Hi Everyone! We offer you a special STEM Tuesday post today and hope that you enjoy it.

Artificial Intelligence is a hot topic lately for educators, writers, readers, and students. There have been numerous discussions, if not arguments, about how to proceed with the direction of AI when it comes to education and also in writing children’s books.  One positive outcome recently was at a conference held in Boston this summer.  At the America’s Youth AI Festival, 93 high school students from all 50 states met with other organizers and developed guidelines for AI use in schools.  As reported in Education Week, their suggestions are as follows:    Education Week, 8/7/2026

It should emphasize human relationships and judgement. It should protect the learning process while allowing students to build skills for appropriate use.  It should preserve students’ and educators’ right to refuse to use the technology.

Children’s literature is another approach to help educate and inform us all about AI.  More and more children’s books are being written that educate and discuss the background, infrastructure, and possible future of Artificial Intelligence.  The From the Mixed Up Files blog came up with an excellent list of recent books to use with children/students.  

Examples of books about AI: 

Science Comics: Computers: How Digital Hardware Works 

By Perry E. Metzger, Penelope Spector and Jerel Dye

This is a graphic-style book designed to teach about computer hardware, so it goes beyond AI.  I believe it would be of interest to kids enthused by graphic novels, upper elementary/middle school students, computer/technology teachers, and others interested in the background and history of computers, and how it relates to AI today. It is written in an engaging style, with “dinosaurs” dressed in Victorian garb as the main characters.  The authors include a website, www.veniac.com, which is listed as having activities for kids and adults. I checked out the website, and it is still a work in progress, but it’s useful to keep in mind for future engaging activities beyond the book.  

See Inside AI: Artificial Intelligence (by Alex Frith and Victoria M. Williams, 

Illustrated by Beatrix Hatcher)

This is a comprehensive, “lift-the-flap” style book that will engage many learners, from early elementary through upper elementary/some middle schoolers.  It starts by defining “What is Artificial Intelligence?” and digs deeper by describing “How Does AI Work?”  Some engaging tidbits in here will hook most kids, such as how AI can help track wildlife that might be in danger, such as Koalas in the recent wildfires in Australia.  It is also relatable to kids, in that it mentions video games using AI to create characters that act in more unpredictable, innovative ways. Another high-interest grabber:  using AI to develop toilets that can update you on your health, if you so choose!  

The book also touches on higher-level issues with AI, such as: Can AI make art?  How should it be regulated?  What happens when AI can design new robots/computers/AI models itself?  This book can be a jumping-off point for discussions about the future of AI, including ethics. 

Kids and teachers can also learn more about AI and this book by going to this link usborne.com/Quicklinks and typing in the name of the book: See Inside AI Artificial Intelligence 

AI Vocabulary from the book:  

Narrow AI: only able to do one specific type of problem-solving

Deep Learning: training computers to teach themselves

Natural Language Processing: technology that helps computers understand human language (chatbots)

Resources for further information on AI and education/curriculum/policy: 

Day of AI: is a free, global “education program and curriculum created by researchers at MIT RAISE to introduce K-12 students to AI”.  It is designed to be non-technical and focuses on hands-on, engaging activities. 

Day of AI: Homepage 

They have a variety of activities for many age levels and interests:

How We Teach Machines, Ages 4-8 

Changing the Game: AI in Sports (ages 11-18) 

AI: Family Resources 

Common Sense Media AI Family Guide 

MIT RAISE: is an organization that advocates for “responsible AI for social empowerment and education”. They focus on AI literacy, ethics, and tools to help educate about AI.

MIT RAISE Homepage: Includes curriculum, policy, and studies links

MIT RAISE Playground Homepage

MIT RAISE Playground: Dance, Train Your Own Robot etc

By Susan Kenyon, a former special educator who believes that good STEM books can help with the literacy problem. When not writing non-fiction, she can be found exploring the United States.  Recently based in the PNW, she is now off to explore fossils, mountains, and marmots in the Rockies with her favorite little people.

The post STEM Tuesday– Computers– In the Classroom appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Author Interview – Huda Al-Marashi

I’m so excited to be able to introduce you to author Huda Al-Marashi today. Huda is a Middle grade author who has written many beautiful books, among which is a personal favorite of mine GROUNDED, and today we will be discussing her book: HAIL MARIAM which came out from Kokila/Penguin Kids on Feb 24, 2026

I adore reading Muslim middle grade, and the synopsis sounds so compelling. I am so excited to dive into this story and talk to Huda about this book!

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

About HAIL MARIAM:

Hail Mariam is an interfaith Muslim take on Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret drawn from the author’s own experiences in Catholic school.

Sixth grade wasn’t supposed to be this complicated.

Iraqi American Mariam Hassan transfers to a local Catholic school and before her first day her parents remind her that she might be the first Muslim her classmates have ever met. No big deal, right? Just represent an entire religion while making new friends, keeping up with schoolwork, and figuring out who she is.

When Mariam’s younger sister, Salma, is diagnosed with a serious lung condition, her family faces endless doctor visits and sleepless nights. Mariam tries to lighten their burden and keep her own problems to herself—including the fact that she’s just been cast as Mary in the school’s Christmas nativity play.

Mariam wants to honor her faith and her new community, but she’s terrified of crossing a religious line. Can a Muslim girl be the lead in a Christian story? What will her family think? And why does she feel like every decision she makes represents all Muslims?

Mariam discovers that faith, much like friendships, isn’t about perfection—it’s about connection. As she leans on her family, friends, and school community, she begins to see the power of interfaith cooperation and learns she doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Hail Mariam is a celebration of the beauty of finding common ground.

Interview with Huda:

I loved getting to talk to Huda about her new book and I know you will enjoy meeting her and Mariam as well.

SSS: What a wonderful premise of interfaith commonality. Can you tell us a little bit more about what inspired this story?

HA: This story is based on so many of my lived experiences. Like Mariam, I went to a Catholic middle school, but I also went on to an all-girls Catholic high school and a Jesuit university. As I got older, I came to appreciate the ways in which being immersed in another religious tradition shaped me, and it was something I wished more people had the opportunity to experience. Even when we have major theological differences, it helped me to see the patterns among people of faith and how we value similar things. It got me thinking that I could use stories from my middle school years to show how my interfaith education broadened my horizons and allowed me to see those commonalities.

SSS: Tell us about the character Mariam- is she similar or different personality-wise from you?  

HA: Mariam is the eldest daughter of Iraqi immigrants so we definitely share the personality traits that tend to come with that. At home, she’s wants to be a dutiful daughter and sister, and at school, she wants to be recognized as her teacher’s sunshine. And while much of that does resonate with me, Mariam is far more conflicted than I ever was. In order for me to show her transformation, I started her off in an almost exaggerated place of right and wrong, and she struggles with the decisions she makes in the book far more than I ever did. For example, she wrestles with being cast as Mary in the Christmas play, however when I was in middle school and was also offered the part of Mary, I immediately said, “No, I can’t,” and the decision was over in minutes. 

SSS: I hardly ever see Iraqi rep out in the world. Thank you for this book. Tell us more about how culture affects Mariam and her story?

HA: Thank you for recognizing that under-representation! With this book, I hoped to show how our religious and sectarian differences have been exploited. I chose to make Mariam’s parents mixed sect and her mom’s best friend Christian as a way to reflect the various groups in Iraqi society and to show how integrated these communities are. We have a much longer history of coexistence than the politically-motivated strife that we see represented in the media.

SSS: I love the cover! Can you tell us more about how the concept came about?

