Summary
Jorge Aguirre answers some hard-hitting questions about his latest book, MONSTER LOCKER.
True story: Jorge Aguirre throws a good party.
I had the pleasure of experiencing this firsthand one day last summer, when Jorge hosted a salon of local writers. We ate, we chatted, we enjoyed the starry sky–and when I saw he had a new middle grade novel, MONSTER LOCKER, coming out this month, I just had to ask him some questions.
First, a little about Jorge: He’s both an author and a television writer/producer, where he specializes in children’s shows. (He’s even been nominated for an Emmy…twice!) His latest book, MONSTER LOCKER, is a middle grade graphic novel series illustrated by Andrès Vera Martinez, in which a sixth-grader named Pablo and his friends must stop various monsters that emerge from a portal inside of his locker from destroying their entire grade school. Who can worry about homework at a time like that?
Interview with Jorge Aguirre
Morgan Baden: Jorge, thank you for being here today! If you could describe MONSTER LOCKER in just five words, what would you say?
Jorge Aguirre: Pablo kicks Aztec monsters butts.
MB: There are some mythology elements to this book that I really loved. And kids seem to love mythology, too! What do you think makes myths so enduring to generation after generation of readers?
JA: With monster tales, there is always a hero. I think we like to root for a valiant hero. And what’s a better foe for a valiant hero to face off against than a monster?
MB: You co-created MONSTER LOCKER with artist Andrés Vera Martinez. What was your favorite part of that collaboration?
JA: I love when Andrés surprises me with artwork that is better than I imagined. That’s the talent of an artist: to bring something fresh the table. The writer builds the airplane but the artist knows how to make it fly and do loop-de-loops (but not so many loop-de-loops that the passengers vomit).
MB: How did your partnership work?
JA: Andrés and I had a lot of conversations. I had the original story. Then he had a lot of, “What about this…” questions. And all those What Abouts lead your story to places you might not have gone if you were on the path alone.
MB: The iconic RL Stine often talks about how it’s important for kids to sometimes be scared by what they’re reading. What are your thoughts on that? Would you agree with that, and if so, why?
JA: Oh sure. I mean, I think the idea behind his view is it’s good to challenge readers. Emotionally and intellectually.
MB: You’re not just a writer of children’s books — you’re also an Emmy Award-nominated TV producer and writer. How does writing books like MONSTER LOCKER differ from your television writing?
JA: Structurally, process-wise, and creatively it’s nearly the same. But most of my animation writing work is for a younger audience. I get to tell more complex stories in my books. And I get to feature a reasonable amount of butt-kicking. Also, TV is a very collaborative process. There are teams of directors, networks, producers who all have strong opinions about how to tell a particular story. My job as an animation writer for TV is to execute my vision, but through the lens of all the other stakeholders. In graphic novels it’s only the writer, the artist, and your editor. And if you have a creative, talented book agent like we do, then she’s in the mix too. That’s still a much, much, muuuuuuuuuch smaller team.
MB: MONSTER LOCKER is out now! Do you have any rituals or traditions to celebrate the release of a book?
JA: I like to take my book off the shelf and look at it. I think about all the work it took to get this thing from an idea in my head to a published book on my shelf. I smile for about 4.5 seconds. And then I get back to work on the next one.
Photo Credit: Otero + Seclen Photography
Lightning round!
MB: Share your one-word answers to the following:
- Early bird or night owl? Early.
- Laptop or desktop? Laptop.
- Coffee or tea? Coffee. (Soooooo much coffee!)
- Winter or summer? Fall. (Okay, okay. Summer. But why isn’t Fall an option? What do you have against Fall?)
- Plotter or pantser? Plotter! But a plotter who lets the work surprise me along the way.
- Halloween or 4th of July? Halloween.
- Binge-watch or savor a show? Savor.
- Revise as you go, or churn out a messy draft? Messy! Always make a mess first and clean it up later. Because if you don’t, then you’ll never have something to clean up.
- Pizza or burgers? Burgers. But ask me again tomorrow and I may say pizza.
- Taylor or Beyonce? Beyoncé. Please don’t come after me, Swifties. I have total respect for TS, but the interviewer is forcing me to pick one! Blame her!
I will accept the blame. Readers, I hope you check out MONSTER LOCKER – it’s perfect not just for this spooky season, but all year long!
About Jorge:
Jorge Aguirre is an author and TV writer. Two-time Emmy nominated, he created, co-developed, and co-produced Disney Junior’s, Goldie & Bear. He’s the Head Writer and Co-Executive Producer of the PBS Kids/Fred Rogers Production show, Alma’s Way. He’s written preschool shows for Disney, Jr., Nick, Jr., PBS, Amazon, and Netflix. He wrote the graphic novel series The Chronicles of Claudette, which he co-created with artist Rafael Rosado (First Second Books/Macmillan). The first book, Giants Beware was called a “Rollicking fun story” by the New York Times; it received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and was a nominee for a Texas Bluebonnet Award. The sequels are Dragons Beware and Monsters Beware. His latest book with artist Rafael Rosado is Call Me Iggy, a middle-grade graphic novel about a Colombian kid in Columbus, Ohio. Kirkus gave the book a starred review and called it, “A pitch-perfect example of teenage explorations of cultural identity. (Graphic fiction. 13-18).” His new graphic novel series, Monster Locker, with artist Andrés Vera Martínez, comes out in October 2024. A Colombian-American born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, Aguirre calls the great state of New Jersey home.
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