Posts Tagged middle-grade fiction

February New Releases

February is here! That means 2025 is well on it’s way and it’s time to stock up the To Be Read pile with some fabulous new middle-grade reads.

It’s an extra special New Release’s month here at the Mixed-Up Files as two of our own have books coming out. Rosanne Parry’s latest, A WOLF CALLED FIRE, releases February 4th, and Sydney Dunlap’s RACING THE CLOUDS is out February 18. Happy book birthday, Rosanne and Sydney!!

Now, let’s get rolling with this month’s New Releases.

 

A Wolf Called Fire: A Voice of the Wilderness Novel by Rosanne Parry (Author) and Mónica Armiño (Illustrator)

The stand-alone companion to Rosanne Parry’s New York Times bestseller A Wolf Called Wander tells the wilderness survival story of the wolf pup known as Warm and is illustrated in black and white throughout. This Voice of the Wilderness Novel features extensive back matter, including a map.

Warm is the smallest pup, the one his father calls the heart of the pack. But all Warm sees is his bigger brothers Sharp and Swift, even his sisters Pounce and Wag, winning all the wrestling matches. Just as Warm is finding his place, enemy wolves destroy and scatter the pack. Warm helps lead the pups away from the fight, only to find himself alone with four pups to defend and feed. Can he be both the heart and the head of a new pack? Does he have to choose the aggressive leadership style of his father and brothers? Or is there another way?

A Wolf Called Fire is a stand-alone companion novel to A Wolf Called Wander. It’s inspired by Wolf 8, a real Yellowstone wolf who was the smallest of his pack and constantly bullied by his bigger brothers. Wolf 8 survived a tumultuous first year and grew up to be a different sort of leader—one who fought many rival wolves to submission but never killed any. He had a rare talent for mentoring young wolves and became the patriarch of the largest and most successful pack in Yellowstone by choosing a more collaborative and generous leadership style. Features black-and-white illustrations throughout and extensive back matter, including a map.

 

 

 

Racing the Clouds by Sydney Dunlap

If thirteen-year-old Sage had done one thing differently that day last November, everything would be fine. Only she didn’t, so she and her dad had to leave Philadelphia for a new life in middle-of-nowhere Virginia. Her dad has never actually said he blames her for what happened, but how could he not?

Sage is determined to push it all out of her mind, but then, just before summer vacation, she hears from the grandparents she’s never met. They want her to visit, and she realizes this could be her chance to mend the rift that’s kept everybody apart.

When she meets Grandmother Marion, though, Sage is sure her trip is headed for disaster. Except she wasn’t counting on making a new friend or rescuing a sweet stray dog. With them by her side, maybe she can find the courage to face what she’s been avoiding all along.

From the award-winning author of It Happened on Saturday comes a heartfelt and empowering story that explores the complexity of family relationships, the value of forgiveness, and how to find your way forward in a tough situation with resilience and hope.

 

 

Sweet Valley Twins: Sneaking Out by Francine Pascal (Author) Nicole Andelfinger (Adapted by) Claudia Aguirre (Illustrator)

 

The Sweet Valley Twins are ready to rock out as the hottest band comes to town…too bad they don’t have permission to go! Will they sneak out to dance the night away or will it all fall apart? Find out in the next installment of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel series!

Everyone at Sweet Valley Middle School is going to the biggest concert ever…everyone except twins, Jessica and Elizabeth! Their favorite band is back in town but no matter how much they beg their parents they can’t get permission to go. Elizabeth is ready to sulk and stay home, but Jessica refuses to give up hope. She’ll see this band even if it means lying or leaving her sister behind.

Caught between her parents and her twin will Elizabeth sneak out with Jessica? Or will she blow the whole plan out of the water?

Get ready to rock, laugh, and cheer for the unstoppable duo as they navigate the challenges of friendship, family, and following their dreams in the next Sweet Valley Twins graphic novel.