HA: I love it too! From the beginning, we knew wanted to integrate Christian and Muslim symbols, and my editor shared a few concept ideas with the cover artist, along with pictures of when I was in middle school. And then we went back and forth quite a bit to capture Mariam’s inquisitive look and spunk.

Link to order here.

Writing Process 

SSS: When did you start writing the story and was the process a long one?

HA: It was so long! I drafted a version of this during Covid when I set a goal for myself to write a chapter a week, but it was my first attempt at writing a middle grade novel and I knew it had problems that needed to be addressed. I put it aside while drafting GROUNDED, a collaborative novel I wrote with Aisha Saeed, S.K. Ali, and Jamilah Thompkins Bigelow, but when that was finished, I had to face the draft again and I didn’t have the tools to fix it. Thankfully, I got into what was then known as the Highlights Foundation and is currently known as Boyds Mill Muslim Storytellers Fellowship, and I found the resources there to revise it into the draft that finally sold in 2024.

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

HA: I’m a bit of both. I’ll do a rough outline by hand and then try to feel my way through, drafting chapter by chapter, but once I have a draft, I go back to my paper and pen outlines to really think through what I’m actually doing and where I still need to go.

SSS: Any advice for fellow middle-grade authors looking to write MG?

HA: Since I was making the switch from writing for adults to writing for middle grade audiences, I had a lot of work to do on the voice. It was one of those things that I sincerely thought I was addressing in each revision, but my early drafts were far too serious and I would sometimes slip into a more adult voice. It wasn’t until my agent suggested that I lean into the humor that something clicked into place for me. I think that some levity will always be welcome in middle grade books. A little humor goes a long way!

Bonus!

SSS: Bonus question! Do you have more books coming?

HA: I have one more middle grade on the way. I know it will tackle the themes that I’m always drawn to in my work, identity, faith, and family, but it’s still in its early stages so I’m not quite sure how it’s all going to show up!

Thank you Huda for joining us and I hope readers and librarians enjoy your book! I know I am so excited to dive in!!!

About Huda:

Huda Al-Marashi writes for both children and adults. She is a coauthor of the middle grade novel Grounded, which won the Walter Dean Myers Honor award, and the author of the memoir First Comes Marriage: My Not-So-Typical American Love Story. Her other writing has appeared in various anthologies and news outlets, such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and Al Jazeera. She is a fellow and mentor with the Muslim Storytellers Program at Boyds Mill, formerly known as the Highlights Foundation, and she lives in San Diego, California, with her husband and three children.

Website: www.hudaalmarashi.com

INSTAGRAM: @huda.almarashi

The post WNDMG Author Interview: Huda Al-Marashi on her Middle Grade Novel HAIL MARIAM appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Thanks for agreeing to this interview, Megan. As a mom-entrepreneur myself, I’m inspired to learn about your online bookstore venture. How did Hunni Hound Books come to be for a busy mom like yourself? 

Hunni Hound Books was supposed to be a storefront. My husband and I found the perfect spot and hoped to buy the building. Unfortunately, our financing fell through and I was heartbroken. So I pivoted and decided to just start small and open up a little online storefront via Bookshop.com. Other local friends, families, and teachers knew about it and so I set up a little business where I would create online shelves for parents and teachers hunting for books that engage their kids. That expanded into pop-up shelves at coffee shops. 

What inspired the expansion into book vending? 

I had been seeing these book vending machines on Instagram and thought they were adorable. Such a great way to have a micro source de facto bookshop, no rent and relatively low inventory. So we took the leap, found the right machine, had it wrapped and placed in my friend’s wine café in Fletcher, North Carolina.

In addition to Hunni Hound Books, I heard you’ve had some recent career developments into the publishing world. Tell us more!

I’ve always wanted to be in publishing. Working with Bookshop, I spent a lot of time curating books and thought I had a knack for connecting books and readers. I felt like I was getting better at knowing what makes a book great. I’ve been applying for lots of publishing gigs, but being a mom that’s 49, it’s not an easy thing to do. I came across a post on LinkedIn from Jackie Garcia Morales. She was just starting out as an agent at Storm Literary and was looking for a very part-time assistant so I immediately messaged her. She told me later she felt like I had the most authentic message and as soon as we talked, we completely clicked. So now I am assisting with marketing her upcoming middle grade novel! I’m actually going to be interviewing her for MixedUpFiles to talk more about it. She’s been amazing and incredibly supportive.

Seeing both sides of the publishing world now, what kind of unique insight can you share with other writers that has made your (and might make their) journey easier?

Jackie is so incredibly down to earth. It’s been fun being able to sit and talk to her. She’s also a writer herself and went through the same thing all of us are going through. She writes, she queries, she’s had rejections. She finally landed her dream agent and now she’s going through the next step in the process. I think learning to be patient and know that agents are just people like us. They want the best for us. They’ve been there. I also think I’ve become more connected with just writing. Of course I wanna get an agent. I want to be published, but Jackie helped me remember why I love it and why it’s so important for all of us to keep going. Besides that, we had lunch the other day and it’s fun chatting with her about the publishing industry and the ins and outs of what we’re writing and things that seem to be striking a cord with editors.

You spent 15 years as a teacher. In what ways does that experience influence your writing and publishing career?

Organization! I’m learning that organization is incredibly important. Part of my work with Jackie has been developing a database with all of the various blogs and magazines and podcasts to help her promote her book. I’ve had a lot of fun digging through that and learning the ins and outs of Google sheets. It sounds so ridiculous but it’s helping me with order and structure in my writing. Also time management. I’m having to make sure I have time for Jackie, which in turn forces me to really make sure I have time daily to write.

Let’s talk about your 2025 middle grade novel, The Sorrows of Hattie Springs. Give readers a quick pitch.

When twelve-year-old Maggie is forced into a grief support group after the death of her mother, the last thing she expects is to discover a hidden portal to Effugium—a magical realm where talking animals, fairies, witches, and the spirits of storytellers have long sought refuge from heartbreak. 

But Effugium is in danger. 

To save both Effugium and their own world, they’ll have to face their deepest losses—and help Maggie finally let her mother go.

What a powerful story! I love meeting other writers who touch on tougher yet very real subjects, like loss. What inspired you to write about grief and why do you think these stories are important for kids to read? 

I started writing the book when my mother had dementia. As I was writing it, she passed away. So, it was a very personal book. I thought about my own kids and what I wanted to give them in the process. I wanted to teach them that it was important that they faced the hard things. In the middle of all of that, I had to have open-heart surgery so I was facing not only the death of my mom, but my own mortality, and this book was the way that I was able to speak to my kids and tell them that everything was going to be OK.

Wow! That’s an intense experience to write through. What did you want readers to walk away with after reading The Sorrows of Hattie Springs? 

Life is hard. We have to face our battles head on. We can be afraid but we can be brave. And once we take that first step, things start to get better.

Well you definitely embodied that bravery while writing your novel. I wonder, the characters in your story discover strength in one another, who in your life do you find strength with?

My husband, Rob. He’s an absolute saint. He carried me through that heart surgery. He’s helping me raise four kids, two of them toddlers. He’s a special ed teacher who has a way with kids. They call him the kid whisperer. There’s no way I would survive this life without him.

Just for fun, since Hunni Hound vending machines have found homes in coffee shops– do you have a favorite cafe drink you enjoy? 

Absolutely! I’ve become obsessed with S’mores lattes and when they’re out of season, they have a special way to still make them just for me. 

Oh, I’ll have to snag your secret recipe! Okay, last one. What is lighting you up creatively right now? What’s next for you? 

