own growing powers, Ella must find a way to clear her family’s name and track down her mentor before it’s too late.

 

 

Make sure to check out this previous Mixed up Files post for more information about Juneteenth.

 

Happy Reading!

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