 

 

On Thin Ice by Jessica Kim

For fans of Disney’s GO FIGURE, a laugh-out-loud, heartfelt dual POV sibling-rivalry story by acclaimed author Jessica Kim

Twelve-year-old fraternal twins Phoebe and Dexter Bae are polar opposites in every way except for their love of the ice. Phoebe is hyperfocused on pairs figure skating, and Dex loves his hockey team. But when Phoebe’s partner injures his knee just two months before competitions and Dex gets cut from his team in favor of a new hotshot goalie from Canada, they’re both left spinning.

With their skating dreams dashed, their mother suggests that Dex fill in as Phoebe’s doubles partner. It’s a hard sell–the twins haven’t been close since their father passed away two years ago. For Dex, working with a perfectionist like Phoebe would be a challenge, but if it means he’d improve his skating technique enough to get back on the hockey team–and he’d have something to keep his mind off his dad–it’d be worth it. Phoebe isn’t thrilled either, but what choice does she have if she wants to bring home the gold, something that would’ve made her dad happy?

Can these siblings skate past their differences toward victory?

 

 

Max in the Land of Lies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz

Max Bretzfeld is back in Berlin–as a British spy. His most dangerous mission is about to begin in the much-anticipated sequel to Adam Gidwitz’s instant bestseller Max in the House of Spies.

Max is on a mission.

Well, two missions.

One has been assigned by his British spymasters: Infiltrate the Funkhaus, the center of Nazi radio and propaganda.

The other they have forbidden: Find his parents.

Max Bretzfeld was willing to do anything to return to Germany, even become a British spy. Training complete and forged papers in hand, the radio wunderkind’s missions have begun. But nothing is as he expected. His parents are missing. Nazi intelligence is watching him. And the lines between lies and truth are becoming more blurred every day.

 

 

London Calling by James Ponti

In this sixth installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies stages a rescue in Rome in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Charlie Thorne.

Cairo, the newest member of the City Spies, takes the lead when his sister disappears in Istanbul. Determined to save the family of one of their own, the team risks discovery as their search leads them to Rome. Meanwhile, there’s been intel that seems to threaten the royal wedding about to take place in Westminster, bringing the team back to the UK on an official case for MI6. With so much security all over the city, it’s harder than ever for the City Spies to go unnoticed. Will their skills be up to the task?

 

 

 

 

Investigators: Agents of S.U.I.T.: Wild Ghost Chase by John Patrick Green (Author) Christopher Hastings (Author) Pat Lewis (Illustrator)

InvestiGators fans, rejoice and get ready to dive into the third volume of Agents of S.U.I.T.! With more than three million copies of InvestiGators in print, readers are primed for more GatorVerse action!

The first two volumes of AGENTS OF S.U.I.T. turned the spotlight to eager rookie agent Cilantro and the un-B-lievably B-loved B-Team of Bongo and Marsha. Now, in the globetrotting third book, new recruit Zeb the sheep joins the flock to help crack the greatest mystery of all! But, uhh…just what is the greatest mystery of all?

Pondering that conundrum is what has kept the dearly departed General Inspectre tethered to Earth long after he should have moved on to the great super-spy base in the sky. Having a ghost haunting the halls of S.U.I.T. wouldn’t be so bad…except he’s possessed Monocle to serve as his Earthly form! Zeb–along with Cilantro, Bongo, Marsha, and cameos from everyone’s favorite Gators–must decipher the series’ biggest mystery EVER to free their pal and finish the Inspectre’s unfinished business!

 

 

 

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson

# 1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor author Renée Watson explores friendship, loss, and life with grief in this poignant novel in verse and vignettes.

Sage’s thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn’t predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life-and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all.

In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is a story of a girl’s journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.

 

 

 

It’s All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango

A poignant novel in verse in which, after a life-changing accident, one girl finds her way back to her life’s passion. From the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All.

All these months of staring at the wall?
All these months of feeling weak?
It’s ending–
I’m going back to fencing.
And then it’ll be
like nothing ever happened.