My kids are completely my inspiration. I have two toddlers 18 months apart named Daisy and Walden. I have a 13-year-old daughter who’s vastly cooler than I was at that age named Charlie Hill and a son who I’m so proud of who’s starting at Fashion Institute of Technology this fall. They are the bravest, most creative kids I’ve ever met! I’m currently working on a YA horror and a romance book. Romance is everywhere these days and I absolutely have an inspiring romance with Rob so I figured I should probably write about it.

Thank you Megan. It was lovely getting to know you.

Learn more about Megan Hunnicutt on her website or follow her and Hunni Hound Books on Instagram at @meganmhunnicutt and @hunnihoundbooks. Read a sample chapter of The Sorrows of Hattie Springs (2025) and purchase this brave tale on Amazon today!

The post Bringing Books & People Together: A MUF Member Spotlight on Megan Hunnicutt of Hunni Hound Books appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

McCall Hoyle is a best-selling and award-winning author and a former teacher and librarian. She visits dozens of schools each year, championing students, reading, and writing, and speaks regularly at conferences such as ALA and NCTE. She has an English degree from Columbia College and a master’s degree in secondary English from Georgia State University. She lives in a cottage in the woods in North Georgia where she reads and writes every day.

All About the Book!

Perfect for fans of Because of Winn-Dixie and Homeward Bound—a moving adventure full of courage, resilience, and the unbreakable bond between dogs and their humans.

Nando may have started life as the runt of the litter, but he’s grown into a loyal, hardworking border collie that takes his job—and his family—seriously. He believes that the only way to keep his place on the farm and in the heart of his human, Esperanza, is to maintain perfection in all his responsibilities—and nothing less.

But when a tropical storm turns the creek by the farm into a raging river and scatters Cloe, Nando’s favorite young human; Stella, a friendly beagle; Oscar, the farm’s annoying cat; and Nando himself, Nando learns the hard truth: He can’t control everything.

Stranded far from home, Nando is rescued by Levi, a boy with a brave heart and a gift for seeing good in others, who was also displaced by the storm. Nando and Levi are both trying to get back home, but when Levi leashes Nando, he leaves the independent herding dog with little choice but to stick with him. As they face rising waters, dangerous terrain, and the uncertainty of finding their way back, Levi offers Nando courage, friendship, and love, teaching Nando that he doesn’t have to be perfect to be loved and accepted.

Interview with McCall Hoyle

Sydney: Welcome, McCall! Congratulations on the release of your beautiful new novel! Nando (8/4/26) is such a wonderful addition to your Best Friends Dog Tales series. Congratulations too that Nando has been selected as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection. Can you tell us a little background about what inspired this and your other books?

McCall: If I’m being completely transparent, the original inspiration for Nando came from all of the students I have visited on school visits over the last several years. For anyone not familiar with The Best Friend Dog Tales, each book is completely stand alone and told from a new dog’s point of view. But some of the dogs make appearances in multiple books. Stella, the book that really kicked off my career as a middle grade author is about a scent detection beagle turned seizure alert dog. There are two other dogs in her book–Gus, a Great Pyrenees, and Nando, a border collie. Soon after Gus got a book of his own, young readers started asking when Nando would get his book.

I would always explain that my books are about flawed characters going on emotional journeys and growing and changing as a result of those journeys. I would then explain to kids that I would never write a book about Nando because in my mind he was already fully developed and completely evolved. He already had his human, Esperanza. He was already fast, healthy, well-behaved. He even had an important job, herding the sheep on the farm. In a nutshell, Nando was too perfect.

But one day on a long walk in the woods without any dogs or technology to distract me, I was contemplating the weather and a recent series of tropical storms and flash flooding, and it dawned on me that Nando and I weren’t all that different and that when we were in our comfort zones, we performed at very high levels. But if we were ripped out of those comfort zones and thrown into situations that we couldn’t control, all bets would be off.

That’s really where the emotion and the plot of Nando’s story were born—on a long walk in the woods while contemplating the weather. But the true inspiration for the book came from the kids who kept arguing that Nando “deserved” a book too.

Craft

Sydney: In your note to the reader, you state: “As a mom, teacher, and human who frequently exhausts herself trying to keep all her flocks safe and moving in the right direction, the themes of trust, control, and difficult choices resonate on a deep level.” You do such a great job of revealing these themes in the story.  Please share any thoughts you have on how you managed to incorporate these ideas so seamlessly. What was your biggest challenge in writing this story?

McCall: I can’t remember where I first heard the idea that readers read fiction because they want to feel something, but it’s always stuck with me. I believe that most of us want to laugh, cry, and sometimes, even gasp in fear when we lose ourselves in a good book. I think it’s those big emotions that keep us turning pages.

Honestly, it’s also those big emotions that make me want to write fiction, which is why when I sit down to write, I generally start with a character and a feeling then build the plot and everything else around the character’s emotional journey. As a creative and empathetic person who frequently wears her emotions on her sleeve, it’s pretty easy for me to channel those emotions into my writing as long as I’m willing to be honest and vulnerable and not hold back on my true feelings.

The tricky part for me is that most of my books are told from a dog’s point of view. As an amateur dog trainer and an avid dog enthusiast, it’s really important to me to anthropomorphize as little as possible. Thankfully, I have spent hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours in dog training classes and studying dog cognition and more. But it’s still always the hardest part of every dog book for me—finding the balance between writing in a dog’s point of view and navigating the story journey in a way that would be most believable for a dog. So for example, much of the imagery in my dog books is scent based.

Another tricky part is finding the dog’s voice. What helps me with that is really understanding the breed of the dog and the fictional dog’s backstory. Every dog is a unique individual, but there are often patterns of similar behaviors that apply to particular breeds. For Nando, I really leaned into the go-go-go, controlling, herding dog traits.

Voice

Sydney: You describe the natural world and Nando’s perspective so vividly through all the senses. Your writing is beautiful and lyrical. What advice do you have to new writers as they strive to find their voices?

McCall: Voice is tricky to define but easy to recognize, right? Obviously, reading a lot helps and reading in the genre and age range that you want to write is helpful. Spending time with and listening to people in the age range you intend to write is helpful.

But honestly, I think volume and experimentation are probably the two most important criteria. I started out writing young adult fiction and even published a couple of sweet, young adult romances. A lot of the early editorial feedback that I received on my young adult work was that my protagonists sounded a bit whiny. When I transitioned to middle grade, I had to be careful because my human protagonists frequently sounded more like fourteen or fifteen-year-olds, probably because I spent so many years teaching eighth grade language arts and high school English. Interestingly, the dog voice that came to me for Stella just poured out of me. It was definitely the most authentic and natural voice I’d ever tried.

I never would have recognized the difference if I hadn’t written a wide variety of manuscripts for a wide range of audiences in a wide variety of POVs.

Characters

Sydney: Along with Nando, the book includes many other memorable characters. Do you have a favorite secondary character? Who and why?

McCall: Oh that’s really hard, I’m torn between Oscar, the orange tabby cat, and Levi, the twelve-year-old boy. But I think it has to be Levi. I can so relate to his strong desire to do the right thing, follow the rules, please everyone, and most of all, his overwhelming desire for a dog of his own.

Story Arcs

Sydney: With its exciting, fast-paced content and emotional resonance, this book is sure to be a hit with young readers. Can you share thoughts on how you managed to balance the emotional and physical story arcs so effectively?

McCall: I’m a planner, which I know we’ll talk about later. And I don’t just plan the plot. I also plan the main character’s emotional arc—how he or she will evolve gradually throughout the story based on her interactions and encounters throughout the story. That way I hope I don’t end up with one of those unsatisfying endings where the main character comes to some surprisingly convenient or unbelievable realization.

