INTERVIEWWITHTHE AUTHOR, AVI
You've written a number of serial stories. Is it getting any easier?
If anything, harder. It's a unique form, and makes very high demands on a writer.
A quality serial story insists that every word counts for something, yet what makes a story memorable is that it
speaks to many different people in many different ways. The better the writing, the broader the reach. That's very
hard to do with length limitations.
Do you think of a particular kind of a reader when you write?
Readers don't get enough credit for being smart. And, since there are many types of readers, and different ages of
readers, I, at least, don't think of a particular reader. Rather I have faith that if I create a reason for caring about my
characters, the reader will care too. And if I don't care about my characters, no one else will. Most readers know
when a story is not real, in the sense that it is emotionally untrue.
You have won many awards, including the Newbery Award for
Crispin
:
The Cross of Lead.
What impact do these
awards have on you?
For me it works in opposite ways. First, it does build my confidence, giving me the patience to keep working when a
story doesn't seem right, or even good. On the other hand, it makes me feel that everything I write has to be really
good, both to meet my own expectations and the expectations of my public.
Are you involved in the creation of the illustrations of your work?
Actually very little. The writer and artist live in two different worlds and are brought together by the editor, or
publisher. Sometimes I am consulted, but the writer rarely has the final word. The best is when I see the art work
and realize something new in my own story. The art work for
Sudden Squall,
is I think, exceptionally good, and
greatly enhances the text.
You've written and published more than sixty books. Does retirement loom?
Kids often ask me that. My answer is always the same: as long as I can write books that readers enjoy, I'll keep writing.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Avi has published over 60 books. Among the best known are:
The Poppy Books
The End of the Beginning
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
Crispin: The Cross of Lead
Nothing But the Truth
The Fighting Ground
Things That Sometimes Happen
Beyond the Western Sea
Wolf Rider
The Man Who Was Poe
Something Upstairs
Midnight Magic
Don't You Know There's A War On
The Secret School
INTERVIEWWITH LAUREN CASTILLO
Why did you choose to become an illustrator?
When I was in middle school, my brother and I would pause scenes from Disney movies, and draw from the
television screen. But then we were always drawing and creating things. Later, we went to Walt Disney World and I
was fascinated with the illustrators who were working right in front of us at MGM Studios. For awhile it was my
dream to be one of those illustrators. It was in high school that my art teacher-who is also an illustrator-introduced
me to other aspects of the field. I attended Maryland Institute College of Art, and took several book arts classes.
My favorite was a children's book illustration class where I learned about the publishing industry and the process of
creating a children's book. I fell in love with that class, and knew illustrating children's books was what I wanted to do.
15
