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Author interview with Andrea Beatriz Arango on her newest Middle Grade novel: No Place on Earth

By on August 28, 2026   /   Author Interviews, Diversity  

Author Interview – Andrea Beatriz Arango

I’m so excited to be able to introduce you to author Andrea Beatriz Arango today. Andrea is the author of multiple beautiful middle grade books, including the Newbery Honor title “Iveliz Explains it All”! And today we will be discussing her newest release for middle grade readers: “No Place on Earth” which comes out from Random House Kids on August 25, 2026!

Librarians and educators- you don’t want to miss this!

 

About “No Place on Earth”:

From the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All, comes a moving novel with a touch of magic, where two boys find themselves in each other’s dreams and slowly help one another face the real world.

Since moving to Yellowstone National Park for his mom’s job, Gustavo Santos Costa has had a lot on his mind.

  • For instance: bison stampedes. Did you know that bison can run three times faster than the average person?
  • Also: Why do people always stand so close to boiling hot springs?!
  • Finally: the bad dreams. Why have they only gotten worse since the move?

And that’s all before Gus somehow meets his classmate Kordell inside his dreams. While Gus avoids sleeping (and nightmares) at all costs, Kordell finds that dreams seem to be a welcome escape from his real life . . . until one day, they’re no longer enough. With the connection between the boys, Gus may be the only person who can help Kordell. But when most things already feel too big to take on, how can Gus find the courage to be there for his friends?

In this powerful novel from the Newbery Honor-winning author of Iveliz Explains It All, two boys confront their fears—and their dreams—to save themselves and each other.

Interview with Andrea:

I loved getting to talk to Andrea about her new book and I know you will enjoy meeting her and her characters Gus and Kordell as well.

 

SSS: I am so excited to talk with you today, Andrea! I love your books! Tells us more about this new book! How did you come up with the idea for it?

 

ABA: I’m so happy to be here! I’m a big fan of your work ❤️. As for the book… It honestly came together very slowly and in pieces. First came Yellowstone, which I’ll dive into in a bit. I knew I wanted to write a book set there, but I didn’t know exactly what kind of story it would be. Second, I really wanted to write my first boy character – readers had been asking me for a boy book for years. Finally, I really wanted to tell a story that involved nightmares, because I’ve always had them but couldn’t ever remember reading a book about them when I was young. At least not the chronic type I had/have. All of that percolated in my brain for a long time before Gustavo’s specific story came to me.

SSS: Tell us more about the characters Gus and Kordell. What are their characters and personalities like, their dreams, and how does the story weave their perspectives together?

 

ABA: Out of all my main characters, Gustavo is probably the one whose brain is the most similar to mine, so I have a huge soft spot for him. He has (undiagnosed) anxiety, but not the vocabulary to talk about it. This manifests in nightmares and a sort of maladaptive daydreaming where he’s constantly thinking of worst-case scenarios. Kordell, on the other hand, lives with depression, but does have the vocabulary for it, even if he doesn’t have friends he can actually talk about that stuff with. Their stories come together in Dream Yellowstone, where they keep bumping heads at night. It can be extra hard for boys to ask for help with their mental health, especially in cultures like Gustavo’s, and so the boys’ slow-burn friendship is something neither of them realized they needed until they have it. It’s very much a book about learning how to be there for others even when it’s hard to show up. How sometimes friendship can feel difficult, maybe even like an inconvenience, but it’s always worth it in the end.

 

SSS: What made you decide on Yellowstone National Park as the setting? Have you been there? (It sounds stunning!)

ABA: I have been there! My mom actually took a job there for two years and I was able to go visit her when she was living inside the park. I went in the winter, when most of the park is shut down and the animals extra visible, and I truly don’t think I’ve ever seen a place more beautifully wild. I looked up the size of it while I was there, because I couldn’t get over how immense it seemed, and was shocked to find out the entirety of Puerto Rico (where I live) fits inside the park. When I found out families lived there too, and that a school bus would come grab them from the nearest town, I knew I needed to write a book about a middle schooler moving there. (Which, for the record and unlike Gustavo, 6th grade Andrea would have LOVED.) 

