I’m excited to share my latest release with you—a short new
book for young readers called WORDQUAKE.
WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION?
I initially drafted WORDQUAKE last winter. I was doing a
bunch of Skypes at the time. My debut MG, THE JUNCTION OF SUNSHINE AND
LUCKY, had been placed on several state reading lists, so I was regularly
getting requests to talk to elementary classrooms and reading groups.
Frequently, I was meeting with groups of reluctant readers—one librarian described
her group as “kinda readers”—they kinda-sorta liked to read. And also, at the
time, I happened to see a few tweets from teachers just observing how
frequently the protagonist of MG novels were readers—or really great students.
And I wondered—is that a part of the reason why kinda-sorta readers
keep gravitating away from books? They’re not seeing themselves in the main
characters? That’s when I started brainstorming. I knew I wanted a shorter
read—I certainly felt a shorter read would be more appealing to those who
weren’t natural readers themselves. And I also wanted a main character who’d
rather be anywhere than the library.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Izzy Ashby is a girl who doesn’t like to read AT ALL. One
day, Izzy accidentally shakes the words out of every textbook, worksheet,
notebook, chalkboard, and bulletin board throughout Eastwood Elementary. For a
girl like Izzy, this seems to be a dream come true! At least, until utter chaos
ensues.
MY FIRST ILLUSTRATED WORK
I put the book up as an e-read last winter, and had several
teachers use the book—tell me how much their students were enjoying it. And now
that I’m moving my independent work into the print format, I knew that I had to
get WORDQUAKE into print as well.
Those of you who have shared my books for young readers with
your own kids or students or younger library visitors know that I pretty
frequently gravitate toward art as a subject matter. My first novel ever was a
YA that featured a teenage artist, and my MG, THE JUNCTION, also features a young
girl who becomes a folk artist with her grandfather. I’ve always loved it
myself, took a ton of art classes throughout school, but never really had an
opportunity to incorporate it into my writing.
One of the coolest parts of going indie is that the possibilities
for a writer are limitless—the only thing holding you back is you. So I took
the plunge into digital art: I did a bit of research, got a Wacom drawing
tablet and software and started in, illustrating WORDQUAKE.
WE’VE READ YOUR WRITING, BUT WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOUR
ILLUSTRATIONS?
I had those not-straight-A students in my head again as I
started to sketch out illustrations. Those students who were not quite seeing
themselves in the pages of their books. And I knew I didn’t want the
illustrations to look perfect. I wanted them to look accessible. I think, at
times, things that are too polished can occasionally be discouraging to some
students—especially those who aren’t straight-A students. That’s not the effect
I wanted this book to have at all. I wanted students to be inspired to pick up
a pen and put it to paper in some way. I’ve also long appreciated the quick,
simple style of Liza Donnelly, who is a cartoonist for THE NEW YORKER. So with
that in mind, I drew simple graphics and illustrations of my own to accompany
WORDQUAKE.
WHERE CAN WE FIND WORDQUAKE?
WORDQUAKE is available in paperback at Amazon, and will soon be available at Barnes and Noble as well. For those who use the book in classrooms or reading groups, I'd love to Skype with your own young readers. Feel free to get in touch at my website: hollyschindler.com or email me directly at hollyschindlerbooks (at) gmail (dot) com.
Mr. Dosch is just one of those teachers--open-minded and fun and on the lookout for new projects to 
