Interview with Valerie Tripp

Valerie Tripp

Today I am posting an interview with Valerie Tripp, who is best known as the author of many American Girl novels. She's written for Felicity, Elizabeth, Josefina, Samantha, Nellie, Kit, Ruthie, Emily, and Molly.  Unlike most of the interviews I post, this one was not conducted by me.  The questions were asked by Jonathan Sprout, an award-winning children's artist.

You can click on any of the book covers to go to their Amazon page.

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Jonathan Sprout: You write about fictional heroes. What qualities do you look for
when creating your fictional characters?

Valerie Tripp: I don't have to look far for heroic qualities because my characters are inspired by my readers, and my readers are heroic to me because they face their daily challenges with humor, empathy, curiosity, generosity, and kindness. All of my books have the same message: Yes, disappointments and troubles will come your way, but you’ll be okay. You are the hero of your own life story.

“I don't have to look far for heroic qualities because my characters are inspired by my readers, and my readers are heroic to me.” - Valerie Tripp

Jonathan Sprout

Jonathan: Your books essentially take us back in time and bring history to the present. You must do a lot of research. What is your process?

Valerie: I love to do research. It is not a process; it is a way of life. When you become interested in a time period, it is as if the universe is full of the information you need – you just have to start to pay attention! Research for me is travel, reading, talking to people who are experts and people who lived when my character did, looking at movies, and listening to music. It is also observing and being delighted and inspired by girls of today. Research can also be looking back at my own experiences as a child. Research is active: it can be taking cooking lessons, going for a horseback ride, swimming in the Rio Grande river, and trying to knit a sock (unsuccessfully, by the way!)

Jonathan: When you are creating a character, do you think about the parents, caregivers or teachers of these girls and boys and how your
characters will inspire dialogue between them? Can you elaborate?

Josephina

Valerie: I always hope that my stories will spark conversations among generations. Molly, who is my WW2 character, has led girls to ask their families about their great-grandparents’ experiences during the war. More than one Army uniform has been lifted out of a trunk in the attic! And the emotional content of a story can spark conversations as well. Josefina’s aunt comes to live with her family, and many girls tell me they have spoken to their parents and step-parents inspired by Josefina’s dilemma: can she be loyal to her Mama and still love her new step-mother? One of the loveliest purposes literature can serve is to connect us by being a vehicle for conversation.

Jonathan: Your books encourage boys and girls to understand that they too can be “heroes” in their everyday lives (i.e. you don’t have to be famous to be a hero). What are your thoughts on this?

Samantha

Valerie: I deliberately chose to write about history from a familiar and familial point of view, so that my readers might see what a regular kid’s life was like. I’m hoping that my readers will say, “Hey! That could be me. I would have been heroic just as Kit is, facing the Depression. Or I would have stood up for my friend just as Samantha does at the turn of the last century.” I am hoping my readers will see that THEY are what American History is. They are shaping our world. The decisions they make will determine what life is like for us all in the future. They are already heroes.

Jonathan: Are there differences between what girls find heroic and what boys find heroic? How has an awareness of this this helped you to
craft your stories?

Valerie: No, I don’t think there are differences between what boys and girls find heroic. Heroism is facing your own specific challenges, and no matter what those challenges are, we all have to find the inner courage to do so.

Jonathan: Tell us about your latest writing venture - writing for boys.

“I felt as though books were short-changing boys. The boys I know are funny and nurturing, passionate, goofy, adventurous, brave, and have rich inner lives.” - Valerie Tripp

Valerie: I felt as though books were short-changing boys. The boys I know are funny and nurturing, passionate, goofy, adventurous, brave, and have rich inner lives but the boys I saw in books had to solve problems with magic or bathroom jokes. The Boys Camp books show boys facing landslides, fires, near-drowning, friendship troubles, skunks, bears, snakes, shyness, and dives off cliffs! They’re jokesters and bird-watchers, tennis stars and singers – and they are ALL heroes!

Review: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender

By Leslye Walton
Available now from Candlewick
Review copy

THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER is an unusual read.  It is beautifully written, with unique turns of phrase and indelible imagery.  It is magical realism of the best sort, where the strange becomes mundane and yet still extraordinary.

It fits a little  awkwardly in the YA category.  Ostensibly, Ava Lavender is the protagonist and this is her story.  It reads much more like a family saga.  The book traces the lives of her great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother, as well as the men in their lives.  Sometimes it follows along the lives of other passing characters, spinning out the strange connections between them.  Almost half of the book passes before Ava is even born.

The women in Ava's family are marked by tragic, foolish love.  As much as I loved the writing, I was turned off by this aspect of the book.  The lives of her ancestors are pretty brutal and tragic, misery porn wrapped up in a layer of literary sophistication.  But I kept reading because I did love the writing, and I wanted to reach Ava and learn her story, what made her sorrows stand out above the rest.

