Interview by Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Kate Messner is the author of dozens of books for kids, from picture books to novels. She’s won numerous awards and garnered starred reviews. Her middle-grade novel Breakout is the recipient of many of these, a book told entirely in documents about a rural town and a prison break which talks about many hard-to-discuss modern-day issues. We were thrilled to interview her about Breakout and her writing in general for this month’s feature!
 

RapunzelReads: Who is your favorite character in Breakout, and why?
 
Kate Messner: Originally, I think I would have told you that it was Nora. She's the character with whom I have the most in common. Like Nora, I grew up in a small town. My dad was the school superintendent rather than a prison superintendent, though. And like Nora, I was a journalist. That's what I studied at Syracuse University, and I worked in TV news for seven years before going back to school for my teaching degree. But as I wrote and rewrote the book, I think Elidee came to be my favorite. I love how she stands up for herself and ends up finding her voice.
 
 
RR: What books inspired you when you were growing up?
 
KM: I loved everything by Beverly Cleary, especially the Ramona books! And I also 

Interview by Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Jennifer Richard Jacobson is the author of numerous books, including the novel Paper Things, a book about a homeless brother and sister living in Portland, Maine, which has received acclaim in the forms of starred reviews and awards. We found this book to be a realistic and thought-provoking read. We were thrilled to interview Jennifer Richard Jacobson for this month’s feature!
 

RapunzelReads: Paper Things has a premise that’s not common in Middle Grade books—what inspired you to write a story for kids about homelessness?

Jennifer Richard Jacobson: The idea for Paper Things came from my own childhood. I spent hours cutting out people and objects from catalogs. I created large families who lived in wonderful homes. Then I would give my “characters” problems! (In fact, I think it was this game that gave me lots of practice in creating stories.) 

I wanted to write about a girl like me. I wondered though, what girl in modern times would still play this game? After all, kids can play similar games on computers. Ah, I

Interview by Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Kali Wallace is the author of several books for teens and the middle-grade novel City of Islands, which stuck out to us particularly because of its incredible plot and world building. We’re thrilled to get the chance to feature her as this month’s interview!
 

RapunzelReads: City of Islands has an interesting world, with unusual magic. How did you go about creating that world? 

Kali Wallace: I always start by imagining a world I would really, truly want to visit. If I'm going to expect readers to go on a journey in my invented world, it has to be one that appeals to them, right? So when I was imagining the City of Islands, I was thinking about foggy, beautiful, ancient, and mysterious islands. A place where people from all over the world travel and trade and live. A place where people live crowded on steep, rocky islands, all in a tumbling, scrambling, vibrant, lively symphony of life and noise and light. 

I wanted it to have a rich, long history, one full of stories and myths--and those were some of the most fun aspects of the world to invent! Making of myths and stories for an imaginary world is always a delight. I have always been fascinated with tales of lost worlds or underwater cities, and I wanted to create a world in which those stories were true.

But I also wanted it to be a place with deep unfairness and inequality. There are rich people and poor people, masters and servants, and magic is one way that people like 

Interview by Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Laurie Graves is the author of Maya and the Book of Everything and the sequel, Library Lost, fantasy novels for teens and tweens. We love her books for their amazing worlds and great characters. We were so excited to interview her about her books, particularly Maya and the Book of Everything, this month.

 
RapunzelReads: What books inspired you when you were growing up?

Laurie Graves: The books that inspired me were Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. When I read A Wrinkle in Time, in the late 1960s, I had never encountered such a wild, thrilling story that incorporated science, time travel, and fantasy with vivid characters. It almost felt as though an electrical charge was coming to me from the book. Then there was The Lord of the Rings, which pulled me right into Middle Earth. I was there with Frodo and Sam as they made their way to Mordor, and there seemed to be no veil between me, the reader, and Tolkien’s story. Last but certainly not least is Shakespeare. I fell in love with him when I was in seventh grade, and that love continues to this day. When I first started reading Shakespeare, there was a lot I didn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. I was completely dazzled by the way he used language, and I could hardly believe that anyone could write so brilliantly. Even now, I am still in awe.
 

RR: What was your inspiration for Maya and the Book of Everything?

LG: Years ago, my husband and I published a magazine called Wolf Moon Journal. To help with editing, I used a book called The Chicago Manual of Style. It’s like a giant 

Interview by Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Emma Biggs is the author of Gardening with Emma, a book for kids about how to start your own garden. Cooler still, she’s only fourteen years old! Emma has a blog, has spoken at gardening conferences, and, of course, has a garden of her own. We were thrilled to get the opportunity to talk to her about her garden and Gardening with Emma.

 
RapunzelReads: What’s your favourite thing about gardening?

Emma Biggs: Probably my favourite thing about gardening is the people. Gardeners seem to be the nicest people in the world— people who love sharing ideas, having fun, and making the world a better place. I love hanging out with these people and learning from them, and sharing my knowledge with them, and sharing seeds and ideas too. I have been inspired by so many incredible gardeners, and many of them have become great friends too! 
 

RR: What was the most challenging part of writing a book? 

EB: The most challenging part was definitely re-reading my writing over, and over, and over again. After writing it out, than I’d have to go back and edit my work. I got 

Interview by Piranha T. and Super Kitty

Natasha Lowe is the award-winning author of several middle-grade fantasy and realistic fiction novels, including Lucy Castor Finds Her Sparkle and the Poppy Pendle series: The Power of Poppy Pendle, The Courage of Cat Campbell, The Marvelous Magic of Miss Mabel, and the forthcoming novel The Daring of Della Dupree. We love her books because of their strong, sympathetic characters and engaging plots (not to mention the delicious recipes…). We’re thrilled to have her as our inaugural interview!


RapunzelReads: The Poppy Pendle books are set in a world similar to this one, but where magic is an accepted fact of life. What was your favorite part of creating that world?

Natasha Lowe: Potts Bottom is loosely based on one of the small Lancashire villages near where my grandmother lived.  There was a canal close by where we used to take walks, pretty stone cottages surrounded by flowers, narrow twisty streets and a little bakery where my gran would buy fresh from the oven bilberry pies. It was also where, 400 years ago, the Pendle witches were supposed to have lived, a group of girls and women who people claimed had magical powers. I remember my time there vividly and it was great fun to create a fictional world based on this real and wonderful place, but the best part about writing the Poppy Pendle books was weaving through all the magical elements.  As a child, whenever I visited my grandmother I would spend many hours trying to fly on a broomstick and brew up my own spells, so it was really satisfying creating a world in which magic actually exists!  I loved ​

On September 5, 2019, RapunzelReads will celebrate its fifth anniversary. Thanks to everyone who reads our blog, has sent us reviews, or commented—we really appreciate you!

To celebrate, we’ll begin posting interviews with our favorite authors. Stay tuned for next week’s post!

​--Piranha T. and Super Kitty