Interview With Jennifer Maschari, Author of Things That Surprise You

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Yesterday I posted my review of Things That Surprise You, a story about growing up, growing apart from old friends and making new connections. Today I’m featuring an interview with the author, who is a classroom teacher who also wrote The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price. Jennifer lives in Ohio with her husband and stinky (yet noble) English bulldogs, Oliver and Hank, and she is hard at work on her next middle grade novel. To learn more, and to download a free curriculum guide, visit jenmaschari.com.

Jennifer Maschari photo

Jennifer Maschari — Photo by Monty Soungpradith

How did you decide to become a writer?

JM: I’ve always written! When I was younger, I loved to write silly poems and short stories. I actually still have some of these early pieces, and it’s been fun to look back and share them at school visits. I never thought I could be an author though. I thought authors were celebrities who lived in very fancy places for whom writing came very easily! It wasn’t until I received a letter back from an author I wrote that I realized these were regular people who had to work hard at their writing. It showed me that one day, I could be an author, too.

What do you like most about writing for young readers?

JM: There is so much I love about writing for young readers. One of my very favorite things, though, is that they are SO passionate about books. They are insightful, too. When I’m at a school visit or talking with readers over Skype, I am always so impressed with their amazing questions.

What do you find the most challenging?

JM: I think writing in general is the most challenging! It’s difficult to get a story from your head to the page in the way you’ve imagined it. For me, that takes many, many drafts and a lot of revision.

How does your background as a middle-school teacher influence your work?

JM: Being a middle-school teacher influences my writing in so many awesome ways. It definitely keeps me in touch with what middle school is really like and keeps my books grounded in reality. I have very vivid memories of my own middle school experience but it helps to know what kids are worried about, passionate about and interested in right now. It’s so great to be around a group of such smart, funny, sensitive kids every day. My students have also been very supportive of my writing. In fact, I dedicated my first book to them. Middle schoolers are the best!

In Things That Surprise You, Emily’s best friend embraces change while Emily clings to the familiar. Can you talk a little about the challenges for both of those approaches during a time of transition?

JM: Sure! I think it’s wonderful that Hazel embraces change but doing so shouldn’t mean having to give up everything and everyone she used to love. This approach can leave a kid feeling that they don’t know who they are anymore. Emily resists change but is very much true to herself. But sometimes, resisting change means that you don’t let new and wonderful things and people into your life. I think the experience of both girls shows that change is good and necessary, but it’s always vital to remember who you are and what’s important to you.

Would you say Hector and his sister Anita are good role models for Emily?

JM: Hector and Anita are very much themselves. Hector’s passionate about his favorite book series and facts and a survival show on television. Anita loves outer space and dancing. They are proud of these interests. They show Emily that it’s good to embrace what you love. They show her it’s okay to be herself. I think Hector and Anita are also very good at being friends to other people. That’s something Emily needs to see when her friendship with her BFF Hazel is so rocky.

You mention in an author’s note that you also have experience as the sibling of someone struggling with anorexia. What do you want readers to know about that other part of Emily’s story?

JM: My sister did have an eating disorder, and her struggles impacted our whole family. I think Emily feels guilty sometimes about the emotions she has about her sister’s eating disorder. She’s angry about the way it’s shifted the family dynamic, and her relationship with her sister has changed, too. But she stills loves and cares for her sister so much. I want readers to know that when something like an eating disorder impacts their family, that this range of feelings is normal and okay!

Is there anything else you’d like to say to readers at MotherDaughterBookClub.com?

JM: I love to talk about books with just about anybody so I think the concept of the mother-daughter book club is very cool. My mom and I live in different cities now but we often talk about books on the phone. It’s fun to discover someone else’s opinions and thoughts about the book you both read. In Things That Surprise You, the main character Emily LOVES to read. I could definitely see her being part of a mother-daughter book club and loving it!

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Book Review: Things That Surprise You by Jennifer Maschari

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Things That Surprise You cover imageEmily Murphy’s best friend Hazel is excited about starting middle school and changing her old self into something new. But Emily already likes herself: she’s a girl who loves the Unicorn Chronicles series, her dog Bean, and all things sparkly. Suddenly feeling very uncool, Emily worries her best friend is moving in another direction. There’s also tension at home, especially after her sister returns from a treatment center where she’s been getting help for anorexia. To find a path forward, Emily will have to figure out what’s most important to her and learn how to go for it.

