>> Rocco Staino: Hi. I'm Rocco Staino. I'm the director of the Empire
State Center for the Book which is the Center to the
Book for New York State. And you may - I may
look familiar because I also do
something called Kid Lit TD where I get to interview
authors. So, I am delighted to be
wearing both hats today because we are going to be interviewing five authors
whose books have been selected for Great Reads from
Great Places. And - but before
we get into that, now I said I am the director for the Empire State
Center for the Book. What is a Center for the Book? Again, there actually
are five Centers for the Book represented
here today. And the Center for
the Book is based out of The Library of Congress. And each state is an affiliate. And we're - and the affiliates
help to carry out the mission of the National Center which
is to promote books, reading, libraries, and literacy
nationwide. So, that's a great mission. And we also promote our states
literacy -literary heritage. Like putting a focus
on books and authors with a connection to our state. And so, today you're going to
be hearing about five books that have a connection. Yes. Every year as part of our
participation in The Library of Congress National
Book Festival, we each state chooses
a book with some sort of connection either
the author or the local of the book et cetera. And this is part of
what's called Great Reads from Great Places. You can learn more about that
by going to - going where? I know you go - read
dot - read.gov. I'm making sure that's correct. Read.gov. And - but so, we're
going to be asking our authors - I'm going to be introducing
our authors, And the states that are today Illinois, Kansas,
North - Illinois, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York,
and South Carolina. And so I am going to introduce
each of our five authors. And after I introduce each
of them, they're going to tell us a little
bit about their book that has been selected. Like, you're going
to tell us the book and a little bit about it. And also what the
connection is either with you, or with the book, with the
state you're representing. So, first I'd like to introduce
Blue Balliett, author of Out of the - Out of the Wild Night
that's published by Scholastic. And she has one both the
Edgar and the Agatha awards. And Chicago Public
Library 21st Century Award. And had more than her share of
those types of honors in the US and as well the world. She also has been a New
York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and an
Indy bound best seller. So, Blue, tell us about the
book and tell us about you. >> Blue Balliett: Okay. First of all such fun
to be part of this group and thank you for having me. The book I am talking about
is my seventh mystery. This is Out of the Wild Night. And it is not set
in Illinois as many of my other mysteries have been. We moved from Nantucket Island
in Massachusetts, my husband and I and our family to
Chicago, a long time ago. Like 30 years ago. And stayed connected
to Nantucket. We were working and
living out there. We weren't being rich
people out there. And this last mystery is
the first book I've set on Nantucket in a
long, long time. And it is a ghost story
but a very unusual one. It's really more
fact than fiction. And I'm somebody who - I'm
just hopelessly curious myself. And I love sharing
ideas with kids that I don't fully understand that nobody really
fully understands. Ideas that have no
right and wrong and just make your mind sort
of sizzle with questions. And ghosts, and ghost stories
are something that have popped up all over the world since you
know we've had written history. And I - in my 20s collected
through interview lots of ghost stories on Nantucket. I don't know why, but
Nantucket reports a lot of paranormal goings on. It really does. Coming from very, very reputable
sources and unlikely people and both sexes and all ages. It's very strange. And I published a couple
of books of - really, they're oral history in my 20s that are collections
of these stories. And then I didn't go near
the ghost stuff again, really not on Nantucket
until I gold and brave enough to do something fun with it. And that's what Out
of the Wild Night is. But it is really - like my other
books, more fact than fiction. And it talks a lot
about the working side of Nantucket which I know well. I lived in it and my
husband and I are back in contact with Nantucket. So, it is a book of huge
questions about the line between life and death. And the power of
families to transcend some of the often traumatic
things that happen to everybody in their lives. It's a book about the place. It's a book about old buildings. And it's definitely an
unusual book about ghosts. >> Rocco Staino:
Well, thank you. Thank you. Next up is Kansas and I
think I see an Edgar Award on the shelf here. And that's - so we have
two Edgar Award winning authors here. And Elizabeth Bunce is
representing Kansas. And she lives in -
is it Lenexa, Kansas? And she's the author of Premeditated Myrtle that's
published by Algonquin. It is the first in a series
featuring the young detective, Myrtle Hardcastle. This is her first
middle grade novel. And has - and as I mentioned
she's won the Edgar Award for best juvenile mystery. And she's been selected
as Kansas notable book. And was nominated for the Agatha
Award and the Anthony Award. And somewhere I - I'm not
familiar with the Agatha Award. And we have one person
who won it and one person who has been nominated. So, later you know please tell
us what the Agatha Award is. It must be for Agatha Christie. But we'll - that's
just a wild guess. So, Elizabeth, tell
us about the book. >> Elizabeth Bunce: First, thank
you Rocco and it's such an honor to be here with everybody. These events are
so much fun coming into everybody's streaming
services and getting to meet my colleagues in
art from across the country. It is a huge thrill and
honor to be represent - chosen to represent your
state at the national level. And I can't express what
a thrill that is for me. I've been a Kansan for
most of my adult life. I'm a native Midwesterner. But I moved to Kansas
as an adult. And I have done my entire
career has been writing books out of Kansas. But I have - I have
yet to write a book set in my adopted home state
although it is a goal of mine to write a ghost story set
in Kansas during the summer. But Premeditated
Myrtle is actually set in Victorian England which has
very little stance connection to the state of Kansas. But for this particular
honor, Kansas Center for the Book has a tendency
to select the tradition of selecting children's
authors and children's books, that reflect the vibrancy of
Kansas's literary community and the literary
scene here in Kansas. So, we've had Newbery
