A big welcome to Emily Jenkins, who visits From the Mixed-Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors to talk about her brand-new, dog-centric middle grade novel ALL THE BEST DOGS. FYI: Emily is also E. Lockhart, author of the#1 New York Times Bestselling YA novel, WE WERE LIARS.
Mixed-Up Files: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us at MUF, Emily! Please introduce yourself.
Emily Jenkins: I write funny middle-grade, sometimes with a touch of magic and nearly always with talking animals. Or toys. Or even towels and washing machines. I co-wrote the Upside-Down Magic series, wrote the Toys Go Out series, and have written a bunch of other books for elementary-aged readers, including Harry Versus the First One Hundred Days of School and the fairy tale collection Brave Red, Smart Frog.
MUF: What inspired you to write ALL THE BEST DOGS? And do you think about our dog friends differently now than before you wrote this?
EJ: The dogs in the book puke and get lost and make friends and have temper tantrums. There is a puppy that fits in a teacup and even an imposter dog. Also, a hamster. This is a book of joy. The kids I know want books that offer happiness, comedy, consolation, and hope. ALL THE BEST DOGS is that kind of story.
I can’t really say I think about dogs differently after writing the book, though — I have always believed they have a lot going on in their tiny noggins. In the story, I give a lot of kid problems to dogs. There are foster dogs, super lonely dogs, dogs who overate and feel sick to their stomach, dogs who quarrel with their siblings, a dog who has lost a leg. They are funny characters with real problems. Some kids will know these problems. For others they’ll be new.
MUF: What’s your writing process like these days?
EJ: I wrote All the Best Dogs on spec as an early chapter book, just because I loved the idea of intersecting stories of kids and dogs at a local dog run. My editor felt the themes were better for older readers and encouraged me to age it up. She suggested Konigsburg’s A View from Saturday as a model — which helped me a lot. All four dog owners in my book are sixth graders — and their very sixth-grade problems at school all bleed out into what happens on the weekend when they run into each other at the dog run. It was a big revision!
MUF: Tell us about working with Manuel Preitano as your illustrator and what he brought to ALL THE BEST DOGS.
EJ: Manuel is an utter delight and one of my favorite people that I’ve never met. We do all our work over email, since he lives in Italy! He is very good at drawing funny dogs.
MUF: Speaking of collaboration, what is it like to co-write the UPSIDE-DOWN MAGIC series? How did that come about and how does the process work when you’re one of three authors?
EJ: Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle and I had so much fun on Upside-Down Magic. They are two of the most hilarious writers I know, and they made me laugh all the time. That’s why we did eight books in the series! We did different books with different processes, to keep it entertaining for ourselves. Lauren has the wildest imagination, Sarah is the best at structure, and I am the one who likes revising the best, so I often did the last pass on any given book.
MUF: Tell us about a few of your favorite dogs in your own life.
EJ: I write about dogs because I feel like they’re so expressive. And truthful. A dog’s feelings are on the surface, whereas human characters are often hiding what they truly feel. Also, dogs make me laugh. But the truth is (shhhhhh!) I live with cats. Blizzard is a beauty and a tyrant and scared of thunderstorms. He is the subject of my recent picture book, The Kitten Story. Clementine is a bonkers calico who sleeps in a basket and likes green beans.
MUF: If you have anything else to add, please feel free to share it here!
EJ: The sixth graders in All the Best Dogs are facing some tough things — moving in with an aunt after a family crisis, serious anxiety, a friendship breakup, a parent out of work, and just being misunderstood. Each of them starts the story feeling very alone, but their dogs help them find the joy that’s available to all of us every day. In the end, the dogs bring the people together.
You can find teacher’s guides, school activities, and other fun stuff on Emily’s website, EmilyJenkins.com.
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