I don’t know that planning is always the ideal way to draft. I have some genius writer friends, who write completely from the seats of their pants, but planning works for me. It keeps me from wandering down too many side roads that might not directly advance the plot or the character’s development and hopefully keeps things moving in the right direction.

Takeaways

Sydney: What do you hope readers take away from this story?

McCall: Mostly, I want young readers to get so wrapped up in Nando and Levi’s adventure to survive the tropical storm that threw them together in the first place that they lose track of time and keep turning pages. But on a deeper, more thematic level, I want kids to recognize that just like Nando they deserve to be loved unconditionally, that they deserve to be loved right where they are, right how they are, and that true love is not transactional, it’s unconditional.

Process

Sydney: Will you tell us a little about your writing process? Are you a plotter or pantser? Where/when do you prefer to write?

McCall: My writing process continues to evolve. I started writing with the goal of publication about fifteen years ago as a pantser. That resulted in a bunch of incomplete manuscripts.

Then like so many published authors, I discovered Save the Cat by Blake Snyder, which helped me understand plot structure beyond what I already knew as an English teacher. I started attending conferences, taking classes, and reading everything that was recommended to me on the craft of writing. That learning led to my first finished manuscript. Then for several years and several published books, I didn’t start writing the first word until I had fully planned the most important plot and emotional beats of my story.

Since then, I’ve learned to trust the process a bit more. I will start writing now once I have a grasp on the main character, the emotional growth I want her to experience, and a rough idea of where she will start and end. I can do a lot more of the planning in my head now that I have internalized a lot of the learning of the past fifteen years.

Now, I frequently pause to plan along the way. And I continue to read craft books and learn as I go. One of the things that I tell students on school visits that I love most about writing is that I can continue to learn and grow and write for the rest of my life. There is no expiration date on reading and writing, like there would be if I wanted to play soccer at a high level after the age of forty. Don’t worry. I have no aspirations of playing any sport for anything more than fun right now.

Influences

Sydney: What are some current books that have influenced you as a kidlit writer?

McCall: Again, it’s so hard to pick just one. But I vividly remember calling my agent, who represented my young adult work at the time, when I turned the last page of Wish by Barbara O’Connor and saying, “This! I want to write something like this.” I may have had the book clutched to my chest as I spoke. To me that book has the perfect combination of heart, friendship, meaty themes, and of course, a beagle! As I transitioned from writing for teens, I found myself repeatedly drawn to nonhuman POV books like The One and Only Ivan, Pax, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Stay, and so many others. I just read and loved The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga and loved it. Nonhuman POVs engage me on a different level somehow. Maybe it’s because many of my best friends have been animals.

Other Works

Sydney: Can you give us some insights into what you’ll be working on next?

McCall: Absolutely! I’m very excited about my first picture book, Oscar the Cat Finds a Home, which releases March 2, 2027. Young readers and their librarians and parents frequently ask me if I’m strictly a dog person, and I’m not! I’m an animal person with a special affinity for dogs, cats, and horses.

Oscar’s comical but heartfelt story about a cat searching for a home and finally finding it in the one place he never thought to look will be my physical proof that I love cats too. And Kristen Humphrey’s illustrations are divine. I cannot wait to share this book with younger readers.

I’m also super excited about my first dual POV middle grade title: Monty, the Marvelous Mule of Jot ‘Em Down, coming fall 2027. It’s told in the alternating points of view of a girl, who finds her horse-show dreams out of reach when her family loses everything and ends up living in a rundown pet motel, and a down-on-its-luck mule that refuses to give up on her. This book is a return to the horse-girl roots of my youth. Writing it is bringing me great joy. I think readers are going to love Monty. Apologies in advance to the parents whose children start asking for riding lessons or for a mule of their own.

And for the lightning round:

Coffee or tea? Royal English Breakfast or Earl Grey, all the way!

Sunrise or sunset? Sunset.

Favorite place to travel: So hard! I think I’ll stick with the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Favorite dessert: Does a Butterfinger Blizzard count? Let’s say, yes—a Butterfinger Blizzard with extra Butterfinger pieces.

Superpower: Sentence diagramming! I’m a super proud, super nerdy former high school English teacher…

Favorite music: Birds singing outside my window or 80’s and 90’s classic rock.

Favorite book from childhood:  Just one? Anything with a horse, a dog, or a mystery, but if you’re really going to press me Charlotte’s Web.

Thanks again, McCall! It was so much fun to learn about you, your writing journey, and your amazing novel! Learn more about McCall on her website and follow her on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky.

The post Author Spotlight: McCall Hoyle appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

In GHOST IN THE NIGHT, Jackson transports readers to Savannah, famously known as America’s Most Haunted City, where twelve-year-old Harmony’s fascination with ghosts turns chilling as she’s pulled into a missing-persons case that will expose deadly secrets.

Harmony arrives in Savannah, GA for the summer with her musician father while still dealing with the unresolved emotions around her grandmother’s passing. As they travel from city to city, Harmony insists on one non- negotiable activity everywhere they go: a ghost tour. Desperate to prove that ghosts are real, she hopes evidence of the supernatural will mean her loved ones are never truly gone.

But when the ghost tour in Savannah leads Harmony and her new friends into a dangerous mystery, what begins as a search for spirits quickly becomes something more sinister. The suspicious death of a beloved pillar of Savannah’s Black community, coupled with the disappearance of a young Black boy has everyone on edge. As Harmony digs deeper, she uncovers a tangled web of lies and dark secrets that someone is willing to kill over to keep hidden.

Packed with Jackson’s signature suspenseful storytelling and fast-paced prose, GHOST IN THE NIGHT thoughtfully
explores Savannah’s rich Black history, underscoring everything that unfolds and propels Harmony directly to the center
of the mystery…and the danger.

I’ve been on a few ghost tours in the south, and I never grow tired of them. There’s something about the atmosphere and the history! What drew you to include these ghost tours as an inspiration for Ghost in the Night?

TJ: It’s one of my favorite things to do when I visit new cities. Ghost tours give a gritty realistic background. As I always like to say, you can learn a lot from the dead.  

The ghost-hunting tools you mention are top notch!  What kind of research did you do for Ghost in the Night and ghosthunting?

TJ: I went down to Savannah for a week to meet with some experts and do additional ghost tours. I had some pretty spooky/creepy moments. The things I do to write a good book!

I always appreciate it when middle graders are active in solving problems! Tell us a little about Harmony, the main character, and her desires to solve multiple problems in Ghost in the Night?

TJ: Isn’t it fun watching kids solve the world’s problems? They have such a raw unfiltered view, that gives them a clear picture on what they should be looking  for. They’re always eager for information and facts, which makes them a wealth of knowledge.

In your author’s note you mention that you experienced a haunting! Maybe you want to save that story for another time, but I think our readers would love just a couple of details…

TJ: I was in a haunted bar, learning about ghost hunting equipment and while I was chatting, my EMF reader went missing right in front of me. We later found it downstairs. We have no idea how it got there. 

What would you say is the easiest part and the hardest part of writing a mystery?

TJ: The easiest part is coming up with the pitch! The hardest part is landing the pitch, making it believable and satisfying for readers of all ages. 

What are some of your favorite middle grade novels and why do you like them so much? 

TJ: Wait Till Helen Comes was one of my all time favorite books! Of course anything RL Stine wrote. More recently, I really loved the Track Series by Jason Reynolds and The Last Resort Erin Entrada Kelly. 

Now that this book is out in the world, what are some next steps for you? 

TJ: Coming up with the next book, taking time to interact with readers, maybe read a book just for fun.  

Is there anything else you want to share about Ghost in the Night for our audience of teachers, librarians, and middle grade authors? 