winners like Clare Vanderpool and fantasy luminaries like
Robert Kemmley [phonetic] and now the Edgar Award
winning series beginning with Premeditated Myrtle which
is the first in my series of middle grade novels and irrepressible young 12 year
old investigator who is obsessed with the new Victorian
sciences of criminology. So, Myrtle's neighbor dies
under mysterious circumstances. And she takes it up herself
to prove that it was murder and solve the crime even if
no one else believes her, including her father who is
the [inaudible] prosecuting solicitor of the village. So, it's a book about kids
and the search for justice and the role that
young people can play in speaking up for what's right. And Myrtle is a sort
of character who won't stop speaking out
despite sort of cultural forces and family forces
that keep telling her that a proper young lady of
quality does not do such things. So, it's been a great
joy and fun for met explore my
multiple loves of forensic science and murder. And the sort of the, the, the,
the path of feminism that has, had - the forces that
have led us in girls - young girls today to, to - the
outside forces that shape us and the decisions in
the past that take. So ,that's been a lot of fun. And so, right now Premeditated
and the second book How to Get Away With Myrtle came
out last October together, thanks to strange
pandemic delays. And book three Cold
Blooded Myrtle is coming out in just about a month. So, we've got a whole
series of Myrtle mysteries for everyone to enjoy. So, thanks for having me. And it's really great
honor to be here. >> Rocco Staino: And tell
us about the Agatha Award. >> Elizabeth Bunce: Well, I think Blue could
probably tell you more. >> Rocco Staino:
Well - yea, Blue. Tell us about the Agatha Award. >> Blue Balliett: Yeah. It's for books that follow in
Agatha Christie's footsteps in one way or another. And they give you an
amazing teapot when you win that has all kinds of Agatha
inspired things on the outside. But yeah, it's, it's
a lovely group of people and sort of unusual. So, they're considered mysteries
that are comfortable, cozy, but have strong structure. >> Rocco Staino: Do you have to
travel to England for the award? >> Blue Balliett: I didn't
make it there for the award. So. >> Rocco Staino:
Uh, okay next time. >> Elizabeth Bunce: So this
year the, the event of - for the last two years
has been pandemic delayed. And so, this year
it was virtual. >> Blue Balliett: Yeah. >> Elizabeth Bunce:
But it, it's, it's put on by an organization. It's a, it's a sort of a fan
run mystery conference called Malice Domestic. >> Blue Balliett: Right. >> Elizabeth Bunce:
The organization. And kind of a fun
thing this year was that Malice Domestic won
the Raven Award which is one of the Edgar Allen
Poe Awards for sort of mystery adjacent
events and things. So, not a book. Not a publisher. Not a writer. But an event. So, that was, that
was kind of neat. >> Rocco Staino: Well, I
learned something here. Yeah. Well, that's a - maybe a
good excuse to go to England. And we'll get to England later. But, but right now we're
going to be going from Kansas and we're going to be
traveling to New England to do, to New Hampshire. And we're going to meet
Christiane Andrews. The author of Spindlefish
and Stars. Published by Little Brown. She grew up in rural New
Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. That makes her a
real New Englander. On the - and rural on the edges of mountains and
woods and fields. And sometimes even by the sea. And when she's not writing
she is teaching writing and literature. So, welcome and tell
us about your book. >> Christiane Andrews: Sure. Thanks so much Rocco. I'm thrilled to be here
representing New Hampshire. And thrilled to be here
with my fellow panelists. It really such an honor. I am a New Hampshire author,
as Rocco just explained. I was born and spent much of
my childhood in New Hampshire. And I make my home
here now as well. My book Spindlefish and
Stars is not actually set in New Hampshire but there
certainly are scenes in it that are inspired by
rural New Hampshire life. Briefly, it tells the story
of a girl named Clothilde who sets off on a journey
in search of her father who ahs disappeared after leaving her a mysterious
ticket of half passage. The ticket though leads her on
a sunless island where instead of her father she
finds a village of ancient creaking
fisherman, a piggish cat, a moon shaped boy named Cary
and an apple faced old woman who locks Clo away and forces
her into kind of gruesome chores with the islands fish. As you might imagine, Clo
is desperate to escape but the more she
learns about the island and about her own family's
history on it and the tapestry that the old women
sets endlessly weaving, the more she comes to understand that this might be
the only place that she can truly
help her father. Spindlefish and Stars is
inspired by Greek mythology. And it explores ideas of
how we care for each other in the world, how we understand
the balance of joy and sorrow in our daily lives
and how stories and art weave us together. >> Rocco Staino:
Well, thank you. Thank you. And next up is someone
I know fairly well because his book was
selected by New York. And that's Dan Gutman. He's author of Houdini and Me. I have a copy up
there on the shelf or else Dan would
not speak to me if I didn't have a
copy of the book. It's published by Holiday House. And is an - and Dan is award
winning author of series such as My Weird
School, The Genius Files, and a Baseball Card series
including Honus and Me. And Dan, did you
just see today that, that the Honus Wagner Baseball
Card sold for something like six million dollars? You finally gave it up. You finally decided to sell it. Is that right? >> Dan Gutman: At
$6.6 million Rocco. Can you believe that? >> Rocco Staino: That is crazy. >> Dan Gutman: Piece
of cardboard. >> Rocco Staino: Yes. And now, Dan uses his writing
powers for good once again in his new middle grade novel. And you're going to tell
us a little bit about it. >> Dan Gutman: Sure. Yeah. Thanks Rocco. And thanks to all of you. This is really fun to be
doing and joining you today. I live in New York City,
as Rocco mentioned. And I have a hobby. My hobby is I like to collect
addresses of famous people who lived in New York. And I think it's kind of cool to
like you know walk by a building and see you know so and so,
this famous person lived here, or this famous event
took place here. And so I was walking
down the street one day, and I saw this on the wall. I don't know if you
can read that. But it's a plaque that says that Harry Houdini
lived just eight blocks from where I live today. And he lived on 113th
Street in New York City. And I thought, wow that's
kind of cool you know. I've done a lot of
