By
In 2010 Rebecca Stead won the prestigious Newbery Medal for When You Reach Me, and this month we chose her new title, Liar & Spy, as our favorite book for middle grade readers (age 9-12). Liar & Spy, like the book before it, touches on family and friendship, self-discovery and, in this case, lies we tell ourselves and others. Liar & Spy is funny and heartfelt--I would give this book to anyone. In the Q&A below, Stead shares favorite books, her thoughts on superpowers and more.
Q: Did
winning the Newbery change the way you approached writing LIAR & SPY?
RS: It didn't affect the
writing process itself. I may have approached the task of writing with a
little more trepidation for a while. The Newbery was a bolt of joy from the
blue, though, so I'm not complaining.
Q: Do you
have a phobia?
RS: I am not fond of
snakes or drawings of clowns. But no, I don't have a real phobia. (A
collection of small worries, maybe "“ riptides, writer's block, New York drivers
who text while my kids are crossing the street, etc.)
Q: What's
your most prized possession?
RS:I honestly can't
think of one. Name it, you can have it.
Q: What was
your favorite book as a child?
RS: So many: Mom, the
Wolf Man and Me, Red Planet, Half Magic, Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Daddy Was a Number Runner, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A
Wrinkle in Time. And many more.
Q: If you
could have one superpower, what would it be? (Flight and invisibility are off
the table)
RS:Teleportation.
Imagine having the whole world within reach at all times.
Q: What's
next for you?
RS:I'm working on
several projects right now "“ a middle-grade novel, a short story for adults, a
picture book, a short story for middle-graders. . . I often work on something
and then put it away for a while. I'm just hoping I'll keep writing.