SSS: Agreed!! I read the book and absolutely adored it and reccomend it to all readers<3

Link to order here.

Writing Process

 

SSS: I know that this book is your first prose!! How was it writing this book as compared to writing a verse novel (although I will note, that I think verse is weaved into this book as well, correct?)

ABA: I thought I would never finish 😂! After writing three novels fully in verse, I think I got accustomed to a certain length of pages in my drafts, a certain number of words, and so when I reached that and still had half the story left to tell I almost fell out of my writing chair, haha. I also had to incorporate a lot more descriptions than I’m used to with my minimal verse, and that was a bit of a learning curve, too. Mind you, I’d written plenty of prose before my 3 verse novels, but I’d….forgotten. And yes, that’s despite this novel still having some verse sections. It wasn’t even 100% prose.

 

SSS: Are you a pantser or a plotter? And what helps you with finishing stories when you first start writing your drafts?

ABA: 38-year-old Andrea is definitely a plotter. Students always ask me about writer’s block and I tell them I have brain block. My mental health doesn’t always cooperate with me and that can make meeting deadlines or finishing projects really difficult. So to me, my outlines are basically crutches for my brain. I don’t think I ever plotted a single story prior to my 30s but now I plot very extensively—15 page outlines, usually—and when I don’t feel creative or I’m having a hard time feeling inspired, I’m still able to write because I know exactly what happens next. Granted, it may not be my best work, but if I don’t get something down on the page I won’t be able to get the draft done and be able to turn to what I actually love, which is revising. I think the biggest difference between the me who is writing now and the me who was writing in her teens and twenties is that I’m able to finish way more projects now because of the plotting.

SSS: I am the same! Revising is my jam!!! Any advice for fellow middle-grade authors looking to write middle grade novels, and verse novels in particular?

ABA: Read all the books! I think with verse, especially, people tend to be scared to try it because we have this idea in our heads of what poetry is or isn’t. And so the wonderful thing about reading a variety of novels in verse is that every author has a different approach to it and a different style. Some verse novelists that I absolutely recommend people study (present company excluded, haha) are: Jasminne Mendez, Amber McBride, Jasmine Warga, Thanhha Lai, Hannah V. Sawyerr, Elisabet Velasquez, and Mariama J. Lockington.

SSS: AGREED!

Bonus!

SSS: What more is coming up for you! (can you tell us?)

ABA: I can! (A little, haha.) I’m actually working on a survival story. So for anyone who read an early version of SISTERS ALONE and loved it, get ready, because my next book might be right up your alley. I’ve been a big fan of the survival genre (in both books and screens) since I was young, and I’m excited to be contributing my own spin to it after all this time.

 SSS: WOOHOO! Cannot wait!

Thank you Andrea for joining us and I know readers and librarians will enjoy your book!

About Andrea:

Andrea Beatriz Arango is the author of the Newbery Honor Book Iveliz Explains It All, the Pura Belpré Honor Book Something Like Home, and most recently It’s All or Nothing, Vale. Andrea was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where she first discovered her love of writing and eventually became a teacher. She then spent a decade in the United States working in public schools and nonprofits. When she’s not busy writing about middle schoolers and their families, you can find her hoping to spot manatees at the beach. Andrea lives in Puerto Rico with her family and two dogs.

Find her online at https://andreabeatrizarango.com

INSTAGRAM: @andreabeatrizarango

 

 

 

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Summer Reading: Summer Fun

By on May 19, 2023   /   Articles  

As the weather is warming up, summer reading season begins. Why not create some summer reading traditions to make reading even more fun? Below are a few ideas.

 

  • Get outside! Lean into the nice weather and explore outside reading spots. This could be the front porch, the shade of a tree, or a local park. This can make summery books come alive even more, gives readers some fresh air, and can turn reading into a place-based habit. Patricia Bailey’s Take A Hike: An Outdoor Adventure Book List article provides excellent recommendations for books to read in the great outdoors.

 

                     

 

 

  • Have special snacks! Whether it’s popsicles or homemade lemonade, having a refreshing summer treat reserved only for reading time can solidify the joys of reading for young readers. This Easy Homemade Lemonade recipe from Lovely Little Kitchen is something young readers can help make too!