No one knows hard work and dedication like Valentina Camacho. And Vale’s thing is fencing. She’s the top athlete at her fencing gym. Or she was . . . until the accident.

After months away, Vale is finally cleared to fence again, but it’s much harder than before. Her body doesn’t move the way it used to, and worst of all is the new number one: Myrka. When she sweeps Vale aside with her perfect form and easy smile, Vale just can’t accept that. But the harder Vale fights to catch up, the more she realizes her injury isn’t the only thing holding her back. If she can’t leave her accident in the past, then what does she have to look forward to?

In this moving novel from the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All, one girl finds her way back to her life’s passion and discovers that the sum of a person’s achievements doesn’t amount to the whole of them.

 

Mountain Upside Down by Sara Ryan

A funny and heartfelt LGBTQIA+ middle grade novel set against the backdrop of family drama and a library funding campaign in a small town.

Alex Eager lives in Faillin, OR with her grandmother, a retired librarian. Life should be great for Alex, since she finally worked up the courage to ask her best friend PJ if they could be more than friends and she said yes. But their new relationship will have to be long distance, because PJ is moving. On top of that, Alex is worried that something is wrong with her increasingly forgetful grandmother. And to make matters worse, Faillin is holding a referendum on library funding, and things aren’t looking good. Will anything good for Alex ever last?

Mountain Upside Down is a beautifully crafted story of a thirteen-year-old girl finding her place in her family and her community. It’s a queer-positive story that doesn’t center coming out. It’s a story of a library’s role in a community that doesn’t feature book banning. And it’s a story of long-held family secrets and resentment that focuses not on final resolution but learning how to communicate again.

 

Tear This Down by Barbara Dee

From Barbara Dee, the critically acclaimed author of Maybe He Just Likes You, comes a middle grade novel about a girl who makes the choice to speak out against a problematic historical hometown figure no matter the cost–perfect for readers of Dress Coded.

For as long as Freya can remember, she has loved living in her cozy hometown of Wellstone. Not only is the town itself named for local and historical hero Benjamin Wellstone but everything in it: schools, beaches, and stores. There’s even a giant statue of him to remind everyone of the good things he did.

But while doing research for a big school project, Freya discovers that Benjamin isn’t the big hero everyone has been taught to believe. He had some redeeming qualities, but he also held incredibly problematic views towards women, believing they shouldn’t have the right to vote–or even to exist outside of the home. Disappointed by her revelation, Freya wonders if she could figure out a way to not only show what the hometown hero was really like but replace his statue with one of an unsung hero: local suffragette Octavia Padgett.

Though Freya knows not everyone will agree with her, she is shocked when her efforts cause even bigger issues than she could have imagined. Even her own parents seem uneasy with Freya’s cause. With the help of her beloved Nan, friends new and old, and the coolest librarian she’s ever met, can Freya stand firm and tear down outdated views?

 

See anything that you’re moving to the top of your To Be Read list this month? If so, please let us know in the comments.

 

 

Keeping Your Middle Grader Engaged with Reading: Five Practical Tips

If you’re a parent or guardian raising a middle grader, you might find yourself worrying about their reading habits. Rest assured, there are many ways to keep your child immersed in the world of words, even as they navigate the ups and downs of adolescence.

Before middle school, your child might have been an avid reader, eagerly visiting the library and happily tackling writing assignments. But as they grow older, even a relaxing beach read can become a challenge. As their interests shift, it’s the perfect time to introduce new genres and learning activities. Their minds may be on a rollercoaster, but their hunger for stories remains.

Here are five ways to keep your adolescent reader engaged and curious about words:

1. Keep Up the Library Visits
Libraries are treasure troves of resources and activities for teens. Many offer special clubs, summer events, and interactive sessions designed just for them. If your child feels “too cool” for these, find a compromise. Drop them off for an hour with no expectations. They might discover a friend to join them or stumble upon an activity that piques their interest. The key is routine. From reading books and magazines to engaging with librarians or learning a craft, there’s something for everyone at the library.