TJ: Even though it says “Ghost” in the title, don’t be fooled. This is definitely a mystery (with a little spooky on the side). 

The post Author Interview – Tiffany D. Jackson – Ghosts in the Night appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Coding, Computers, AI, the history of technology, and more — you’ll find it all in the pages of the books below.

The Woman in the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Helped Fly the First Astronauts to the Moon written by Richard Maurer (2023) is the life story of Margaret Hamilton, mathematician and engineer, who worked on the code that ensured the success of Project Apollo. This book includes numerous pictures and descriptions that provide a window into the events of the 1950s and 60s and acknowledges some of the overlooked contributors that helped send the first astronauts to the Moon.

Everything You Need to Ace Computer Science and Coding in One Big Fat Notebook: The Complete Middle School Study Guide – Workman Publishing, written by Grant Smith (2020) is another book from the educational series, Brain Quest. Part of their Big Fat Notebook series, the book is premised on the idea that it is the smartest student’s notes from class and the reader borrows them. The authors cover everything from web development and cyber security to binary code and computational thinking.

Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World written by Jennifer Swanson and Dylan Thuras and illustrated by Ruby Fresson (2025) takes readers on a journey through time to explore 50 major inventions and scientific discoveries. They book is filled with diagrams and fun illustrations. Specific to the creation of computers and AI, it examines how clockwork automatons build up to modern digital language, artificial intelligence, binary numbers, cryptography, and quantum computers.

Mind vs Machine: Shaping Tomorrow’s Smart Tech with AI by Madeline Tyler and illustrated by Martyn Cain (2026) provides middle grade readers with the foundation of AI: the origin story, growth, and applications today. Shared in graphic style with straightforward vocabulary interspersed with humor, the emphasis is on the positive contributions AI is making and will continue to bring to our world.

The History of the Computer: People, Inventions, and Technology that Changed Our World by Rachel Ignotofsky (2022) is an information-packed journey through technological time, spanning ancient civilizations through current times. The text and illustrations do a masterful job of capturing technological developments, influential people, ideas, era, inventions, and place.  

See Inside Artificial Intelligence, by Alex Frith, Victoria Williams and illustrated by Beatrix Hatcher (2025) is a See Inside book from Usborne. Through colorful illustrations and engaging text, the authors share what AI can do, how it does it, and what it can’t do. Readers lift flaps and work through mazes and other activities as they gain insight into Ai’s capabilities.

You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It’s Making the World a Weirder Place by Janelle Shane (2019) explores how computers learn from data and examples, make decisions and mistakes, and the difference between human and artificial intelligence. Readers will enjoy the book’s humorous and accessible insight into how machines learn, fail, and adapt.

Dorothy Vaughan: NASA’s Leading Human Computer by J. Deirdra R. Head (2020) shares the story of mathematician Dorothy Vaughan, NASA’s first African American woman to lead a team at the Langley Research Center. She began as a math teacher and became an aerospace pioneer, contributing greatly to the United States space program. The book is part of the “Movers, Shakers And History Makers” series, showcasing famous individuals who made significant contributions to society and advancement in their fields.

AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor (2024) explores: how AI works; AI uses and risks; AI capabilities and limitations; and how to evaluate AI claims. It can support readers to make informed decisions about AI usage.  

Future Tense: How We Made Artificial Intelligence—and How It Will Change Everything by Martha Brockenbrough (2024) introduces AI, its origins, development, uses, capabilities, limitations, and the role of humans in shaping the future of AI. This book may appeal to readers who have questions about AI’s role in society and ethical development.

Alan Turing (A Life Story) by Joanna Nadin (2020) is part of the biographical “A Life Story” series. It’s the story of Alan Turing, a code-cracking genius. The book includes black and white illustrations and provides an overview of his life and ideas, with quizzes to keep the reader engaged and learning. It’s a quick, gripping read about a British mathematician and computer scientist who broke German coding during World War II and whose ideas contributed to the computer and AI today.

Computer Science for Curious Kids: An Illustrated Introduction to Software Programming, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber-Security―and More! written by Chris Oxlade and Nik Neves (2023) is full of detailed illustrations. It provides explanations that showcase the history of significant developments and key figures in the history of computer science, programming and coding, and how computers impact everyday life.

Science Comics: Computers: How Digital Hardware Works by Perry E. Metzger and Penelope Spector and illustrated by Jerel Dye (2024) explains what computers are and how they work. A professor, a Victorian era computer expert, and a dinosaur take the reader on a humorous journey through computer technology revealing the human creation of the computer. They explain the way a computer works as a non-magical, scientific tool that is useful for children and adults.

Bev Schellenberg is an author (A Prince Among Dragons; A Princess Among Dragons), as well as a writer of creative nonfiction, poetry, and picture books. She’s an advocate of STEM who was a science fair national winner and high school robotics club sponsor, and passionate about young people discovering, following the passion inside them and flourishing. She’s taught grades kindergarten to grade 12 and is currently an academic advisor, careers teacher, and armchair futurist. Learn more about Bev at BevSchellenberg.com.

Carolyn Pfister is a STEM Content Developer, writer/illustrator, and coordinator of the California Early Math Project. She is interested in encouraging family and community STEM opportunities and maintaining children’s early love and success with math and science. Carolyn writes a monthly Substack on behalf of the California Early Math Project – https://carolynpfister.substack.com/. Learn more about Carolyn at Carolynpfister.com

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Ghost in the Night by Tiffany D. Jackson 

From mega-bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson comes this highly anticipated follow-up to her Edgar Award-winning, instant middle-grade bestseller Blood in the Water.

Ghost in the Night is another spine-tingling, can’t-put-it-down murder mystery, this time set in America’s Most Haunted City.

Savannah, Georgia, with its mossy trees and ornate old homes, is a place rich in history…and ghosts. Ghosts are what pique Harmony Roundtree’s interest. Still reeling from her losses back home, Harmony wants to believe in ghost stories…but isn’t sure what’s real. When she goes on one of the many ghost tours around town, she takes a photo of what might be a ghost. Or is it a hoax?

With two new friends, Harmony sets out to investigate… and stumbles upon clues leading to an unsolved murder. The deeper she digs, the more Harmony realizes that what she saw on the ghost tour might be connected to a shocking crime. But making connections can be dangerous–even more dangerous than ghosts.

New York Times bestselling author Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another action-packed mystery full of surprises and secrets that will give readers goosebumps.

Level Up by Daka Hermon

From the author of Hide and Seeker comes a new thriller where an iconic childhood game turns creepy.

Keenan is used to running. He loves it. He is good at it. He is a track star, after all. Now he and his mother are escaping his father, trying to start a new life in Tennessee.

But he has never been on the run like this before. This new town has monsters of its own. The students in his school seem to be under some sort of trance, and Keenan is the only one who isn’t affected. Which means he is the only one who can do anything about it.

It’s time for Keenan to stop running and face his fears.

He cannot let the monsters win.

The Third Period Comeback by E.K. Johnston

New York Times bestseller E. K. Johnston’s middle-grade debut is an utterly charming, witty, and gloriously inclusive magic-tinged caper in the Canadian wilderness.

Hayley Rilko was born to play hockey—and cursed to ruin whatever team she plays for. As long as she’s still a kid, the curse’s magic doesn’t stick, but everyone knows her time is running out. The two things Hayley has on her side are her family–four generations of it, all carrying the same curse she does–and one last summer vacation in the Ontario Northwoods, where her great grandfather disappeared and the curse began.

