An Interview With Goldy Moldavsky, Author of Kill the Boy Band

I was lucky enough to sit down with Goldy Moldavsky, debut author of wildly entertaining and wickedly satirical Kill  the Boy Band at the Texas Library Convention in Houston, Texas. It was Goldy's first visit to Texas, but by the looks of her popularity and the book's sales, she will be callin' Texas her second home soon, ya'll. Welcome to Texas, Goldy!

I asked Goldy about her book, YA authors, charity and celebrity interviews.

P: Pamela (me)
G: Goldy (the one and only)

P: Since you interviewed celebrities in college, who is the most memorable and why?
G: I saw Katie Holmes, Amanda Bynes, Sarah Michelle Geller and Kristen Bell. The interview that is most memorable was Joaquin Phoenix. He was openly rude.

P: Who is the friendliest YA author you've met?
G: They are all so friendly, but I'd say Aimee Friedman who is sweet and Adam Silvera.

P:  Who is the funniest?
G: Libba Bray
P: I agree! So funny!

P: Who is the shyest?
G: Nicola Yoon

P: Kill the Boy Band is a funny look at the mania of fans. Do you think boy band enthusiasts will think it's funny? Or mean? Will they recognize themselves as behaving this way?
G: Those who read the book will find it funny if they have a sense of humor. It's about 50/50 for those who haven't read the book. Yes, (Laughs) they will recognize their behavior.

P. Your main character is never referred to by name, yet readers know the other girls' names. What was your motivation in not naming her?
G: I think she's a coward. She's telling the story but not telling on herself. She gives up her friends but not her own name.

P: You tweet inspirational quotes about writing. Do you do this for self-motivation? Or to motivate others?
G: Totally my own. I wouldn't know how to give any advice to others.

P: What is your favorite charity and why?
G: Chai Lifeline. It's a Jewish charity that provides summer camp for children who have cancer.

P: What one YA author do you admire?
G: Libba Bray

P: Name your top children's book of all time and why.
G: Do picture books count? (I nod yes) I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. It makes me laugh every time I pick it up!

P: What is on your reading list now?
G: David Levithan (with Nina LaCour)  You Know Me Well, Jeff Strand's  A Bad Day for Voodoo and Two Summers by Aimee  Friedman

P: If you could give your 15 year old self advice about life, what would you say?
G: Be patient. Keep at it!


Thank you. Thank you. Goldy was an inspirational interview and person. You  radiated warmth and intelligence. I am your fan girl forever, Goldy. But not in a creepy way....

Middle School Picks

Schooled
by Gordon Korman
Scholastic, 2007.
208 pages

Gordon Korman has done it again--written an unforgettable novel that kids will love. They will laugh out loud at Cap's (Capricorn's) problems to fit in to a "normal" middle school environment. Cap has never been to a school before--he has been raised by his hippie grandma, Rain, on a 60's style commune called Garland Farm. The trouble is that there are only two inhabitants left on the commune, Cap and Rain--other "hippie commune" types moved away years ago before Cap can remember. When Rain falls out of a tree and breaks her leg, Cap is forced into the state's foster care system. Lucky for him, the social worker assigned to his case grew up on Garland Farm, was once raised by hippies and home schooled like Cap. She takes him into her own home to her daughter Sophie's chagrin. Imagine a 13-year old boy who has never watched television, never played a video game, and never been to the mall or Walmart! Cap is like an alien who drops out of the sky into this hideous place called middle school. Poor Cap, he's heard of pizza and crime, but never seen either one. At one point, he asks Rain, "What is a Starbuck?"

The story is told in chapters by all the players: Cap's grandma Rain, Cap's social worker--Floramundi Donnally, Cap himself, Zach Powers--the most popular boy, Hugh Winkleman--the nerd, even the principal tells a tale of woe. Cap becomes president of the 8th grade class as a prank on him, but the other middle school kids are drawn to his easy smile, happy outlook, and "love everyone" attitude. The pranksters fail at humiliating the new kid and learn lessons in the end.

You gotta love Capricorn Anderson; he's the real deal--a product of a hippie commune, a gentle soul who believes in sharing and love, a boy untouched by media hype and whose mind is open to all that is around him, a kid whose nose is not buried in his Iphone or text mail.

Highly recommended for all middle school collections. Suitable for grades 5 and up. Suitable for high school readers who like Korman's earlier novels.

High School Picks

Shutter Island
by Dennis Lehane
Harper Collins, 2003
325 pages

Shutter Island is one crazy dream of a book. U. S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner are sent to Shutter Island to investigate the disappearance of an escaped patient from Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Soon, they are neck deep in mystery--how does an insane woman escape from a locked room? What are the cryptic clues Teddy is receiving and who is leaving the clues? What really goes on in Ward C? Are the doctors a super-secret government medical team investigating drug experimentation and mind control? Since the story takes place in 1954, Lehane is able to use history fact and fiction to present a sense of disbelief yet belief that the U.S. government would actually use a mental hospital to experiment on mental patients.

In a superb twist, Lehane makes readers question what is really going on--who is in charge, who is really insane, who is sane, and what constitutes sanity? Is the whole island an experiment to control thoughts and behaviors? There is no one better than Lehane at capturing character through subtle action and dialog. Shutter Island ranks right next to Mystic River as a great character study. Any budding novelist should read Lehane to get dialog right. He is the master.

The movie starring Leonardo di Caprio as Teddy should be a spooky tale.