historical fiction. I thought maybe I could, maybe
I could do a book on Houdini. And you know Houdini he was
the most famous magician in the world, but he was really
more famous as an escape artist. You know he could escape from
anything; shackles, handcuffs, whatever, straightjackets
you know. But there was one thing
he could not escape from. And that was his own death. He passed away in 1926. And they've been trying
to resurrect his spirit since then but unsuccessfully. So, I thought you know I like
to write a lot of stories that start with the
question what if? And I thought what if there
was kid who grew up living in Harry Houdini's house on
113th Street in New York? And what if this kid somehow
found a way to communicate with the spirit of Houdini? And that's what inspired
my book. And so, about a few seconds
after I took this picture of the plaque on the wall, the
door opened up of the house. And this guy came out. And he started yelling at me. And he said, this
is private property. You know get off the porch. I have young kids. You're annoying me. And don't ever come here again. And I felt really, I
felt terrible you know. And I didn't tell
him what I was doing or why I was there or anything. So, I just slunk away. And I wrote my book. And my wife said to
me, she says you know when the book comes out, why
don't you give the guy a copy? So, the day the book came out,
I put the book in a plastic bag. I didn't want to like ring
the doorbell or anything. I just - I put it
in aplastic bag. I hung it from his
doorknob, and I ran away. And I put a note inside just
apologizing for trespassing on his property and everything. So, a half an hour
later my phone rings. And it's the guy. And he says, oh, I'm so
happy about your book. I'm so excited. I'm so sorry that
I yelled at you and chased you away
from my house. I would love to have
you and your wife over to give you a tour
of Harry Houdini's house. And we did. And it was so great. And he even - and now
we became friends. And he even gave me this,
this 3-D bust of Harry Houdini that he printed on
his 3-D printer. So, so the story
had a happy ending. And that was the
inspiration for my book. >> Rocco Staino:
Yeah, it's terrific. Thank - and I love the bust too. Yes. I'm going to start
trespassing and see what I get. >> Dan Gutman: It's really cool. >> Rocco Staino: Yes. And now we're are traveling
down south to South Carolina. Well sort of. And we go to meet
Eden Royce who is from Charleston, South Carolina. And is a member of the
Gullah Geechee Nation. She's a lover of
mystery and magic. Eden writes southern
gothic tales that teeter on the edge of realism. Her debut middle grade novel
is Root magic and was published in January of this year by Walden Pond Press a
division of Harper Collins. But she now lives in
the garden of England with her husband and cats. And I hope those
Agatha people know that. You're out there you know. When she's not writing
or reading, she's probably roller
skating, watching quiz shows. We want to know if the quiz
shows are much different in England then they are here. Or perfecting her signature
dish for MasterChef. And sometimes she
does it all at once. So, thanks for being
with us Eden. >> Eden Royce: Thank
you so much Rocco. It is an absolute honor to
have my debut novel nominated and be amongst all these
wonderful panelists with their books that are chosen for Great Reads from
Great places. Root Magic is set in South
Carolina which is my home state. And it is one of the states that is along the
Gullah Geechee corridor where Gullah Geechee people
who are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans
brought from west and western central Africa
to The United States. And because of our relatives
seclusion on these islands, we've managed to maintain
a very strong link with those African traditions
in food culture, in folklore, in storytelling, and
in our everyday life. Root Magic is set on one
of those barrier island, se islands off of the coast of
South Carolina called Wadmalaw which is where some of
my grandparents are from. And it is a historical
fiction novel set in 1963. And it features twins Jez
and Jay who are in the midst of a lot of upheaval in
the American south in 1963. There is tension from race
riots, police brutality. There's a lot of tension with
the Civil Rights Movement. And in and amongst all of this,
the twins are having to deal with challenges closer to home
with classism and bullying from some of the local students. But what they are finally
learning is root magic, which is taught to
them by their uncle which is an ancestral
magic practiced by a lot of Gullah Geechee people
even today that's mixture of herbalism and spiritualism
and connections with the earth that are going to allow them to not only conquer their own
fears, but also deal with a lot of the outside problems
that they're - that they're encountering. Including those police
brutality, racism and a lot of the Gullah Geechee creatures
from folklore like boo-hags and haints and spirits. The reason I wrote Root
Magic is I didn't have a lot of books featuring people from the Gullah Geechee
corridor as characters. And I wanted to see
that so badly. And I love movies
and I love reading. But so often African traditional
religions like Voodoo and root magic and root
working are vilified in media. And I wanted to write a book that featured this ancestral
practice the way I learned it in a positive light that shows
a connection to ancestry, a connection to culture, and a way to strengthen
your community. And Jez and Jay learned this
while they were learning root magic and they're
learning to overcome lots of these challenges by realizing that they always
have each other. And they always have their
family and friendship and their ancestors behind them so that they can
conquer anything. >> Rocco Staino: Thank you. Thank you. Yes. So, you know there seems
to be a little mystery or magic in each of your books. And I was wondering if you
can just tell us a little bit about that. I mean some of you
have already told us. But you could tell us a
little more if you'd like. But no spoilers. Don't tell us the end, please. So, we're going to be starting
with Elizabeth from Kansas. >> Elizabeth Bunce: I mentioned
before, that Premeditated is set in Victorian England
and it is about Myrtle, my 12 year old heroin who
is absolutely obsessed with everything to do with
criminology and criminal science and toxicology, the new
advances and the idea that you can use
fingerprints to solve crime. And so, it's set in - in a small
village in England in the 1890s which is one of the
most fascinating eras of forensic history. Because the world was
shifting from sort of an era of crime stopping
to crime detecting. And it's also one of the eras in which our modern
