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Plotting the Perfect Middle Grade Novel with Sam Subity

By on October 15, 2026   /   Articles, Author Interviews, For Kids, For Librarians, For Teachers   /   Leave a comment

We love a good mystery, and a little mayhem, which means Heist at the Museum! The Greatest Jewel Heist in U.S. History is right up our alley. Today, we’re chatting with Sam Subity about his latest middle grade adventure.

Break out your top-secret notepad and get ready to crack the case of what happens behind the book! 

Time to investigate the man behind the heist . . . 🔎

Lisa: The premise of True Crime Files: Heist at the Museum! almost sounds too wild to be true. How did you first discover the real 1964 theft of the Star of India, and when did you realize it could become a story for young readers?Book Cover of Heist at The Museum

Sam: That “too wild to be true” feeling is exactly what drew me to it! When I first came across this heist in a true crime podcast, I did a sort of mental doubletake. You’ve got surfers who moonlight as small-time jewel thieves and decide almost on a whim to pull off the biggest jewel heist in history, laughable museum security, and the death-defying way they got into the jewel exhibit. But as I dug into the research, I discovered the podcast hadn’t embellished any of the details. Plus there was the museum setting that reminded me of the popular “Night at the Museum” movies, which were the inspiration for the book’s title. The story practically begged to be told.

Lisa: Charlie is fictional, but the heist really happened. How did you decide which parts of the true story to keep and where to take creative liberties?

Sam: It always bothers me when I read a book or watch a movie that’s supposedly based on historical events, only to find that it’s a very loose interpretation of what actually happened. Because of that, it was important to me to preserve all the major historical facts as they occurred to avoid confusing young readers about what was real and what wasn’t. I then imagined those facts like a large room set up with furniture that I could drop my main character Charlie into, where he could do things like sit on the couch or turn on a lamp but ultimately leave it undisturbed.

Lisa: Writing fiction based on real events comes with an extra layer of responsibility. How did you balance historical accuracy with creating a fast-paced adventure?

Sam: The heist was already plenty fascinating all by itself, but I think adding the side plot of Charlie racing to figure out the thieves’ plan before it’s too late really added the extra drama to keep readers glued to the page without actually changing the history of what happened. To further help separate fact from fiction, I included an appendix at the end of the book that tells the “rest of the story,” like what became of the thieves and the jewels, and several readers have reached out to let me know that was their favorite part of the book.

Lisa: What was the most fun scene to write, and which was the most challenging?

Sam: Most true crime stories for kids play out from the perspective of an adult or a sort of detached, clinical narrator. But I wanted to do something different with the True Crime Files series and tell these stories mostly through the eyes of a kid main character…while occasionally also getting into the head of the “bad guy” so you get to see their side too.

The scenes that ended up being the most fun to write were those that switch between these two POVs because I could play with how much each side knows. For example, Charlie overhears the thieves scheming and they have no idea that he’s right there listening. And, of course, the thieves and the reader know the thieves’ target, but we get to root for Charlie as he tries to piece together what it is. These were also the most challenging scenes because I had to constantly remind myself what each side knew and when. Most people probably don’t associate spreadsheets with writing, but in this case I needed a spreadsheet to help me keep it all straight!

Lisa: What was your research process like? Did you uncover any details about the actual heist that made you stop and think, “Wait…that really happened?”

Sam: Oh yes, there were lots of really fun research angles for this story, from the colorful background of the thieves, to the fascinating lore of the American Museum of Natural History, and the cool surf culture of the 1960s. But maybe the most surprising thing I found is that, even with today’s technology, very similar types of heists still happen all around the world. From major museums like the Louvre heist in October 2025 to small local galleries almost every month, thieves are repeatedly proving that our most irreplaceable artifacts are often woefully under protected.

Lisa: If Charlie could visit the American Museum of Natural History today, where do you think he’d head first?

Sam: One of the main tensions in the story is between Charlie’s father who likes rocks and gems—basically what Charlie considers “stuff from the past”—and Charlie himself who’s more interested in the future, which includes robots, technology, and space travel. So his favorite place in the museum is the Hayden Planetarium, and you’d definitely find him making a beeline for it on every visit.

Lisa: Is there a middle-grade book from your childhood that influenced you as a writer?

Sam: I always tell kids at school visits that the reason I’m a writer is because of Shel Silverstein. My parents bought me a copy of Where the Sidewalk Ends when I was a kid, and at first I was like, “Ew, poetry!” But from the very first poem, “The Invitation,” I felt like he was talking directly to me, and I knew I wanted to write stories too. It’s always cool to see that kids still know that book all these years later.

Lisa: When creating a middle-grade protagonist, what do you think matters most to help young readers connect with them?

Sam: I think one of the key elements is authenticity—does the protagonist act, think, and talk like a kid? That’s the main reason I wanted to tell the True Crime Files from a kid’s perspective, because there aren’t many true crime stories that drop kids right into the action and encourage them to think about—Wow, if I overheard some guys talking about robbing a museum, what would I do? Another part of that authenticity is making the character feel real and not just a vehicle for telling the story, which is why I wanted Charlie to be dealing with his own problems, like always struggling to get his dad’s attention, beyond the whole heist plot.