Things That Surprise You by Jennifer Maschari captures an often challenging time for kids growing up: the transition from elementary to middle school. The kids are bigger, schools are often larger, and options for before- and after-school activities increase. It’s usually an emotional time with some kids maturing faster than others, leaving some who want to cling to the comfort of what they already know and others ready to embrace the new. As Emily tries to figure out how to handle the transition at school, she’s also navigating tension at home, both with her sister and her divorced parents. It’s a lot for her to handle.

As a former middle-school teacher, Maschari seems to understand the age group well. Emily has to deal with isolation in the lunchroom, rejection by her friend, decisions about potential new friends who are not popular, and more. She benefits from the help of a caring teacher and a counselor at her sister’s treatment facility.

I highly recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 9 to 12. The girls should enjoy reading about issues they see at school or anticipate in the years ahead, and Emily’s journey of self-discovery should provide lots to talk about with their moms.

Read my interview with author Jennifer Maschari.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Book Review: Kat Greene Comes Clean by Melissa Roske

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Kat Greene Comes Clean cover imageKat Greene is worried about a lot of things. She’s not sure why her mom cleans until her hands are raw. She frets that if she tells anyone about what’s going on with her mom, she’ll have to live with her dad and stepmom. And she wishes her best friend Halle would listen to her instead of obsessing over a boy.

Kat Greene Comes Clean by Melissa Roske deals with issues kids may face when a parent goes through mental health problems and challenges occur with evolving friendships. Kat wants to talk to someone about what’s happening at home and at school with her best friend. Yet every time she tries, she worries that by telling she’ll either be betraying a confidence or upsetting her everyday life.

Kat has an ally in her school counselor, if she can bring herself to talk to her. When her mom’s strange behavior escalates, Kat discovers there’s strength in seeking help from caring adults. There’s a message to be sure, but it’s not preachy or delivered in a way that young readers are likely to reject. Instead, Kat Green Comes Clean is more likely to help kids seek resources when they have issues that go beyond their ability to deal with them. I recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 9 to 14.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Guest Post: Gigi Priebe, Author of the Henry Whiskers Series

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Gigi Priebe is the mother of three, the founder of Stepping Stones, an award-winning children’s museum in Norwalk, Connecticut, and the author of The Adventures of Henry Whiskers, the first in her middle grade series. When she is not writing–or rewriting–she is a philanthropic advisor and community volunteer in Fairfield County, Connecticut, where she lives with her husband, a cat named Tigger, a dog named Clover, and probably some mice. To learn more and to download a free curriculum guide, visit gigipriebe.com.

Read my review of her books: The Adventures of Henry Whiskers, and The Long Way Home.

From Children’s Museum to Children’s Books

By Gigi Priebe

Gigi Priebe photoI often feel like an accidental tourist who landed in a life full of good fortune, compelling new challenges, and surprising results.

When I got my degree in early childhood education, I never knew I’d become a children’s book author or the founder of an award-winning children’s museum. I didn’t even go into teaching. Instead, I worked at a start-up, learned some marketing skills, then quit, got married and started the family I’d always dreamed of. So how did I get here?

The children’s museum, called Stepping Stones Museum for Children, was an idea born from a well-recognized need in my region for a quality educational resource dedicated to young children and the way they learn best—experientially. For me, the effort to turn vision into reality took eight years. It required enormous coordination and collaboration with talented people, volunteers, donors, and city and state officials.

Creating a children’s book was, and is, the exact opposite experience from creating the museum. Writing is a mostly solo act. My only companions are Me, Myself, and I. On good days, the little voice in my head keeps me company, but my computer does little to compensate for my weaknesses or celebrate the successful passages along the way to a finished product. Coincidentally, this project also took me eight years from start to published finish.

So what do a children’s museum and a children’s book have in common, you might ask? Each nurtures imagination, stimulates curiosity, and compels a child to explore new worlds in a safe environment where they can learn at their own pace, in their own way. If well done, both a children’s book and a children’s museum will leave a child wanting for more. And isn’t that what we all want?

I can tell you that I never would have pursued either of my ideas if I hadn’t received tremendous encouragement from others who believed in them. Encouragement was and always is the powerful elixir that fuels my efforts, even when they take a long time and the outcome is not guaranteed.

Thank you to everyone who has ever encouraged me to pursue my ideas. I’d like to pay it forward and encourage you to pursue yours. You never know what might happen.

