I first became a fan of Katherine Applegate when I was a Youth Services Selector and a colleague recommended The One and Only Ivan. For those unfamiliar, it is a poignant story told from the point of view of a gorilla who was in captivity for 27 years. Ivan was also real (as in an actual gorilla), but Katherine Applegate, in his narrative, made him even more so.
I’ve been a fan of hers ever since. I first met her at the launch for WISHTREE, another story which involves a subtle yet unique perspective. At the event, I told her how I’d been reading The One and Only Ivan with one of my high school students (a reluctant reader). I managed to get it signed for her:
Here’s some more information about WISHTREE:
Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood “wishtree”—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red’s branches. Along with her crow friend Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red’s hollows, this “wishtree” watches over the neighborhood.
You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red’s experiences as a wishtree are more important than ever.
Katherine Applegate also has a new Middle Grade series, the first of which debuted in May:
Byx is the youngest member of her dairne pack. Believed to possess remarkable abilities, her mythical doglike species has been hunted to near extinction in the war-torn kingdom of Nedarra.
After her pack is hunted down and killed, Byx fears she may be the last of her species. The Endling. So Byx sets out to find safe haven, and to see if the legends of other hidden dairnes are true.
Along the way, she meets new allies—both animals and humans alike—who each have their own motivations for joining her quest. And although they begin as strangers, they become their own kind of family—one that will ultimately uncover a secret that may threaten every creature in their world.
When did you know that you wanted to be a writer, and what books influenced you growing up?
I always tell kids I became a writer in 4th grade, when I wrote my first story. It was about a pig named Alice. (Even then, I was writing about animals!) After all, you don’t have to be published to be a writer. You just have to tell a good story.
But I took a LONG time to even think about trying to get published. I was in my late thirties before it began to seem like a possibility. I started out as a ghostwriter for packaged series like SWEET VALLEY TWINS and slowly gained confidence after many, many books.
I was quite a reluctant reader when I was young, a fact that seems to both surprise and encourage students. It wasn’t until I found my “best friend” book — the book that seemed to have been written just for me — that I began to see what all the fuss was about. (That book was CHARLOTTE’S WEB. And it’s still my favorite book.)
Charlotte’s Web is one of my favorites too. Your book WISHTREE is a beautiful, nuanced story about a neighborhood tree and how it touches the lives of the people around it. Was there anything that surprised you about Red’s story as you wrote it?
Thanks for your kind words. WISHTREE was truly a labor of love. I wrote it during the throes of the election, frustrated by all the vitriol and the “othering” of entire groups of people.
I started WISHTREE assuming that Red would be the main focus of the story, but soon realized that a whole community—raccoons, opossums, owls, skunks, a wily crow, and a kind young man — had to be part of the solution. And of course, that echoes the theme of the tale: that we are stronger when we work together as “welcomers.”
Such a wonderful, necessary theme. Published in 2012, THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN is still finding its way into the hearts and minds of readers. What is it about Ivan and his story that you think resonates most with people?
I think the fact that the novel was inspired by a true story intrigues young readers. And the character himself is easy for them to relate to: they worry about Ivan’s vulnerability and appreciate his efforts to help a friend.
I love writing for middle grade students because they care about fairness and kindness. They’re becoming aware of the world around them, beginning to define what it means to be a good citizen and loyal friend.
Indeed. What are some of your current projects?
In May I published the first novel in a new middle grade trilogy, ENDLING. It’s about one of the last members of a doglike species and her search for more of her own kind. I’m working on the rewrites for Book #2, and have outlined Book #3.
This spring I also published SOMETIMES YOU FLY, a picture book illustrated by the inimitable Jennifer Black Reinhardt. It’s about trying and failing and learning and growing, which makes it perfect, I think, for graduations and birthdays and milestones.
I’m also at work on a new middle grade single title, but it’s too soon to talk about it!
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