Lisa: How has the middle-grade market changed since you first started writing, and has that affected the kinds of stories you want to tell?

Sam: The last few years in particular have seen a significant increase in the call for shorter middle grade books with more art. At 91 pages with several full-page illustrations, I think Heist at the Museum answers that call. And while I love writing and reading longer fantasy novels, I grew up reading mostly shorter stuff like Encyclopedia Brown and Bunnicula, so writing more in that page count range feels the most true to my 10-year-old self.

10. Is there anything else you want to share about True Crime Files: Heist at the Museum! for our audience of teachers and librarians?

Sam: hope teachers and librarians will take a moment to check out the book’s website where I partnered with educator Julie DenOuden to create a full Educator’s Guide with activities tied to Common Core. The site also features puzzles for kids, scripts for a Readers Theater (original and “silly”versions), and super fun logic puzzles called Heistograms where kids can explore other real heists like stolen maple syrup in Canada and a missing toilet made of solid gold in England.

Author Bio

Sam Subity loves writing stories that explore the magic and wonder of being a kid and is thrilled to share his writing with readers everywhere—both the young in age and the young at heart. When he’s not writing, you might find him running the trails of northern Ohio where the endless, winding miles past rivers and Buckeye trees inspire stories of adventure and mystery.  Or he might be mowing his lawn. Because that’s what adults sometimes have to do.Sam Subity

But in either case, he’s very likely imagining himself fighting mythical creatures or at the prow of a dragon ship feeling the wind and sea spray on his face alongside his own Viking queen and their two kids. His greatest hope is that in reading his books, you too may be transported to another place where, for a little while, you can exchange the ordinary for the extraordinary.
Lisa: 
Thanks, Sam for visiting From the Mixed-Up Files and spilling all the tea!
We loved having you.
Be sure to check out Sam’s other middle-grade adventures, Valor Wings, and The Last Shadow Warrior.
Happy reading! 
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MEXIKID DREAMS Creates a World of Empathy in This Graphic Memoir

By on September 14, 2026   /   Author Interviews, For Librarians, For Teachers  

As a young child picking strawberries alongside his family, Pedro Martin learned that hard work is survival. Even then, he loved to draw cartoons when he wasn’t in the fields and especially loved Saturdays when he could watch cartoons and draw. While in the fields, he imagined the characters of his creations, including a Mariachi band and Elvis Presley, making music nearby.

DREAMS is Pedro's second memoir,

Of the life in the fields that he captures in this second graphic memoir, Mexikid Dreams, Pedro says, “I think we [he and his 8 siblings] have all have noted it was difficult out there, but this story has to be told.” He explains, “I started at 7 years old out in the field. This was the only life we knew. The idea of working hard was really my father’s thing and we just wanted to make him happy. As we got older, we recognized there were differences between our family and other families. We also knew the dangers of pesticides. But if we weren’t out there, we knew our family’s finances would collapse.”

Pedro Martin Grew up creating cartoons and picking strawberries.

Pedro’s childhood was also full of joy and music. While attending school, Pedro picked up a trombone and played in a band organized by his parish priest. It was that priest who convinced Pedro’s Apá that his purpose in life was to ensure his children made better lives than he had experienced. Each generation helps the next generation move forward.

“Once we realized there was a way out, we all worked to find that way,” says Pedro who studied graphic design and music composition in college before finding himself “in the arts 100%.” That led to an early career and a move to the Midwest with Hallmark to design and create greeting cards. But he never forgot his beginnings. He grew up eating foods native to his Mexican culture, having strawberry fights with his many siblings, and listening to shared music with his siblings as it played on his transister radio. The love of family and music eased time as the siblings worked. He admitted they all always scanned the horizon for dust clouds that could mean La Migra raids. These raids were dangerous even for the siblings were all legally in the US, but more dangerous for the migrants who had to prove their right to be in the country.  Pedro makes all of these memories come alive in Mexikid Dreams.

A Newbery Honor winner and Pura Belpre Author/Illustrator for his first memoir, Mexikid, Pedro talked about the reality of writing about family. He says of his award-winning book, “I sent a text to my brothers and sisters, and wrote, “if you have a problem with it, tell me now. To a person, they all said, ‘Sounds great! Good luck to you.’ Which was sibling-speak for that’s never going to happen.”

He admits that his brother Hugo struggled after publication of that first memoir with one story, claiming he wasn’t the one who stalled a motor home on a hill. “You defamed me and I want a public apology,” Hugo.  He has since used humor to remind Pedro that he believes his brother misremembers by adding “Justice for Hugo” to all of his brotherly correspondence.