The Long Way Home (book #2 The Adventures of Henry Whiskers) due out August 29th. Simon & Schuster. Ages 7 – 10

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Book Review: The Long Way Home by Gigi Priebe

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Henry Whiskers - The Long Way Home cover imageWhen Henry finds a mysterious map in the desk drawer of the queen’s dollhouse, he runs to show his discovery to his cousin Jeremy. But the two are spotted in the kitchen, whisked into a bowl, and driven away to a park, where they are set free. With the help of the map they set off on an adventure that involves sailing, flying, and learning about the wide world outside of Windsor Castle.

The Long Way Home by Gigi Priebe is second in The Adventures of Henry Whiskers series. Readers learn more about the queen’s dollhouse where Henry lives with his family as his mom worries abut where Henry and Jeremy have disappeared to. The young mice must use all their ingenuity to find a way home. Along the way they evade predators, meet a family of field mice, and learn more about Henry’s dad, who died in a fire while saving other mice.

Young readers aged 7 to 10 should have lots of fun reading about Henry’s world and traveling along with him and Jeremy.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Adventures of Henry Whiskers by Gigi Priebe

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Henry Whiskers is a mouse who lives with his family in Windsor Castle, where the biggest dollhouse ever built draws visitors from around the world. Henry is the 25th mouse of that name to live in the cedar drawers under the dollhouse. All the mice are careful to stay hidden during the day when staff and tourists are about. But at night they are free to roam around the castle, careful to watch for the resident cat and stay away from rats.

The Adventures of Henry Whiskers by Gigi Priebe is a cute series for young readers aged 7 to 10. Henry is smart and the oldest of his mouse siblings, which number 15 total. He feels responsible to help his mom and look after his brothers and sisters. His cousin Jeremy is more carefree, focused on having fun and finding something good to eat. Together the two get into situations that Henry has to use ingenuity to find a way out of.

Henry is a kind and thoughtful mouse, and the story showcases the value of friendship, working together to solve problems, meeting family obligations, and more. It’s also fun to read about the details of the dollhouse and the castle as the characters move through them. A note at the beginning describes the dollhouse as being eight feet long, four feet wide, and five feet tall. It’s filled with miniature furniture, kitchenware, toilets that flush and a marble staircase. It’s the perfect place to imagine a mouse family living.

Daniel Duncan’s illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are great at portraying the personalities of all the characters. The Adventures of Henry Whiskers is a great start to the series with a story reminiscent of Stuart Little. It’s sure to appeal to young children.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Sydney & Simon: To the Moon by Paul A. Reynolds and Peter H. Reynolds

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Sydney & Simon To the Moon cover imageTwins Sydney & Simon are working on their own to create a big project about the moon. The winner of the classroom STEAM project will get to meet a famous astronaut. Sydney has the creative part down, while Simon is good at research. After working alone, they realize their project will have much more impact if they combine what they’re both good to complete the assignment.

Sydney & Simon: To the Moon! adds to the popular series by Paul A. Reynolds for readers aged 6 to 9 with a story about creating art, scientific research, and the benefits of working together to meld the two. Many schools focus on STEAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math, as a way to help kids learn about important topics. Sydney and Simon show how that can actually work. Sydney’s art project doesn’t help anyone learn about the moon. Simon’s facts about the phases of the moon are dry and uninteresting. But once they collaborate, they find a way to effectively communicate.

As the story unfolds, young readers also learn about the moon, and they may become inspired to make observations of their own. With the help of a parent, they can track moon phases throughout a month just like Simon does. There’s also a list of items kids can use to make their own telescope at home. Although it would have been helpful to provide instructions to go with the list, parents who want to do this activity with their children can find them online. (Here are some from National Geographic Kids.)

Illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds are colorful and cute, depicting family and classroom life in a way that will resonate with young readers. A glossary of terms at the end is helpful, and a note from the author and illustrator (twin brothers) about the benefits of STEAM learning is inspiring.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Great Escapes by Judy Dodge Cummings

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Great Escapes cover imageThe true stories of adventurers, explorers and others escaping life-threatening situations are often more harrowing than anything fiction could imagine. Great Escapes in the Mystery & Mayhem series focuses on five escapes that actually happened. The stories range from slaves escaping to freedom, to an explorer battling the rigors of Antarctica, to East Germans seeking to be reunited with family and friends in the West, and more.

Each story contains a map that shows where key events took place and a time line that places them in history. Author Judy Doge Cummings knows how to write historical fact that reads like fiction, and young readers are likely to be on the edge of their seats to see how each figure from the past uses ingenuity to escape danger. While reading, kids learn significant facts that help make history come alive for them. The narrative should have broad appeal, attracting both avid and reluctant readers.

I recommend Great Escapes for readers aged 9 to 13.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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