mystery fiction has evolved. So, working in the
tradition of books like you know short Sherlock
Holmes stories and [inaudible] and other mysteries
form the Victorian Era. Myrtle is very keyed into all
things mystery, criminology. She subscribes to
illustrated police news which is a sensational news - a real like a sensational
newspaper that - excuse me. Details all the most
gory crimes of the era. And the series has been such
fun exploring those roots of our mystery tradition and
the sort of humanities obsession with crime and true crime. And so, these books deliberately
play with mystery tropes that we're all as adult
readers, we're all familiar with classic, classic story. So, the first one is like
definite cozy mystery set in an English garden and the
eccentric gardener is murdered. And her cat is involved in
the solving of the crime. And the second book
How to Get Away With Myrtle is set on a train. So it's a, it's a very Christie
inspired mystery on a train. And a jewel thieves - I
pitched it to my publisher as a dull railway holiday
to the seaside is livened by jewel thieves and murder. And the third book which
is coming out very, very shortly Cold Blooded
Myrtle takes place during an exceptionally Victorian
Christmas holiday season, is interrupted by a series of mysterious crimes
in the village. And all along the
way, Myrtle assisted by her governess, Ms. Judson. And you can see they both
made the cover of book three. And Ms. Judson explore
village life and uncover the dark secrets
lurking behind you'd call it English village of the time. And as book list said along
the way they are gleefully overturning sexist norms which I'm not sure I
necessarily set out to do. It just sort of happened
naturally apparently. So, that's been loads
of fun as well. And I'm currently working
on book four in the series in Myrtle Peril which explores
life in a Victorian hospital and shipwrecks and
strange inheritance cases and mistaken identity so. The idea here is to immerse
young readers and older readers who happen to find them in my
love for all things mystery. All things forensic science. And Victoriana. And Myrtle herself as a character is
exceptionally curious and clever and has this highly
unconventional interest in criminology that is
a little bit out of step with other middle class
girls of - in her, in her neighborhood
and peer group. And she recognizes this. And so, she leans into
this role of being curious. And so all of my books, before myrtle have been
historical fantasy. And one of the things,
I'm sure Dan can tell you, when you're writing historical
fiction you don't always get to use everything that
you've - all of the research. So many fascinating
things don't pertain to the story you're telling. So you just don't
get to put them in. Well, Myrtle shares my
fascination with all of that nerdy esoterica,
all of those details about criminal science
in the Victorian Era or whatever happens to cross
her mind as I'm writing. And so the Myrtle books
have - they'll have these, the epigraphs written so
that each chapter begins with an epigraph written by the erudite H.M. Hardcastle
excerpt from some book. So, the book in Premeditated
Myrtle is Principles of Detection. And it's her manual
on solving crimes. And the book that we're
working on now the excerpts come from a manual on
forensic medicine which has been great fun. And they also contain footnotes. So, if something
comes up, for in - the example that for some
reason has sprung to mind right at the moment is popular in the Victorian Era was a paint
color called invisible green. And it's almost - it's very
dark green, almost black. But isn't that the
most delightful name? The color name is
in invisible green. And so she puts a
little footnote that explains invisible green
obviously is not truly invisible as that would make it
challenging for things like trying to chain
up your bicycle or keep people off park grass or
finding lamp posts in the dark. So, there really just a
celebration of nerdiness and cleverness and curiosity
and a spirit of investigation. >> Rocco Staino: It sounds like
it's chop - chalk full of lots of information and very. >> Elizabeth Bunce: Yes. >> Rocco Staino: Informative. Yes. And. >> Elizabeth Bunce:
But in a fun way. >> Rocco Staino: Yes. Yes. And I'm going to see if
Benjamin Moore has that color. Yeah. >> Elizabeth Bunce: They don't. >> Rocco Staino: Oh, okay. >> Elizabeth Bunce:
I've already checked. So, I just had to tell you. >> Rocco Staino: Christiane
can you tell us about magic or mystery in your, your books. >> Christiane Andrews: Sure. Yeah, so there's a -
there's a bit of both in Spindlefish and Stars. Mystery and that the main
character has to sort of unravel this letter that's
she's been given by her father. And she has to figure
out where she's going. And really essentially
who her entire family is over the course of the novel. It's difficult to talk in
too much specific detail about the magic in
Spindlefish and Stars without giving away really
significant parts of the plot. But what I can say is that
the magic that is there, is the kind that we see
in myths and legends. In other words these
magical stories that we've been telling each
other for thousands of years and that really help us to understand some
really big questions. Like what are we doing here? Where are we going? Why does suffering and
sorrow exist in the world? And Spindlefish and Stars
which plays with the idea of the three fates, is
certainly interested in those kinds of
question as well. There is actually a moment
in the book where we see - where the readers see and also where the characters themselves
see a myth being told again, and again, and again
in stories and in art and in music over the centuries. And each time the
tale is told it's for a slightly different reason. Some people tell it
entirely for the adventure. Some people tell it
because it reveals something about the nature of
love or relationship between parents and children. Or it shows something
about sorrow and loss or hubris and guilt. But each telling
thus creates a link with everything that's
preceded it. And the book tries to show that
this is it's own kind of magic that these stories
that we tell each other and retell each other can tie
us together over different lands and different cultures and
over thousands of years. And show us our shared
human experience. And in general, that
idea that there is magic in our everyday lives
in storytelling and in other aspects is
something the book tries to work in throughout. There's actually a
moment late in the text where the main character Clo has to make a choice whether
she's going to stay in this magical realm
or whether she's going to return to the real world. And even though she's