All of Pedro’s siblings recognize the value of telling the immigrant story and reminding readers that immigrant labor is still a reality. As Pedro points out, “If you ever go into a produce department in a grocery store and you see all these fruits and vegetables stacked beautifully in the stores, there’s no machine that picks strawberries, no machine that picks cilantro, or broccoli. Somebody bent over in a field, all day long for ten hours a day.”

While many laws have changed child labor laws, there are family farms. “In family farms, the rules are way more lax, and so, kids do end up picking things out in the field with their family because that’s the only way they can survive. A lot of times the hands of mothers, fathers, children, picked these fruits and vegetables you see every day in your local market. I always hope people start recognizing that. Even though these people seem invisible, you can actually touch their labor. It’s really important that people have empathy and a realization that those people are basically invisible and they have no rights in the US and they have no way to fight injustice that comes to them. They’re all here doing a thing that nobody here wants to do. And they’ve crossed deserts and rivers to do it. It’s an amazing story of tragedy and heroics to survive.”

 

As Pedro points out, industrial farming has changed the way immigrant laborers are treated to an extent. Industrial farms have more rules but tenant farming, much like share cropping, exists on these farms.

In this memoir, Pedro shows how La Migra or ICE frightening and dehumanizing the immigrants he worked alongside. He admits, “I had trouble talking about it. Should I lay weight on injustice or show what I experienced?” He decided in this writing, “Let’s tell the story as it happened so people can experience along with you. Everybody was scared all the time, on guard.

In one instance, Pedro includes the story of the death of an immigrant in this memoir. “It happened and I was trying to show all the different outcomes of immigration I experienced.” So he showed the good and bad of his life. “Here is success when I got to play music. Here’s the hard path my father took but he survived. Not everybody made it back.”

Pedro hopes readers find empathy in his story, and he wants them to recognize that his culture is rich in tradition, food, and hard work. “It  might kickstart readers to look into their own backgrounds and rituals. I think every culture and every group has regional cultural things they can celebrate.” He wants his story to encourage readers to “celebrate where they comes from and how they got here.”

He hopes teachers and librarians use his memoir to bring about conversations about cultural diversity and immigration. He recalls how his first book brought up questions. “I was surprised the kids had very deep questions about immigration, I’ve learned immigration has always been there. For us to survive we have to move geographically, if we run out of food, we have to move toward food. This is the way humanity has existed for hundreds of thousands of years. Don’t let this moment in time, even though it’s a terrible moment in time, scare you. Immigrations infuses us and makes things happen.”

This is a book about empathy, Pedro explains. “I want kids to experience something different and try to understand that, specifically now, the people they’re scooping up and taking are people they’ve gotten to know in this book. These are the people being disappeared.

Pedro’s stories can create shared experience, and he has a special place in his heart for those who bring his stories to his readers. “I really want to thank librarians and teachers from the bottom of my heart. I understood how hard their work is and thank you for the subtle ways they influenced my life. The one librarian moved me toward a book about Norse gods. That little nudge opened a whole new world for me. That magic teachers and librarians have to nudge kids is powerful.”

Pedro’s hope is for the US and all countries. “I’m hoping that there’s more acceptance, better paths to security and higher education and creating new ideas for all immigrants everywhere. Very simply, I hope this country and any other countries become so much more responsive to the needs of our neighbors. We must get past this idea of us and them and into the idea of we.”

 

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From the Classroom – Building and Organizing a Classroom Library

By on August 24, 2026   /   Book Lists, For Teachers, From the Classroom  

What better way to greet students as we head back to school than with an amazing classroom library! Whether you are building a classroom library or reorganizing one, here are a few ideas for you to consider.

Building a Classroom Library

A well-stocked, high-quality classroom library can generate interest and motivation, support differentiated reading instruction, and help develop expert readers in your classroom. But sometimes it’s overwhelming on knowing where to start. Below are some amazing resources if you are struggling to figure out where to find high quality books.

One rule of thumb is to have anywhere from 10-20 books per students in your classroom at a variety of text lengths, genres, grade levels, and so forth. The more diverse the better!

Organizing a Classroom Library

While there is no wrong way to set up a classroom library, the following questions should guide your thinking on how you organize your library and situate it in your classroom.

  • When you walk in your classroom, does the library jump out or is it invisible?
  • Does the library have display areas for “teacher recommended” and “student recommended” books?
  • Are there books related to students’ cultural backgrounds and communities?
  • Is there a clear system for organizing the books, a check-in and check-out system, and a way to monitor students’ selections?

Two of the best books I’ve seen that help organize your classroom library and answer all of the questions above and MUCH, MUCH MORE are below (click on each picture for the website link):

Commonsense Guide to classroom library cover with shelves full of books

 

cover of It's all about the books with books making the shape of a heart

 

Of course a well-stocked, well-organized library is only good if you get students excited to use it! Make sure you plan lots of book talks, help your students find books they will like to read, and keep new books coming in throughout the school year to keep the classroom library fresh and a place to be!

What are your plans for your classroom library this year? Share your ideas in the comments section below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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