Episode #102: What is your favorite genre? With Andrea Wang

Welcome back to Kids Ask Authors! On today’s episode, we are joined by authors Grace Lin and Andrea Wang to answer this great kid question: “What is your favorite genre?”

TRANSCRIPTS:

Grace Lin: Hello, I'm Grace Lin, children's book author and illustrator of many books including the middle grade novel When the Sea Turned to Silver, and the picture book A Big Mooncake for Little Star.

Grace Lin: Today, I am here with Andrea Wang, the author of many books including the middle grade novel The Many Meanings of Meilan and the picture book Watercress, illustrated by Jason Chin. The art from Watercress is also featured in the picture book exhibit Asians, Everyday, which you can now see online. Hi Andrea.

Andrea Wang: Hi Grace, how are you?

Grace Lin: Good. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast.

Andrea Wang: Thank you for having me. I'm super excited to be here.

Grace Lin: Yay! Are you ready for today's kid question?

Andrea Wang: I am.

Grace Lin: All right. Today's kid question is from a kid named Tara and Tara asks...

Tara: What is your favorite genre?

Grace Lin: What is your favorite genre?

Andrea Wang: Hi, Tara. Thanks for your question. My favorite genre would have to be mysteries. I have loved solving puzzles ever since I was really little. And I think when I first started reading the Encyclopedia Brown chapter books that I got totally hooked on mysteries.

Grace Lin: Yes. Well, that's awesome. Actually, when you said that I'm like, "Oh yeah, I love mysteries too!" I think that might be one of my favorite too. I know every year they have this award called the Edgar Awards and that's for mysteries and I always check those out to read, because those are supposed to be the best mysteries. But yes, I used to love Encyclopedia Brown as well. However, I have never written a mystery. Have you written a mystery?

Andrea Wang: I have tried. My first middle grade manuscript, which is sitting firmly in the drawer, was a middle grade environmental mystery, and I had lots of fun plotting it all out and putting in the red herrings, but then when I knew the ending I kind of lost steam. Maybe someday I'll go back to it, but they're super fun to write.

Grace Lin: I have never written a straight mystery. I think I've always wanted to... I always try to put a little bit of a surprise ending at the end of a lot of my books, but I've never written a straight whodunit kind of thing, which I think would be really fun. Though I'm not really quite sure what would be the crime or whatever.

Andrea Wang: You should definitely try it. I think what I find so satisfying about mysteries is that they always get the bad guy in the end, right? There's nothing ambiguous about the ending, you know? They've solved the mystery.

Grace Lin: What was your environmental crime one about... I'm sorry, your environmental mystery about?

Andrea Wang: It was about why all the crows in a particular town in New England were dying.

Grace Lin: Oh!

Andrea Wang: Yeah. So...

Grace Lin: So what was the reason? Now we must know!

Andrea Wang: Well, spoiler alert in case this ever goes to press, the West Nile Virus. There was a villain who had a personal vendetta against crows and was trying to infect them all with West Nile Virus.

Grace Lin: Oh, that's evil.

Andrea Wang: Right?

Grace Lin: Very evil! Well, we can't wait to read it. And now that I know the ending... I am the kind of person though, even though I love mysteries, I always sneak at the end to find out.

Andrea Wang: Oh!

Grace Lin: I always like to know the ends of books before... when I know, then I read the whole thing. So I will read your book gladly now that I know the ending. But I want you to go back to the question, which is what is your favorite genre? What is your favorite genre to write then? Because mystery is your favorite to read, obviously, but since you have not written a mystery, what is your favorite genre to write?

Andrea Wang: I don't know. I've written a whole bunch of different genres from nonfiction biography to The Many Meanings of Meilan is a contemporary coming of age and The Nian Monster is a folktales retelling. So it's kind of all over the board, but I think right now it's books like Watercress that I really love to write books that make me cry. Is that like a real genre?

Grace Lin: Hmm. We should make it a genre. So it's not that it's a picture book genre. It's the books that are... I guess I was trying to think what we could call it besides the books that make you cry. So if it's a novel that makes you cry that's kind of the genre you like to write?

Andrea Wang: Yes. Just something really heartfelt and with an element of people reconciling and becoming friends again, or understanding each other.

Grace Lin: So I'm going to call that realistic books that make you cry.

Andrea Wang: All right.

Grace Lin: Well, that's a [crosstalk 00:05:09] genre.

Andrea Wang: Let's make it a thing.

Grace Lin: And that's very interesting because actually that's not a genre that is my favorite to write. I really like things that are more fantastical and more fairytale-ish, and a little bit of escapist in a way. But exciting too, like adventure fantasy kind of thing. So it's interesting how so many people can have so many different tastes.

Andrea Wang: It really is, yeah. There's a book for everyone out there, right?

Grace Lin: Mm-hmm (affirmative). So Tara, thank you so much for asking this question and I hope that you have your own favorite genre and that you realize after this conversation that it's completely okay if all your friends have different favorite genres than you and that they're all wonderful.

Andrea Wang:