been exposed to some pretty powerful magic,
really transformative magic, one of the things that
she's come to understand over the course of the novel is
that every day human choices, how we treat each other in
the world, the small acts of kindness we can offer each
other can have as profound and powerful impact
as any of the magic that she has encountered
on her journey. So, although there is magic
in the book, it is also shown to be perhaps not as
powerful as it may seem. >> Rocco Staino: Thank you. Thank you. Well I just grabbed my cell
phone because Dans going to be telling us whole
bit about his book and about you know a mysterious
or magical things that happened. And I know a cell phone
plays a role in that. And so, tell us, Dan. >> Dan Gutman: Sure. Yeah. Well, you know Houdini as I mentioned was a
magician of course. And one of his most famous
tricks was called metamorphosis where he would basically switch
places with another person, usually his wife
Bess, magically. And what would happen
would be they would, they would handcuff
him and shackle him and stick him a cloth bag. And he - and put the bag
into a giant trunk, okay. And the trunk would be
closed and locked and sealed. And then his wife
Bess would stand up on top of the trunk, okay. And then a curtain would be
drawn across both of them. And Bess would clap her hands. Clap, clap, clap. Three times. And then the curtain
would be withdrawn. And Houdini would be
standing on top of the trunk and Bess would be
locked inside the trunk. It was an amazing trick. It's - magicians still
do it to this day. It's called metamorphosis. And it gave me the idea that I
could have this kid who lives in Harry Houdini's house not
only communicate with him, with this sort of
magical cell phone. But Houdini and the
kid will switch places. So, Houdini comes to the
21st Century temporarily. And the kid goes back to the
1920s where he is found hanging, hanging upside down
straightjacketed from a building and he's got to escape. And Houdini, He ends up
in Time Square in New York and he's flabbergasted that a hotdog doesn't
cost five cents anymore. Rocco Staino: Huh. >> Dan Gutman: But,
anyway, Houdini finds that he has found a way
finally to escape his death which was what he
always wanted to do. And he wants to make the
metamorphosis permanent with this kid so that he
will be permanently alive in the 21st Century. And the kid will be
stuck in the 1920s. Well, needless to say, the
kid doesn't feel too hot about that idea. And that's the dilemma
that he's got to solve. And I don't' want to
give it away or anything. But that's the big surprise
ending of the book, Rocco. >> Rocco Staino: Right. What's a kid to do? What's Houdini going to do? Right. Yes. You know Eden, magic is
in the title of your book. So, I'm sure there is magic. So, tell us a little
bit about that. >> Eden Royce: Absolutely. I think I touched on it just a
little bit in my prior answer. Because Root Magic speaks
about root working as a magical and spiritual practice. And just to explain a little bit
about how it works in the book. The twins are learning it,
being taught by their uncle. And I got the idea because
so much of my experience with root working and learning
spells and learning things from great aunt, those
things weren't reflected ever in a positive light. So, I wanted to put
that in the book to show that sprinkling magical
powers wasn't always something that had to be fantastical. It could be something, it
could be something rooted in ana actual practice
that people do today. That people learn today. That people are starting to
return to as a way to connect with their ancestral roots. So, I wanted to present
root magic with root working and all it's musicality
including herbalism, and spell work and jars and
candles and all of that in a way that not only kids could
understand and be fascinated. But to show them a world
that is still actually part of a practice that lots of
people around The United States and around the world
do on a daily basis. >> Rocco Staino: Thank you. Thank you. Thanks. And now I'll just
pass it over to Blue. Yes. >> Blue Balliett: So, yeah. Back to ghost stuff. People are always curious
about what I'm talking about when I say that there're
real ghosts on Nantucket. I only got interested in this because I had a weird experience
myself when I was in college. And I was out there for
the weekend in a house with another young woman. We were both just about 19. We both saw the same figures. It was so - it wasn't
frightening. But it was so shocking. It's very interesting when you're somebody who's had
an experience that you know to be impossible
according to the world that you're familiar with. And ghosts in The United States
are supposed to be impossible. Not so much in some
other cultures. But I of course paid attention when I heard other people
talking about ghosts out there. And after college I
went back to Nantucket. I began hearing stories. And Nathaniel Benchley
who's the father of the man who wrote Jaws, Peter Benchley. I'd met him at a
party or something. And we started talking
about ghosts in the corner. And he said, oh, he said
he found out my dad wrote for The New Yorker all his life. And Nathanial Benchley had too. And he said, well, he said
I'm not going to do this. But I'd like to give you the
names of three people I know on Nantucket and this
material about strange goings on in Nantucket needs to
be recorded by somebody. And he sort of pushed me
out there and said do this. And I did. And it was fascinating. I think I did something
like 70 interviews. So, I heard all these
amazing stories about inexplicable goings
on in the modern world in a small New England
community. And I've carried
those stories with me. They were published. They've been in print. They're currently
in a collection of - called Nantucket Ghosts. But I've carried them inside me. You're a different person when
you've had experience like that. Because you have to
look at the definition of what's possible
slightly differently. And even when we moved off
Nantucket and I began teaching in Chicago, the ghost thing
never quite leaves you. It's just a sort
of an enlargement of the human experience
in an interesting way. Particularly in our culture here
that doesn't really allow it. So, in Out of the Wild
Night I explore that. And it's really done through
a bunch of kids who are trying to get something done
in the community. And I began thinking about
how fascinating it would be. And as I mentioned before I
didn't really dare go there until I was you know
somebody who I felt like I could say
whatever I wanted to say. And you can tell the truth
in fiction in a way you can't in nonfiction which
fascinated me. Once I started writing fiction, I was like wow you can totally