2. Reinvent Pen Pals
Writing to someone far away can be a fun and meaningful activity. Encourage your child to write letters or postcards to relatives or friends in other countries. This not only hones their writing skills but also broadens their cultural horizons. Establish a routine to make it a regular activity. Avoiding textspeak is crucial, so partnering with someone older or from a different culture can be a rewarding experience.


3. Start or Join a Book Club
Book clubs provide a structured way to keep up with reading. The anticipation of discussing that unexpected twist in chapter six can motivate even reluctant readers. Check out local libraries or bookstores for organized clubs, or start one with other parents. Letting your child choose the book can make them more invested in the experience. Plus, it’s a great way for them to connect with peers who share their interests.

4. Create a Reading or Writing Competition
Sometimes a little friendly competition can work wonders. Set up a reading or writing challenge with enticing rewards, such as a trip to the park, a bookstore gift certificate, or a backyard sleepover. The key is to make the prizes fun and family-oriented. This approach turns reading and writing into a game, making it more appealing and rewarding for your child.

5. Read Together
Set aside time for the whole family to unplug and read together. Whether it’s in the living room or on the porch, the simple act of sitting together while immersed in different worlds can be profoundly bonding. Consider selecting a book to read aloud as a family, which can spark discussions and shared excitement over the story.

Bonus Tip: Explore Audiobooks and Graphic Novels
For kids who might resist traditional reading, audiobooks and graphic novels offer an engaging alternative. These formats can reignite their love for stories and provide a different way to enjoy literature.

We’d love to hear about your adventures in keeping your middle grader engaged with reading. Share your stories and tips in the comments below!

Author Spotlight: Thomas Wheeler

During my seven-plus years as a Mixed-Up Files contributor, I’ve read dozens (and dozens) of middle-grade novels. But never in my reading life have I encountered a book of such inventiveness and mind-blowing creativity that I needed my heart rate to return to normal when reaching “The End.”

In short, my mind was blown.

I’m talking, of course, about Thomas Wheeler’s MG debut, The Doomsday Vault, the first installment in the Everwhen School of Time Travel series. Lauded by Kirkus as a “…hilarious time-travel romp (that) bursts with creativity and heartfelt messages,” the book is out now from Simon & Schuster.

But first, a bit about the author:

Thomas Wheeler is a screenwriter, producer, showrunner, and the author of The Arcanum. He was the executive producer and creator of Empire for ABC and The Cape for NBC. In feature animation he wrote the Academy Award–nominated Puss in Boots, as well as The Lego Ninjago Movie. Together with Frank Miller, he is cocreator and executive producer of Cursed, based upon the YA novel of the same name.

About the Doomsday Vault

MR: A hearty welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Thomas! (Or do you prefer Tom? I don’t want to be presumptuous.) As I stated in the intro, The Doomsday Vault blew me away. It was like an acid trip, but in the best way possible. 🙂 Can you give our readers a brief summary?

TW: Hey there, Melissa! Thanks for having me, and Tom or Thomas works for me. I also answer to ‘Hey you!’ And so appreciate the trippy review! Now then, a summary? Let’s see… A famous phrase from the Everwhen school charter states: “No child should be denied an education simply by virtue of the time they were born into.”

Everwhen is both a school of time travel and a time machine itself that allows special students from throughout the time stream to learn about exotic sciences from the past and future and apply them to our planet’s most pressing issues. Our first adventure follows a trio of students: a young English boy from the 1800s named Bertie Wells, a prodigal mathematician from 2025 named Zoe Fuentes, and a young inventor from the middle ages named Millie Da Vinci (and yes, her big brother is Leonardo!) as they get to know their new school, deal with a missing headmaster and try to crack the mystery of the Doomsday Vault. It’s a story about that moment where inspiration meets imagination and the miracles that can result.

Character Study

MR: As you said, the book is set in a time-traveling boarding school, where the protagonist Bertie Wells—the future H.G. Wells, of The Time Machine fame—encounters legendary figures from past and future eras, including Genghis Khan, King Arthur, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Steve Jobs, and more. His schoolmates are from different historical eras as well. How did you go about choosing which figures to feature, and why? 