 

 

  • Take a weekly trip to your library! Many local libraries host summer reading programs with reading suggestions and prizes included. This turns summer reading into an exciting event, fosters a reading community, and encourages the discovery of new books. For more information about reading challenges (and how to make summer reading fun), check out Stacy Mozer’s post on Encouraging Summer Reading.

 

 

  • Plan it out! Make an activity out of selecting a summer reading list. You can cut stiff paper into 3 x 6 inch rectangles and invite each young reader in your life to print the names of the books they want to read this summer on the front of it and decorate the back with drawings of their favorite summer place to read. Now they have a visional representation of books they want to read and a bookmark all in one. For a free printable bookmark with other summer reading ideas, you can check out my No Rules Reading.

 

Summer reading can define the season and creating traditions that celebrate reading can help create lifelong readers. Plus, summer reading is something the whole family can enjoy!

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It’s Almost Spring! Bringing Books to Life in the Great Outdoors

By on March 13, 2023   /   Articles  

Whether the children in your lives are eager lovers of literature or more reluctant readers, finding ways to bring books to life with outdoor activities can be a fun way to encourage thoughtful reading practices and to make books even more engaging. Below are a few ideas for how you might create activities to bring the events of a novel to life for the young readers in your life.

 

Nest, by Esther Ehrlich, can be adapted into real-life activities in many ways. Set in the 1970’s, this is the story of a family dealing with mental illness. Despite these heavier tones, there’s still a lot of joy in the story from which to pull inspiration. Young readers could go birdwatching just like the main character Chirp and look up the birds they spot in a field guide. Similarly, Chirp creates a dance routine to the song Help! by the Beatles. Young readers can do this too. It doesn’t need to be anything professional or elaborate but getting up and moving to a song (Beatles or not) provides a lot of physical fun and memorizing a dance routine is a good brain exercise, too! And it’s even more fun if it’s performed outdoors.

 

Book Jacket for Time of the Fireflies

Kimberley Griffiths Little’s novel The Time of the Fireflies also provides more opportunities for readers to engage more fully with the novel.  A picnic dinner to watch fireflies would be ideal for bringing Larissa’s story to life. Other  ideas for bringing her book to life include exploring one’s family history through word of mouth or old pictures and objects or, like Larissa, experience some time travel. Pick a year, help your readers do some research, and then spend an hour or two as though you’ve slipped through time!

 

Winner of the Newberry medal, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly, is another novel rich in the natural world and centered around a loveable, strong female protagonist. Readers of Calpurnia’s story can follow in her footsteps by exploring their yards, neighborhoods, or local parks with a notebook and pencil in hand. Walk slowly and observe with all the senses, taking notes and making sketches of what kinds of flora and fauna are found. A field guide could come in handy for this as well, as some young readers  might want to learn the scientific names of plants and animals they observe. This is a great activity to encourage mindfulness, art skills, and offer a foray into being a naturalist.

 

The First Last Day, by Dorian Cirrone, is also perfect as the weather is warming up. Main character Haleigh finds herself in the midst of a never-ending summer…literally! One activity to bring this novel to life is to encourage young readers to paint memories of their favorite days or to keep a journal of their life through paintings. The passage of time might not freeze as it does for Haleigh, but this is a great way to encourage artistic creativity as well as personal reflection. Other art supplies and mediums can be added or substituted, too.

 

Finally, in my novel, Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, the main character Cricket goes on a wilderness adventure to try to find her mother. A series of clues leads the way. There are several ways Smack Dab could be brought to life, but one idea is to create a clue-based scavenger hunt for your young readers to solve. This could be as simple as leaving hand-written notes with riddles or descriptions that lead from one location to the next. You can also create more complicated clue trails involving cyphers or clues that relate to poetry or history. Even better if the clues incorporate the outdoors or wilderness! A small prize could be added at the end of the clues or simply solving the scavenger hunt can be the victory. Plus, older kids could orchestrate clues for one another. You can find some activities here.

 

These are a few ideas to get started. Once you start reading with potential outdoor adventures in mind, the sky is the limit. –literally.  Happy reading!

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