spill your guts in fiction. And you can present impossible
sides of the real world in fiction in a way
that's allowable. >> Rocco Staino: Yeah. >> Blue Balliett: So, Out
of the Wild Night comes from that realization. And it also comes
from the odd thought. It thought - kept thinking
to myself what is it like, okay so all these people
who are no longer alive have been perceived. Some of them were
identified later by the people who had seen them as being
occupants of a house. I mean there were,
there were sightings that were inescapably real
and rooted in the past. And I kept thinking what
is - what would it be like from the other side? What is it like for a ghost? What are they seeing? Are they seeing each other? Are ghosts aware of
any other ghosts? So, that was behind
Out of the Wild Night which is truly a wild book. >> Rocco Staino: Uh-huh, right. And you had Nathanial Benchley
encouraging you to do this. I'd say. >> Blue Balliett: Yeah. >> Rocco Staino:
That's terrific. That's terrific. You mailed me -- they're
all middle grade books. And some of you it's your
debut middle grade book. And others of you have written
several middle grade books. So, if you could you know
give us like what's the joys or the challenges of writing for middle grade -
for the middle grade? So, let's start with Christiane. >> Christiane Andrews: Sure. Yeah. It's - it is
such a privilege to write for this age group. I came to middle grade after
working with older students for a number of years
teaching, writing and literature to college students
and to juniors and seniors in high school. And this is work that I adore. I love exploring
text with students. I love helping them find their
analytic and creative voices. And I wasn't really thinking
about middle grade so much until I had my own son. And began reading with him both
books that I had known and loved as a child and books
that we were discovering for the first time together. And it was really
an epiphany for me. Realizing just how crucial
middle grade books are. These are the books
that shape readers and they shape hopefully
lifelong readers. And they're so essential in
helping kids develop imagination and empathy and capacity
for deep thought. And so I think that for me is
both the joy and the challenge of writing middle grade. Is you know being aware that
our books are reaching children at this moment in their
development when they are so - they're open and excited
and they love learning and love coming across
new ideas? But also being aware that that's
a tremendous responsibility. And wanting to keep
them excited and engaged and still loving reading
and still loving learning. >> Rocco Staino: Yes. And Dan, how many middle
grade books have you written? You've written just
a few, right? >> Dan Gutman: A lot. I never really counted
Rocco honestly. But I write for all
different ages. You know I've done picture
books for kindergarten kids. And I've done books
for sixth graders too. And I think for me third,
fourth, fifth grade is sort of like my sweet spot. I like to write for
that age group. I think partly because
they're, they're really bright. And their really like sponges. They soak up everything. They under - you can give
them a sophisticated story and they can follow it. They get the jokes,
which is nice. And yet they haven't - they're
usually not at puberty yet. So I don't have to feel an
obligation to address things like sex and drugs
and serious issues which I'd rather not
address in general. I think the challenges of
writing for that age group is that our competition is
really not each other. Our competition is the
internet and video games. You know it's quite a draw. And it's tough to pry those
kids away from those things. But I really enjoy doing it. And often people will say
to me like you know why, why do you relate so well - why
do you think you relate so well to third, fourth
and fifth graders? And I say, I got the
brain of a ten year old. What can I tell you? >> Rocco Staino: Right. Eden, is this is your
debut middle grade book? >> Eden Royce: This is my debut. Yes. It's the first thing - it's the first novel I've
ever written actually. I've written some short stories that were all for
the adult market. But what I find that
I enjoy about writing for middle grade
readers is I love writing about characters
experiencing ah and wonder. And that's something that
you don't see quite as often in media and literature
for adults. But being able to
write characters that are still fascinated by
things that happen in the world and can still experience the
joy and ah of what some of us as adults may be
a bit jaded about. They're new to and
they're experiencing it for the first time. And it's just an emotion
that I love to write. >> Rocco Staino: Thank you. And now we go to -
who has not spoken? Well, two people
haven't spoken, right? Let's see. We - oh, we - oh Eden
and now, now to Blue. >> Blue Balliett: Yeah. I agree with many
of the things Dan and Eden were saying
about kids that age. They are sponges. They always have made me think of like a little tiny
boat with a giant engine. I mean they have such powerful
interesting brains by that age. And I did teach third and fourth
grades for 10 years in Chicago. And was just so amazed by
what kids that age can follow and put together in their minds. They might not be able to always
write a sentence very well. But boy they can follow
interesting complex thoughts. And they get very curious. And I feel like if you can
hook kids into books and ideas at that age, you're giving
them such an incredible gift. And such a head start in life. Once you hit adolescence if
you haven't tasted the joy of reading it's difficult
to get plugged in. And I feel like if
you can reach kids in that sweet spot
before they really head into you know heavy
duty hormonal changes, it's a very exciting time. It's almost to me the most
exciting important age to write for. Because it's impactful. The ideas you absorb at that
age you generally remember. Most people do. >> Rocco Staino: Yes. And now, and now to Elizabeth. >> Elizabeth Bunce: I, I - I'm going to echo
what everyone said. You know the books we read as middle graders are the
ones we remember for ever as our favorite books. And so, it's amazing
to find yourself part of that literary tradition, part
of that continuum when you grew up as a reader and looking back
at the books that you loved. And thinking some day there
will be an author who looks back and says my favorite book was
this one I remember as a kid, and it's really kind
of awe-inspiring. I never actually thought of
myself as a middle grade write. I was writing YA
fantasy and that is sort of where I had set my sights
from the time, I was very young. When I was a very young write, I'd always thought I