I think THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER is an amazing accomplishment, particularly for a first-time author.  It has a singular voice and a clear vision of what it is and what it is trying to achieve.  The plot is much tighter than it appears at first, and the depiction of obsessive love is terrifying.  At the same time, I felt like I still wasn't sure who Ava Lavender was when I finished the book.  Too much of it wasn't her story.

I highly recommend THE STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL SORROWS OF AVA LAVENDER for readers looking for an unusual fantasy, something gorgeous and sad.  I hope Leslye Walton's sophomore novel is just as striking.

Just Add Magic!

Amazon's new pilot season is upon us, and one of their potential new shows is based upon the middle grade book JUST ADD MAGIC by Cindy Callaghan.  I reviewed her novel LOST IN LONDON a few years ago.

I plan on watching the pilot to see what I think of the show - and if it is worth Amazon making a whole series.  If you watch it, leave your thoughts in the comments below!

About the show Just Add Magic:

Based on Cindy Callaghan’s young adult book of the same name and adapted by Joanna Lewis & Kristine Songco (Sullivan & Son, Fairly Odd Parents, My Little Pony), Just Add Magic is a single-camera live-action pilot directed by Joe Nussbaum (George Lucas in Love, Awkward). The story centers on Kelly Quinn and her two BFF’s, Darbie and Hannah, who stumble upon her grandmother’s mysterious cookbook in the attic and discover it has some interesting recipes. The Shut’em Up Shortcake actually silences Kelly’s pesky little brother and when the Healing Hazelnut Tart quickly heals Darbie’s ankle, the girls discover they have the power of magic. The project stars Olivia Sanabia (Extant), Abby Donnelly (Suburgatory), Aubrey Miller (Austin & Ally), and Judah Bellamy (Home).

Customers will be invited to watch and provide feedback on the shows they want to see turned into full series. All pilots will be available via the Amazon Instant Video app on Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Fire tablets, Fire phone, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, Roku, Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, as well as hundreds of other connected devices such as smart TVs—or customers can visit Amazon.com/AIV to watch online.

And here's a direct link.

Review: Say What You Will

By Cammie McGovern
Available now from HarperTeen (HarperCollins)
Review copy

Amy has severe cerebral palsy and requires a wheelchair and a voice box.  She's a bright girl and determined to look on the bright side.  But her classmate Matthew points out to her that she can't be that happy; after all, her only friends are adults.  So, Amy decides to request teenage helpers for her senior year of high school.

And she requests for Matthew to be one.

I loved the blooming friendship and romance between Amy and Matthew.  They're really portrayed as issues.  Amy has the drive that Matthew lacks, and she's more open about her issues since she can't hide them.  Matthew, meanwhile, is trying to deny his OCD.  I also like that Cammie McGovern went outside the box.  Not only is Amy not a paint-by-the-numbers heroine, the plot goes unexpected places.  It doesn't end with senior year and the prom, for instance.

I liked that SAY WHAT YOU WILL was realistic about Amy and Matthew's limitations, the way society views someone as physically crippled as Amy and the way mental health issues are stigmatized.  I liked that both of them had difficult journeys, but ones they could help each other with - if they approached each other with respect and understanding.  It's a hard road for two teenagers.

The charm of SAY WHAT YOU WILL started to run out for me about three quarters of the way through the book.  The ups and downs just went on for too long for me, like a soap opera.  I think I might've enjoyed it more if I read it slower, interspersed with other books.  At the same time, I still liked it a lot.  McGovern's prose is unobtrusive and she imbues both of her protagonists with charming voices.  I liked how organically the relationship grew, and that SAY WHAT YOU WILL explored what happened after high school, when the relationship is tested by long distance and other factors.

SAY WHAT YOU WILL is McGovern's first YA novel and bodes well for her future forays in the genre.

"Waiting On" Wednesday: Stone in the Sky

"Waiting" On Wednesday is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine.

Last year, I fell in love with TIN STAR by Cecil Castellucci.  Thus, I cannot wait to read the sequel STONE IN THE SKY, which comes out next month (on the 24th).

Upon finishing TIN STAR, I said, "There is romance in TIN STAR, though it is rarely a focus.  I did, however, truly love the romance and wish that there was more time for it to be explored.  I understand that it wasn't the focus of TIN STAR, but I would adore a sequel.  I know I've been clamoring for more standalones, and now that I've got them, I keep falling in love and wanting sequels.  TIN STAR tells one heck of a story about a teen girl stranded in space."

Here is the publisher's blurb for that sequel:

Brother Blue.

His name, even the color, filled me with a furious fire of pure hatred.

 

Years ago, Tula Bane was beaten and left for dead on a remote space station far from Earth, her home planet. She started with nothing and had no one, but over time, she found a home, a family, and even love. When it's discovered that the abandoned planet beneath the station is abundant with a rare and valuable resource, aliens from across the galaxy race over to strike it rich. With them comes trouble, like the man who nearly killed Tula years ago—the man she has dreamed of destroying ever since.

 

In this sequel to Tin Star, Cecil Castellucci takes readers on an extraordinary adventure through space in a thrilling and thoughtful exploration of what it means to love, to hate, and to be human.