TW: Well, I knew I wanted Bertie Wells from the earliest stages because of who he grows up to be and how that would tie so importantly to the ending (no spoilers!) ((actually, spoilers are fine…)) H.G. Wells is also a historical figure who represents that perfect bridge between the worlds of science and imagination. As for Millie Da Vinci, I drew inspiration from my own kids and their big brother/little sister dynamic. I like characters with a chip on their shoulder, and I figured growing up in the shadow of Leonardo Da Vinci might make even the most brilliant scientist a touch defensive. And I knew I wanted a trio of friends from not only different times but different backgrounds and cultures.

At the same time, it was important our present day was represented, which brought me to Zoe. In the initial stages of writing Everwhen, my daughter was a slime-making-lunatic, and I marveled at all of the wild ingredients that were going into her creations; and so, of course, being my weird self, I imagined it coming to life and causing all sorts of issues. Zoe’s journey took the longest to unfold in my mind and went through a lot of revisions, but it was worth the effort. Each character’s journey cooks differently. Overall, this felt like a great way to illustrate that despite our differences there is far more that unites us than divides us, and kids all tend to worry about the same things: Am I good enough? Am I valuable? Do people like me? I figured the same worries applied, even if you were born in the 1300s.

World Building: Breaking the Rules

MR: What advice would you give to writers in terms of world building? 

TW: I don’t have any one approach that works every time. For some context, I spend a lot of my life screenwriting in fantasy worlds and jousting with studio executives who are ALWAYS hammering you on the ‘rules.’ They want the ‘rules’ for everything, and it can really suck the fun out of a story. I don’t think readers care about the rules as much as studio executives (actually, I’m certain of it). So for Everwhen, I just wanted to throw caution to the wind and let my inner science nerd unleash. My spirit animal for this novel was the late, great Douglas Adams, who wasn’t a big rules guy himself yet managed to conjure the most imaginative and thrilling worlds.

Also, I think tone matters. Everwhen obviously flirts with chaos and absurdities that allow for more latitude than, say, the world-building of Game of Thrones, which aims for a grounded realism. One practical strategy I use in my world-building is to simply ask myself fifty questions and FORCE myself to answer them. They can be about anything: geography, religion, how does this work, how does that work, what’s the history, who founded this world, mythology, ghost stories, types of buildings, and on and on and on. It’s labor intensive but also freeing.

First of all, you’ll make terrific discoveries about your world when you try to objectively answer these questions. Try not to contradict yourself but otherwise have fun. This is why it’s different from making the ‘rules’! This exercise should be all about invention. When you get into your story, you’ll find a lot of the architecture and infrastructure has been built in advance, and it will give your world a deeper sense of place and dimension, and your characters will have a history to draw upon that will give them additional layers as well.

Gerbil Piping and Primordial Black Holes

MR: In addition to the historical luminaries mentioned above, you’ve included several off-the-wall characters, including Skippy the Cockroach who has an IQ of 378 and “sociopathic tendencies”; Zelda, who’s dating a brain she keeps in a jar (aka “Jar Brain”); and Raul, Bertie’s flirtatious roommate who greets female schoolmates with: “Nice boots.” (:)) There are also vindictive ghosts, mechanical monsters, sentient mold spores, and lots and lots of slime. Tom—and I mean this sincerely: How does your mind work?

TW: Ha! I don’t know. It’s scary in there. Lots of gerbil piping and primordial black holes floating around.

H.G. Wells, Jack the Ripper, and Time After Time

MR: As above, we discover that Bertie is the future H.G. Wells, whose groundbreaking 1895 novel The Time Machine is the inspiration behind your book. I’m guessing you were a huge H.G. Wells fan as a kid?