was a fantasy writer. And a YA writer. But my YA novels
were getting darker and more violent
and a little sexier. And I was at the same time that
was happening, I was getting all of this fan mail from
fifth and sixth graders. Readers who really
were responding to something in my writing. The density of the language. The sort of the lofty ideas. The approachable characters
and then historical settings. And I thought I need to write
a book for those readers. For - now those readers
obviously are adults now. But hopefully they have kids,
or you know younger students who are coming along with
those same appetites. Kids who are reading up as my
younger readers were doing. When you are a young reader,
with a big appetite for books and a big vocabulary
and you are reading up, you are reading books
that are written for and about older kids. Or if you're a mystery fan
and you want to write - read a murder mystery, you're reading Agatha
Christie or Sherlock Holmes. And those books are
about adults. The joy for me of writing these
particular middle grade novels is that I give those young
readers who are reading up stories written for them,
with them in mind, with - that, that are about them. And that let kids their
age be the ones in charge of solving the crime
and being the heroes and being the main
activists in the story. And I think that's been
such-as I think Christiane said, such a privilege to you know
have, have a fan reach out to me and a have a fan reach out to me and say I need more
of this kind of book. And to find yourself
in a position to write that kind of story. And as for one of the
challenges you know I get asked about writing murder
mysteries for kids. And you know how do you make
a plot that's complex enough to keep them interested but
not so scary and violent that it's not age appropriate? And actually one of
the, the great fun parts about writing murder
mysteries for young - a younger audience is that
I don't - I can't fall back on the sort of the
trite topics of sex and infidelity and all of that. And I have to, have to really
dig deep to create plots that are a lot more
unusual and interesting and that are going to, to spark
that sense of wonder that, that Eden was talking about. And sort of reach that you
know wow isn't this fascinating [inaudible] that
young readers have. >> Rocco Staino: Thank you. You know the theme for The
National Book Festival is open a book, open the world. And so, was there a book that
opened the world for you? So, let's start with Dan. >> Dan Gutman: Oh, thanks Rocco. Yeah, when I was a kid I
actually - I hated to read. Okay. I thought reading
was boring and hard to do. And my mother was
worried about me you know. She used to buy me comic
books hoping it would get me interested in reading. And it didn't work. And it wasn't until I
was in about fourth grade that a book turned
me onto reading. And it wasn't even
written by an author. It was, it was, it was Ball Four by the baseball player
Jim Bouton. >> Rocco Staino: Uh-huh. >> Dan Gutman: Who
pitched for the Yankees. And I was a big baseball fan. Still am. And it was the, it
was the first time I read a book that the author wasn't
just writing at me. He was having a conversation
with me. And I really responded to that. And when I do my writing,
I'm conscious of the fact that there's a lot of
reluctant readers out there and I know what bores them. And I know what gets
them excited. And I try to have a
conversation with them the way that that book had a
conversation with me. So, that's what I
remember as the one book that really turned
me onto reading. >> Rocco Staino: And
I've read that book too. Yeah. And Eden. >> Eden Royce: I have
always loved magic and mythology and folklore. So, some of the earliest books
that I read when I was quite, quite young were a lot of the
fairy tales, Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. Some of which by current
standards are a bit strong for some readers in some minds. But I absolutely loved just
the ability to read a story where there was not need to explain why the magic
happened, it just happened. And I always loved
that about folklore and mythology and fairy tales. >> Rocco Staino: Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. And now we'll go to Blue. >> Blue Balliett: I read
a book when I was 12 that I'm quite sure
changed my life. It was the first book
set in a place I knew. I was growing up in Manhattan. And it was called
The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
by E.L. Konigsburg. And it was a mystery. I'd been reading Nancy Drew. I'd been Alfred Hitchcock
Presents. I'd been reading whatever
I could get my hands on. Probably some Agatha
Christie by then. And I read this book and
I felt like her tone, the way she presented
a world that I knew. I'd been to the Metropolitan. At that time the
Metropolitan was free to kids. And we could walk in there any
time we wanted and out again. The way she talked to
children, there was - the way she respected
your ability to think was brand new to me. I'd never read a book like that. And I never forgot
how good that felt. And I'm sure I wouldn't have
become the teacher I' became or written Chasing Vermeer or
any of the other mysteries set in the real world that I've
written if I hadn't read that book when I was 12. I never forgot it. >> Rocco Staino: You know one of
the projects here at The Center for the Book in New York is
the New York State Writers Hall of Fame and she is a member of the New York State
Writer's Hall of Fame. And I'm glad you
brought her book up. Elizabeth. >> Elizabeth Bunce: So,
so I don't remember a time when I didn't know how to read. I grew up in a house
that was full of books. My parents were journalists. My dad taught journalism
at Iowa State University. My grandmother was a poet. So, I was surrounded
by books my whole life. So, there wasn't this moment where a particular book
opened the world for me. But growing up in - you know when you're a kid your
world is your house, your family, your school. It's pretty contained. And books really are the
window to a larger world than the one you get to
experience every day. And when you work in
children's literature you - we talk about books that are
either windows or mirrors. So, books mirrors. So, like, like Eden's book is
a reflection of the life that, that her, her life experiences and the world in
which she grew up. And books that are
windows offer a kid like me from Iowa a glimpse into an
entirely new part of the world. And so that's what books
were for me when I was - I was always a windows reader. I didn't want to read the book
that was about the middle class from the, the Midwest. I wanted to read Island of the
Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. I wanted to read The