As the clock runs down and the magical mysteries pile up, Hayley realizes that just following the evidence isn’t going to be enough. She’s going to have to talk to someone who has the information she needs—even if it means raising the dead. With her cousins on her team, Hayley sets out to do what no one else has been able to: find her great grandfather’s body and break the curse, no matter what it takes.

Who Circled the Globe in Seventy-Two Days? Nellie Bly:  A Who HQ Graphic Novel By Melanie Gillman (Author), Rebecca Mock (Illustrated by)

Follow trailblazing journalist Nellie Bly on a record-breaking trip around the world in this exciting graphic novel about one of America’s first female investigative reporters.

Presenting Who HQ Graphic Novels: an exciting addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Who Was? series!

Discover how Nellie Bly made headlines in 1889 with one of her most iconic and sensational stunts—a world record–setting race around the globe. A story of daring, adventure, and pushing boundaries, this graphic novel highlights how Nellie Bly challenged traditional gender norms and helped pave the way for women in journalism. Atmospheric full-color illustrations bring this sharp narrative to life, immersing readers in Nellie’s globe-trotting exploits.

The Invisibles by Holly Kowitt

For fans of The Breakfast Club who wished every member was a nerd, this new middle grade novel stars a totally uncool boy who gets adopted by a group of other uncool kids in a bid to take over their school.

Jimmy Stern can’t catch a break.

As the new kid at school, he just wants to keep his head down and read his favorite Weird Walt comics. But when he accidentally drops Kyle Scott’s phone in the toilet, his social status goes down the drain. Being targeted by the most popular guy in school sucks.

Or, at least, it did suck, until Jimmy receives a note from a mysterious group of students called The Invisibles. Social outcasts like himself, The Invisibles have a plan: elect Jimmy as Art Week Secretary and stop Kyle’s favorite actor, Bayleigh White, from visiting their school. Jimmy quickly agrees, realizing that he can ask Weird Walt to do the Art Week visit instead.

But as campaign tactics spiral out of control, Jimmy will have to decide what he’s willing to do to get even. Smart, fast-paced, and laugh out loud funny, this is a must read for any kid (or adult) who has felt uncool.

Little Monsters by Máire Roche

In this modern supernatural middle grade retelling of the beloved classic Little Women, the March sisters have a monstrous secret Meg will do anything to protect—especially with another beast lurking in the woods threatening to expose them.

Meg March and her three sisters are monsters. No, really. Meg has teeth that are a little too sharp. Jo gets furry under the full moon. Beth goes night flying on wings that are impossible to hide under her sweaters. And Amy? Well, don’t let her near a body of water or she’ll start sprouting her mermaid’s tail.

Meg is sure their foster mom, Marmee, wouldn’t like any of this if she knew. And Jo’s best friend Laurie, the nice boy next door, would run screaming. To make matters worse, Meg’s small town outside of Salem is on edge. A vicious beast has been spotted in the forest, and Farmer Bhaer believes it’s responsible for his missing chickens. Meg is sure to be blamed if anyone realizes she’s a monster in disguise. And the closer it gets to Halloween, the surer the town is that something evil is hiding in the forest.

Meg doesn’t always remember what she gets up to at night, and sometimes, she wakes alone in a mossy part of the forest and has to find her way back. With John Brooke determined to find out just what Meg is hiding and locals working to uncover the monsters in their midst, Meg must find the culprit herself—or risk losing the little home she’s found with her sisters.

No Place on Earth by Andrea Beatriz Arango 

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. 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.

Secrets at Sparhawk Point by Anna Rose Johnson

To draw tourists to their declining coastal town, a group of children claim to have seen a mythic creature from Ojibwe legend, the storm-monster Mishipeshu. But when their plan backfires, they’ll need to convince everyone the beast is only make-believe. But. . . what if it isn’t?

1943. Sparhawk Point, Michigan may be a small town, but it’s home. For the Swedish Ahlstrom girls, it’s the only place they’ve ever known—a place they may have to leave if their father’s church can’t find more parishioners. The Ojibwe Robicheaux boys are struggling, too: their father is off at war, and a lack of tourists means no income from their two rental cottages. These kids can’t bear the thought of leaving. . . so they’ll have to make new residents come to them, and fast.

After spotting an unknown object in the water, they find their solution. Drawing on inspiration from Ojibwe stories of the mysterious Mishipeshu—the riser of storms on Lake Superior—the children spread stories of their very own “American Loch Ness monster” to bring curious visitors to their shores. But their plan works too well! People become afraid to visit. To save their families, they’ll need to convince everyone that the creature isn’t real. . . even if that may prove to be their biggest lie yet.

Secrets at Sparhawk Point is a timeless summer adventure from acclaimed Ojibwe voice Anna Rose Johnson, whose first two books—The Star that Always Stays and The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry—have received an avalanche of awards, nominations, and media spots. This is another flawless, insightful, and glowing novel that marries a Native American perspective with myth, history, and a classic storytelling voice.

See anything you like? Let us know in the comments.

The post August New Releases appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Significant Changes to Note

While agents still may not charge a client for editorial work done to prepare a manuscript for submission, other avenues of generating revenue have opened up. As reported by medium.com, agents can now “offer clients paid services, such as marketing, publicity, web design, and, in some circumstances, editorial services, as long as representation is not contingent on purchasing those services.”

A significant change to the Canon, while not encouraging agents to act as publishers, allows agents to enter into publishing agreements with clients if consent is given. As rationale for this change, AALA states the following:

“As self-publishing and hybrid publishing continue to gain popularity and traction, and both indie and mainstream publishers find new ways to collaborate with agents, AALA members are more often being asked to help clients get their work published in non-traditional ways.” 

What do these changes mean for authors?

Industry expert Jane Friedman discusses catalysts for these changes and concerns she has about their implementation in her July 29 post, “Agent Business Models May Be Shifting: What I Fear Will Happen.”  

Friedman acknowledges that the agents are under pressure. The field has exploded in growth, with more people “taking up agenting as a side gig” and many industry professionals taking on agenting roles. As a result, editors are overwhelmed with submissions, and response times are lagging. The shifting landscape has made agenting an often financially unstable endeavor.

However, changes to AALA’s Canon of Ethics raise concerns for Friedman, including referral fees, potential conflicts of interest, subtle pressure tactics, and a “power imbalance in the author-agent relationship.” Her detailed article, linked above, is thorough and offers specific advice to authors before they sign any contracts.

The post The Shifting Landscape of Literary Agents appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Rodeo Hawkins and her ragtag gang of interdimensional outlaws may have saved the multiverse. . . but when a vengeful enemy’s plans spell disaster for this group of unlikely heroes, who’s going to save them?

Get ready for more mayhem!

In his old life, Sidney was pursued by interdimensional assassins, had “DORK” written on his forehead (twice!), and was magically erased from the memories of his only friend, Walt. But that was before he joined legendary outlaw Rodeo Hawkins as a member of her ragtag gang, The Daughters of Mayhem. Things were starting to look up!

Unfortunately, legendary outlaws have a way of making enemies. And Rodeo Hawkins has tons scattered across the multiverse. When an old nemesis locates Walt and uses him as bait, Sidney faces a terrible choice: saving his old best friend who’s forgotten him or helping his new best friends who’ve become his only family.

This isn’t Sidney Poblocki’s first rodeo, but it might be his last in this sequel to Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem!

Interview with John Claude Bemis

LJ: Congratulations on book 2! We loved speaking with you about book 1. This installment promises more dangerous and wacky exploits for Sidney Poblocki and Rodeo Hawkins and I know young readers will love it. And thank you so much for being with us today.

JCB: Thank you, I’m happy to be here.