TW: I think my first exposure to H.G. Wells was this super scary time-travel thriller called Time After Time, where H.G. Wells (played by Malcolm McDowell) chases Jack the Ripper to modern-day San Francisco. Such a cool idea, but I was WAY too young to see this movie and my dad dragged me out of there, because I was terrified (and probably crying). But maybe H.G. burrowed into my imagination then? Of course, through the years I’ve come to appreciate his magnificent genius as an author and prescience as a futurist. And how do you tell a time travel school story without H.G. Wells??

MR: While we’re on the subject of Bertie, at school he forms a close bond with two of his classmates, Zoe Fuentes, a Harvard-obsessed math genius from 2025, and Amelia “Millie” Da Vinci, Leonardo’s inventive but overlooked little sister. What were you trying to say about the nature of friendship, especially in trying—and highly unusual—circumstances?

TW: Like I said, I don’t care where you’re from, and I don’t care WHEN you’re from; inside we all worry about the same things. And while we try to present this certain face to the world, our true friends love us for our imperfections. They see us at our worst, at our silliest, and at our most anxious. Friends pick us up when we fall.

MR: Another important theme in your book is feeling “less than.” Bertie feels inferior because of his poor grades, clumsy blunders, and fractured relationship with his dad. Zoe feels “less than” because she was ostracized in middle school, and Millie feels overshadowed by her famous brother. What’s the takeaway here?

TW: I think it’s hard to be creative in any realm, and in any endeavor, and not have to wrestle with this feeling from time to time. It comes with the territory. I deal with this theme in my own creative life. I see it with my kids, and my friends and peers.

Bertie, Zoe, and Millie are all creators in their own way and, for various reasons, feel outside pressure that gives them doubts. In the novel, they support each other in their inventive pursuits, in ways no one else in their lives ever has. Millie encourages Bertie’s imagination, Zoe and Bertie support Millie’s invention of Gurgy, and Bertie counsels Zoe on the necessity of failure to achieve great things. They really need each other, and grow to rely on each other, as they navigate the mayhem of Everwhen. We all need that. We all need each other to accomplish great things.

Funnily enough, just as I was writing this, my daughter texted me about doubts she’s having concerning a writing project she’s working on. I gently encouraged her to keep moving forward with it. Her idea is a great one, but she got scared–and that’s so normal. What I tell my kids is that if you feel ‘fear’ during the creative process, then you’re probably on the right track. But it’s difficult to do this work in a vacuum. We need people we trust to encourage us, support us, and guide us.

It’s About Time

MR: One more theme to unpack: the construct of time. To steal a quote from the book: “Time is not fixed. It’s not a straight line. Time is more like a clay we can mold.” Can you elaborate?

TW: (checks notes) I have no idea. Kidding! Although I think you may be quoting Dr. Kind there, and he has some rather controversial ideas about the use of time travel.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve spent many a night before bed pondering, ‘What would have happened if I had done X? Or if I’d chosen Y? Or if I’d turned left instead of right? If I’d said this instead of that.’ There is no more bewitching power than the power to travel through time and ‘fix’ things. At Everwhen, the professors deal with this temptation in a very real and explicit way, and so do the students. At the end of the day, we are the sum total of our choices. I thought it was interesting to watch kids wrestle with that moral dilemma, and to be tempted by that moral dilemma. And then to see the results of what happens when you DO try to fix things. In a school where the past, present and future all co-exist, it creates fascinating problems for your characters to contend with.

The Secret of Success

MR: Switching gears, like Leonardo Da Vinci you’re a true Renaissance man, having written and produced critically acclaimed films for Hollywood, and for TV. You’ve also written two best-selling novels, and now, a middle-grade book. What’s the secret to having such a successful and varied career?

TW: I have an amazing partner in life; my wife, Christina. Her wisdom and guidance through the years has been invaluable. My family is my secret weapon. I would add that I like to embrace new creative challenges. If I haven’t done something before, then I’m intrigued. If it gives me that ‘fear’ we were talking about earlier, so much the better.

Bringing Your A-Game to Kids

MR: As a follow-up, what made you turn your attention to writing for a younger audience? Was it something you always wanted to do, or did your kids talk you into it? Also, were there any specific challenges you faced?