Secret Garden you know Victorian England. I wanted to read all of
these things that were about something different,
something new that showed me how much
bigger the world was than just my little
corner of it. And I think books have
done that for me and for that I'm eternally grateful. >> Rocco Staino: They took
you around the world, right. They've taken - they take
us to different places and. >> Elizabeth Bunce: There
is no frigate like a book. >> Rocco Staino: That's true. And Christiane. >> Christiane Andrews:
Yeah, sure. So, like Eden and some of
my earliest reading was with fairy tales and myths. And like Elizabeth
I grew up in a house that really emphasized reading. We didn't have a television. So, entertainment was reading. But I think one of the books that I can remember really
having a significant impact on me, was Madeleine
L'Engle's Wrinkle In Time. And my father read it
to me and my sister when we were quite young. And then I read it
and reread it again on my own just shortly
after that. Then I was also - I got to
hear a radio production of it, this really amazing
dramatization that took place over a number of
different nights. And that experience of coming to
a text in so many different ways and realizing that
every time I returned to it there were new
details that I could notice. And thus see a completely
- well, not completely but a slightly different
world each time I returned to the book. I think that was
really formative and certainly influenced
a lot of the direction that I ended up taking
in my life. >> Rocco Staino: And it's funny
that you mentioned that author because one of the other
projects we do is doing literary landmarks. And we have a literary landmark
at the Cathedral of St. John - St. John of - St. John of
the Devine, near you Dan. And were Madeleine
L'Engle actually worked as there as the librarian. So, there's a literary
landmark for her there. Yeah, so that is great. And so, I know you
guys are busy. And you all need to get back
to work on your next books. So, I am going to ask -
we're going to start Eden. What are you working on? >> Eden Royce: I am working on a
couple of things at the moment. I'm in the midst of
edits for my second book, which is a contemporary
middle grade. But still a magical adventure. And I am going through and
writing the first draft of what I hope will be my third
book which is still wrapped up in lots of magic
but lots more mystery. And hopefully a little
bit of creepiness as well. So. >> Rocco Staino: Okay. >> Eden Royce: Lots
of irons in the fire. >> Rocco Staino: Yes. And Blue your - you know
have a new grandchild. I don't know if you have
time to work on a new book. Do you have a new book
that you're working on? >> Blue Balliett: Yeah. I mean I'm always kind of
stirring the pot in my mind for years often before
I start a book. Because you know the way it is. You have to have
all the ingredients and then you have a moment
where you go, oop off I go. So, yeah, life has been
a little busy lately. But yeah, I'm partway through a
couple of different manuscripts. And I don't know what I'm doing. So who knows? But something will happen. >> Rocco Staino: Right. And Elizabeth. You've - I think you've told
us some of the books that, that you're working on. >> Elizabeth Bunce: So,
by the time this airs, I will have turned
in the revision on the fourth Myrtle Hardcastle
Mystery in Myrtle Peril. So, I'll actually be on
vacation for a few weeks. >> Rocco Staino: Ah. >> Elizabeth Bunce: Coming up [inaudible] very
much looking forward to. But after that I'm
not really sure. I have you know like everybody,
I've got tons of ideas. I have a story I would love to
tell about some family history in my grandmother lived
in Florida in the '20s. And there was always this rumor
that her dad was a bootlegger. And I'd love to do something
with that information. And you know there's
- I have a YA that has been waiting
for it's moment. So, we'll just see what, what,
what the world wants from me. >> Rocco Staino: yes. You never know. And who knows, Florida
may select that book about your grandmother
for their you know. >> Elizabeth Bunce: Come on now. >> Rocco Staino: But first
you have to write it. So. >> Elizabeth Bunce: Yes. Yes, I do. There's that little detail. >> Rocco Staino: Yeah right. Christiane. >> Christiane Andrews: Yeah. I am in the midst of edits for
another book for Little Brown which I think is supposed
to come out next autumn. So, a year from now. And I'm not sure how
much I can say about it. But it is another mythological
reimaging only this time I'm working with the story
of Romulus and Remus. And I'm exploring ideas of
feature, and language and fate. >> Rocco Staino: Yes. Okay. And Dan, you
are such a busy guy. So, you might be writing
three at this time. I don't know. >> Dan Gutman: Actually,
Rocco I'm working on something completely
different now. A graphic novel actually. My first graphic novel came out this year called
Mr. Corbett is on Orbit. And I'm working on
another one now. And it's so much fun. It's a, it's very new
and challenging for me. Because I've been
writing for a long time. And I've - I write
everything on computer. But I found that, that didn't
work writing a graphic novel. And what worked better
for me was to just story board the thing and draw pictures you know stick
figures and cartoon balloons. And it's going to be called - well this is the
working title anyway. I'm not sure that's
going to be called. Dorks in New York. >> Rocco Staino:
Dorks in New York? Okay, yeah, yeah. You're putting a plug for another selection
for New York State. Okay. >> Dan Gutman: Here's a page
- here's a sneak peak Rocco. Okay. So, like this tragedy
happens and the kids have to rush to the subway
to dal with it. But they end up going down to
a subway sandwich shop instead. And everybody's freaking out. So, this is my, my little
stick figures that I draw. And then I submit
it to my illustrator who lives 3,000 miles
away from me. And he does the magic
that he does. And we've been working for
- together for a long time. And we've only met
once in person. But we work together
really well. >> Rocco Staino: Right. And I think that's - I
think I asked everybody that question, right? I think I did. And time is flying by. And I know it's getting late in
England you know, and you know but I want to thank
you all for joining us for this little discussion
about Great Reads from these five great states. So, until we get to meet in
person, this was a lot of fun. So, I'm going to -
why don't we all wave to say goodbye to all our views. Yes. >> Elizabeth Bunce:
Thank you so much. >> Blue Balliett: Thanks. >> Dan Gutman: Thanks everyone. >> Eden Royce: Thank you. >> Christiane Andrews:
[inaudible] fun. >> Dan Gutman: And
thank you Rocco.