LJ: I’m curious – how did you approach expanding the world you created in book 1 without overwhelming new readers who might be jumping in at book 2?

JCB: It’s tricky striking that balance in a sequel. You want to make sure brand new readers aren’t confused. But you don’t want fans of the first book to feel impatient with the recap. I wrote the opening of Sons of Disaster as if the reader knows (or remembers) nothing about the first book. I get the action started right away and simply weave in essential introductions into the scenes with as much excitement as possible.

Character Growth and Challenges

LJ: Without giving too much away, how are you challenging Sidney Poblocki and Rodeo Hawkins differently in this installment compared to the first?

JCB: In the first book, Sidney and Rodeo go from being strangers to buds. In the latest book, their friendship gets challenged, as friendships often do. But it makes it especially hard when Sidney’s friend is an interdimensional mischief maker. Rodeo can be A LOT sometimes—in a fun and hilarious way!

To make matters worse, Sidney’s best bud from his old life, Walt, has joined the Sons of Disaster, an army of tween boys bent on destroying Rodeo and the Daughters of Mayhem. So Sidney is torn between his loyalty to his old best friend and his new friends who are like family to him now.

LJ: Are there any characters who took unexpected turns in their journey that surprised even you during the writing process?

JCB: Rodeo continues to surprise me. She can be such a bad friend at times—and such a caring friend at other times. I’m always shocked at how complicated she can be. But that’s what’s fun working with a trickster figure like her.

The Power of Illustration

LJ: Seeing your story come to live through Nicole Miles’ illustration must have been very satisfying. Which were your favorite panels?

JCB: Yes, enormously satisfying! I particularly love the panels where Nicole captures the intense emotions with the expressions of the characters. She makes their reactions to all the mayhem they’re experiencing both hilarious and heartfelt.

LJ: This series marks your first graphic novels. How do you balance leaving room for the illustrator’s interpretation while maintaining the essential parts of the narrative?

JCB: It’s a fun process. I have to write much more “cinematically”—visualizing in my head how the story might be shown, and writing a script to help Nicole visualize her own possibilities for delivering the flow of the story.

I wanted to give Nicole as much room as I could to be a co-storyteller, so that she got to make as many of her own creative choices as possible and not just conform to the vision I had in my head. And it’s been amazing to see what she creates! She’s so talented.

The Joy of Creating

LJ: You’ve published many books for kids at this point. What makes this book and this series special to you?

JCB: This series is much more comedic than the fantasy novels I’ve written in the past. I’ve always enjoyed inserting humor into exciting stories, but this is the first series where the laughs are forefront. I’ve leaned how to craft jokes and visual gags and punchlines—all while keeping the story full of magical wonder and thrilling action. There’s definitely room for more adventures ahead with this cast of wacky characters and this weird world of the Daughters of Mayhem. In fact, I’m working on the third book at the moment.

LJ: Beyond this series, what other projects excite you right now?

JCB: Teaching is such a creative outlet for me—whether leading writing workshops with kids in schools or leading writing retreats for adults in France and the Blue Ridge Mountains. I get excited helping other writers grow their skills and chase their dreams.

LJ: Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us today, John! And since no MUF interview is complete without a lightning round…

Lightning Round

Coffee or tea?

JCB: Tea first, then coffee. I have to ease into caffeination.

Sunrise or sunset?

JCB: Sunrise—since it’s rare I see one.

Favorite book from childhood:

JCB: The Hobbit

If you could choose a superpower, what would it be?

JCB: Flying

If you could invite any fictional character from any universe to dinner, who would it be?

JCB: I’d have over Merry and Pippin from Lord of the Rings. It would be a raucous dinner!

About the Author and Illustrator

John Claude Bemis is the award-winning author of six middle-grade novels, a picture book, and the forthcoming Rodeo Hawkins graphic novel series. A former elementary school teacher, John earned his Master’s of Education in Literacy from UNC Chapel Hill and taught fourth and fifth grades for thirteen years. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award from UNC-Chapel Hill for his work as an author-presenter in schools and served as North Carolina’s Piedmont Laureate for Children’s Literature, promoting literacy and the literary arts. A popular instructor and inspiring guide to writers of all ages—kids, teens, and adults— he teaches creative writing workshops and leads retreats around the world. Beyond the creative expression of writing, John is also a sculptural mask-maker, a songwriter, and musician. He lives with his wife and daughter in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Nicole Miles is from The Bahamas, but now lives in West Yorkshire (UK) with her pet snake and human husband. After five and a half years working at Hallmark Cards UK, she jumped into full-time freelance illustration in January of 2020, and has since worked with a variety of clients in editorial, publishing, and even animation. Her first published short comic Barbara (ShortBox) was nominated for an Eisner award. She is represented for books by Chad at The CAT Agency. For all other inquiries, she can be contacted by email at hello@nicolemillo.com

The post Author Spotlight: John Claude Bemis appeared first on From The Mixed Up Files.

Today we shine the Mixed-Up Files spotlight on Rebecca Mock, author and illustrator of the debut middle grade graphic novel Dare You To Dance. Hailed by Publishers Weekly as an “eloquent and movement-filled portrait of ambition and self-discovery,” the book is available now from Random House Children’s Books.

MR: Congratulations on the publication of Dare You to Dance, Rebecca! I danced as a kid and was a dance mom (my daughter, Chloe, studied ballet for eighteen years), so I read your book with great interest.

RM: I’m both honored and impressed! Hopefully to you and Chloe, the ballet details rang true. Or, if they didn’t, I hope it was fun to read anyway.

Dare you to Dance: The Inspiration

MR: Can you tell readers a bit about the book? 

RM: Dare You to Dance is about a summer intensive program in NYC, where we meet Gracie, a talented ballet dancer in her tweens who’s immediately swept into the drama and pressure of serious youth ballet—and has to decide whether to concede that she just doesn’t belong or forge a path for herself! It’s about the love of art as well as many other things. I really hoped to make a fun ensemble cast of characters, all of whom have their own journeys, humor, and fun moments. I pitched the book as “over-the-top!”—I wanted to draw something super high-energy! And what better than ballet?

Friendship Versus Rivalry

MR: Your plucky protagonist, Gracie, is looking for a rival to up her dance game. Sariah, the best dancer in the program, is more interested in friendship than competition. What were you trying to say about the nature of rivalry and friendship, particularly in the dance world? The two are often intertwined.

RM: It’s not only the dance world—I was drawing from my own experiences in painting, drawing, and theater. When it came to art, I made up many rivals—often creating competitions where there were none. I could be intense, like Gracie. I was also in Sariah’s role, to a degree—too caught up in pressuring myself to notice those around me. I also, consistently, found that I respected and appreciated those I felt “competitive” toward, and regarded them as comrades.

I think that mentality was influenced by the action/adventure cartoons and comics I loved. I had an active imagination. What I like about both Gracie and Sariah is though they’re very different, they share that quality of creating pressure and competition where there doesn’t need to be any, perhaps stemming from vivid imaginations. And instead of learning to let that go, they egg each other on and create games to motivate each other. And that works for them, that’s how their friendship works, and hopefully that’s a bit funny, and maybe you can think of a friend who you act the same way with.

Rebecca’s Dance Training

MR: I read that you studied dance as a child. What was your training like? Did you attend an intensive ballet workshop like the one you described in Dare You to Dance?

RM: I took ballet classes from about age three to eleven. I wasn’t dancing seriously—just one or two classes per week. I know young dancers at that age might take three or more classes per week! And truthfully, ballet wasn’t my strength—I was constantly struggling with posture and form! But I kept taking classes for one very important reason: One of my best friends took classes with me. We had so much fun together.