TW: True, this is my first middle-grade-novel, but I’ve been writing for families in feature animation since Puss in Boots, and what I’ve found is that kids are the smartest audience of all. I feel an obligation to bring my A-game when I’m writing for a family audience. There is a misconception in Hollywood that younger audiences can’t handle emotional complexity; that you have to simplify things, soften things. But I totally disagree. Kids love big stakes, big problems, and big emotions. Publishers and studios tend to scissor up the audience into ages, etc., but hopefully adults and kids alike can enjoy the happy chaos of Everwhen.

Hooray for Hollywood!

MR: Rumor has it that The Doomsday Vault has been optioned by Paramount and you’ll be writing the script. Can you tell us more about the project? Also: will you have a cameo? (It’s only fair.)

TW: Lol, we’ll see! Maybe I can play Jar Brain! What I can say is that we have an amazing creative team, with producers Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian (Transformers), and Scott Mosier (Illumination’s The Grinch) attached to direct. Fingers crossed!

Write This Way…

MR: What does your writing routine look like, Tom? Do you have any particular rituals?

TW: Comfort is important. I have a new favorite cozy sweater that has turned into my Linus blanket. I am also surrounded by WAY too many toys. It’s bordering on a hoarder situation. After coffee and a little hanging out with my wife, I’ll write from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, with a little gym and dog walking mixed in. If I’m writing a screenplay, a good day is four to six pages; a great day is any more than that. Novels are a different animal.

When writing Everwhen, I just tried to empty my brain onto the page. I wanted the reader to find something new and incredible or ridiculous or funny around every corner, so those pages came a bit slower. But I love these characters and this world, so it was a joy to come to work every day. My general feeling about writing is your job is to open the shop every day, and your customers are your ideas. Some days you’ll have a lot of customers, some days it’s kind of quiet. Either way, the shop has to stay open.

MR: What’s your best piece of writing advice?

TW: No matter what genre or tone you’re writing in, always try to bleed on the page. Bring something honest and specific and meaningful from your life into the work. It will give your writing a more specific voice. 

Up Next in Everwhen

MR: When can we expect the next installment in the Everwhen School of Time Travel series? And how many books are planned?

TW: It will be a minute before we see the sequel because I have a few feature obligations, but I’m quite excited to introduce some new characters from the future that I expect will be reader favorites. Still tinkering with the plot. Hopefully, by summertime I can get into the main writing. No plans beyond the sequel at the moment, but if there is demand there are endless stories to tell in the Everwhen universe!

Lightning Round!

MR: Finally, no MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack?

I’m not a writing snacker because I get sleepy. I might have a banana or a protein bar, so I’m pretty hungry by dinner!

Coffee or tea?

Coffee. Peet’s. 2% milk.

Plotter or Pantser?

I am embarrassed to admit that I had to look up ‘pantser.’ But I’ll say this: Every writer should work from an outline. Screenplays are structure. Novels offer a little bit more freedom, but you can get a real sinking feeling if you start wandering around the middle of a novel without a map. It may feel like eating your vegetables, but an outline will spare you a lot of pain. In reality, I probably drift somewhere in the middle, although I’ve had the greatest success from working off a very detailed outline. (Sorry, that was not a lightning round answer!)

If you could hop into a time machine, where would you go?

Oof. To be honest, I’d go back and spend a few more minutes with my mom, who passed a few years ago. The less loaded and equally honest answer is that I’d like to go spend a few days as a dinosaur field biologist.

Superpower? (Besides avoiding black holes)

Flight, or the ability to make people less mean online.

Favorite place on earth?

The south of France does not suck.

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be?

  • A popcorn maker.
  • My wife (we need a vacay!)
  • Fritz, our Yorkie.

MR: Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me today, Tom. Wishing you much success with the Everwhen School of Time Travel series!

TW: Melissa, it was an absolute pleasure! Thank you so much for inviting me!