The Whispers is my pick for best Middle Grade Book of 2019!
I'm never wrong. See my five star Review Here. As a reviewer for both School Library Journal and
VOYA and a Cybils fiction judge, I have an uncanny record for
picking the winners. My interview with Author Greg Howard follows:
Interview Questions for Greg Howard
Some questions are about your book, middle grade books, writing and life.
Readers, parents, bloggers and librarians will want to know about you, the author.
What is the MOST important lesson you learned from an elder
(grandparent, parent or other)?
There is a scene in The Whispers where Riley’s parents have him and his brother
decorate two empty laundry detergent bottles up as people, writing the name
Can’t on one and If on the other. Then their father digs two small graves in the
backyard where they have a funeral and bury can’t and if. This came directly
from my childhood. My father directed my brother and I to do exactly
the same thing and after we buried those words in the backyard,
we weren’t allowed to use them anymore. It was a powerful lesson that might
have slipped by me as nothing more than a game or a fun exercise at
the time, but that lesson stuck with me for a lifetime. I don’t say I can’t do
something, or I could if this or that. No excuses - just do it, whatever it might be.
In the author note, you write about losing your mother at a young
age and how grief manifested itself to keep you safe. Besides
the alternate story, did you have any other coping mechanisms?
Television was definitely one of my main coping mechanisms and a great escape
from reality. I would get lost in all those stories for hours and I felt like the
characters were part of my life, like my friends. I particularly remember
being obsessed with Samantha Stephens. Yes, that Samantha
Stephens—the good witch married to the mortal and whose mother appeared
out of thin air at the most inconvenient times wearing fabulous flowing lingerie.
Bewitched was one of my favorite TV shows because it opened up a world
in which anything was possible with the crinkle-twitch of your mouth,
snapping your fingers or flailing your hands in the air.
When you were writing this book, did you have any idea how
impactful it would be on young readers’ lives? (dealing with grief,
coming out, knowing their true gender?)
Honestly as I was writing the book, I wasn’t really thinking about that. I simply
had a very personal story that I had to tell. But when the first draft was done,
going through the editing process, I started to feel the weight of that possible
impact. But if I can reach just one queer kid living out in the country
somewhere who feels alone and isolated and show them that
they’re not alone and that they matter, I will feel like I did my job.
Middle grade books are beginning to address topics that were
usually only tackled in YA. Besides being queer (and I hope
I’m using the right word here. If I’m wrong, please correct me.
What other term or terms, can be used?), what topics would
YOU like to see in middle grade books?
It is absolutely fine to use the word queer as it’s a very inclusive word.
I love that we are seeing more difficult topics tackled in middle grade
because kids that age are dealing with these issues every day. I would
love to see more middle grade books tackle the problem of racism
and xenophobia. Kids are taught this thinking from a very young age,
so it’s never too early in childhood development to address, in my
opinion.
Writers go through many stages: drafting, editing, rewrites,
more editing. How long from start to finish book, did it take for
The Whispers? How many edits did you do as a writer?
It took me about five months to write the first draft of The Whispers.
The book had not been sold yet, so I went through it a couple of times
before I sent it to my agent who always has wonderful editorial
insights. I believe we went through two more rounds of developmental
edits before she sent it out on submission. So that’s four rounds of
edits right there. Then when the book sold to Putnam/Penguin
I went through another round of developmental edits with my editor,
and then four rounds of line edits. And yes, each time, you have to
start from the beginning and go through the entire manuscript. And then
when I knew it was my very last chance to catch anything, I went through
it one more time before turning in the final draft. That’s ten times
through the manuscript after the first draft was complete. And yes,
we still missed a couple of things, but I’m not about to spill the
beans. We will correct those on the first reprint.
What was your favorite book as a young child? As a teenager?
My favorite books as child were those in the Encyclopedia Brown
series. My favorite book as a teenager was The Shining. Go figure.
What is the best book (any genre) you’ve read in the last year
and why?
I recently read Beloved by Toni Morrison for the first time.
The language is so beautiful and effortless even though the story
is completely raw and devastating.
What living celebrity, sports figure, actor or person do you
admire most?
Barack Obama—to me he is the embodiment of grace, wisdom,
and perseverance.
If you had millions of dollars, what charity would you help?
If you had millions of hours, what charity would you volunteer
your time for?
I would gladly give a million dollars to the ASPCA to help protect
animals against abuse and cruelty. And if I had millions of hours
to donate, I would spend it in animal shelters.
What would you tell 8-year-old Greg if you could?
You are not alone. And you matter.
Complete the following statements: (you can be funny or serious):
I’m happiest when: my dogs look at me.
My current state of mind is: Contentment
My favorite saying, proverb, quote or wisdom is:
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget
what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou
The funniest thing about growing up in the South:
The road signs.
Thank you to Greg Howard. It’s a pleasure to see
The Whispers doing so well and kids embracing Riley’s story.