I also took tap and modern classes (I switched to modern and kept taking classes until thirteen, when I stopped dance classes altogether). I truly love to dance, still. Art as a form of expression is something most young people are drawn to, and love, naturally. But sometimes the classroom space can be oppressive, and friends are the main reason you keep coming back.

Dance and Body Image

MR: It’s no secret that dancers’ bodies are often scrutinized, with undue emphasis placed on the desire or necessity to be thin. From your experience and the research you did for the book, have any strides been made in the dance world to accept a range of body types? If not, do you expect the tide to change anytime soon?

RM: Since I haven’t been part of the dance world as a teen or adult, I skipped a lot of this scrutiny and pressure. I can’t speak from the point of view of someone who’s honestly dealt with that, but I can remember friends who had to deal with this scrutiny, and I tried to pay homage to their challenges. I had a friend in school like Sariah who was taller and bigger than most of the other dancers in her class, and admitted that it alienated her and made her feel othered. I remember being shocked. To me she seemed to be such a dancer, so elegant and graceful. How could she not fit in the ballet space?

In my research, I took careful note of how dancers talked about body image, and although I’m only seeing a small sliver of the dance world in videos and interviews, I’m seeing bits of both that old-fashioned body scrutiny and a more revolutionary re-imagining of ballet ideals. When you delve into the foundations and history of ballet which stretches back 500 years, our modern stereotypes about body types, gender roles, and appearances are all trends that emerged fairly recently. Ballet has evolved in many directions over the centuries, and I expect it will continue to do so.

Researching Ballet

MR: Speaking of research, what kind of research did you do for the book? There are a ton of ballet terms to know and positions to draw. It couldn’t have been easy.

RM: I did so much research! I read a few books about ballet, including a ballet textbook and the fantastic nonfiction book Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet. I followed dozens of ballet influencers and watched their vlogs, read their posts, used their dance videos as reference for practice drawings. I tried to seek out online ballet tutorials which explained each step of a sequence so that I could write down, and then double-check, each move. I even had a ballet consultant triple-check the book to be sure that even the side-talk and teachers’ attitudes were believable and added to the realism.

But underneath it all, I was remembering how it felt to be in ballet class. The sound of the teacher counting five-six-seven-eight, the chatter of students waiting for their turn at the floor sequence . . . One thing I avoided doing was watching any ballet movies or TV shows for the duration of working on this book. I didn’t want to accidentally transcribe any well-worn movie cliches into the story.

Portrait of an Artist

MR: Switching gears, you are widely known for your work as an illustrator, cartoonist, and book-cover artist. You also collaborated with Hope Larson on the hugely popular middle-grade graphic novels Compass South, Knife’s Edge, and Salt Magic. What prompted your decision to create a graphic novel on your own? Did it feel weird not having a collaborator?

RM: While this book isn’t my first solo story project, it’s definitely the longest! It’s my first time handling a story of this scale in every aspect, which was daunting and exciting in equal measure. Working with Hope taught me so much about comics, and her beautiful scripts always gave me so much room to play.

Once Salt Magic was done, I felt that I was ready to try writing my own long-form graphic novel. I pondered over what kind of story I’d have the most fun both writing and drawing, that would reflect my own sensibilities, which lean toward action, heightened emotion, and slapstick. What I learned in the process, was that I LOVE rewriting things on the fly. As much as the final book stayed more or less true to the initial outline, I altered and refined things at each stage, even adding scenes at the inking stage. Each change made the story truer to its core messages: that friendship transcends competition and that art doesn’t need to be “serious” to be good.

Writing and Illustrating Process

MR: What is your creative process for writing and illustrating a graphic novel? Do you write the text first and add the illustrations or vice-versa? Also, how does being an artist influence your writing?

RM: Having finished Dare You and another book since, I’ve refined and honed my process a lot. When I started Dare You, I only had experience planning out stories fifty pages or less, and that process involved almost no scripting. Now it goes back and forth. I first write an outline, and I refine that until it’s quite detailed, even including much of the dialogue. I break that outline into pages, to get a rough idea of how the book is paced. Then I draw thumbnails of each page, really small. I scan and expand those tiny drawings to be a bit larger, and drop in as much of the placeholder dialogue as I can—and I’ll rewrite a lot of the outline based on new ideas that the thumbnails inspired. These thumbnails-with-text are the first draft of the final script.

From there…

I draw more refined thumbnails and make further changes as I realize my first visual ideas could be better. And the dialogue gets a lot of edits too. Now, this is the final “script.” From here, final sketches and inks and colors can go smoothly, although I’ll still change and refine small things as I get closer to finishing. Sometimes I realize I need to completely redraw the first five pages, because drawing the final scenes gave me a better idea of how to open the story. Sometimes it’s making sure a character is consistently wearing socks. Being an artist allows me to “draw” my script instead of having to describe it. I still like working from other writer’s scripts, but there is a lot of fun to be had in diving into the story at the thumbnail stage and letting each new page feel like venturing into the unknown.

#Goals

MR: Do you have a specific routine or word-count goals? Any rituals? 

RM: I don’t have word count goals as much as page count goals. When I’m doing those tiny little thumbnail drawings, I’ll set a daily goal, maybe four pages or maybe ten. It’s important to find the balance of staying consistent without pushing yourself so that you don’t burn out mentally. I want to feel like I’m not quite finished with a thought when I stop “writing” for the day, so that the next day I’m excited to finish it.

MR: What projects are you working on now, Rebecca?

RM: I’m wrapping up a short comic for a DC anthology of spooky Halloween stories, called Quoth the Raven . . . Whatever. After that I’ll be hopefully working on final sketches/inks of a new book, as well as teaching my storytelling class at FIT’s Illustration master’s program.

Lightning Round!

MR: Last thing: No MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so . . .

Preferred writing snack? If I’m in a bind, if I need to really focus or just get out of a slump, my secret weapon is gummy candy. It’s an unhealthy secret weapon ONLY to be used in emergencies!

Coffee or tea? Coffee if I need to draw really complex things! Tea if I want to have a nice, steady day.

Zombie apocalypse: Yea or nay? Nay. I like my brains where they are.

Favorite dance style? I love watching swing dancing and tap dancing!

Favorite dance company? American Ballet Theatre—I used their studios as reference for a lot of details in the book!

Superpower? I love superheroes with electric powers. It would be cool to turn on my TV with a zap.

Favorite place on earth? My parents’ house, sitting by the window, looking out at the trees during a rainstorm.

MR: Thank you for chatting with me, Rebecca—and congratulations on the publication of Dare You to Dance. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I know MUF readers will, too.

{For more books about dance, check out this list from the Mixed-Up Files archives}

Bio

REBECCA MOCK REBECCA MOCK (they/she) is a New York Times bestselling and Eisner award-winning illustrator and comic artist. They are the author and illustrator of the graphic novel Dare You to Dance. They’ve also illustrated the graphic novels Compass South, Knife’s Edge, and Salt Magic, written by Hope Larson, and their artwork can be found in newspapers, cartoons, books, commercials, and video games. Rebecca lives in Brooklyn, New York.

MELISSA ROSKE is a writer of middle-grade fiction. Before spending her days with imaginary people, she interviewed real ones as a journalist in Europe. In London she landed a job as an advice columnist for Just Seventeen magazine. Upon returning to her native New York, Melissa contributed to several books and magazines, selected jokes for Reader’s Digest, and received certification as a life coach from NYU. In addition to her debut novel Kat Greene Comes Clean (Charlesbridge), Melissa’s short story “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish” appears in the Jewish middle-grade anthology, Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories (Albert Whitman). Learn more about Melissa on her Website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

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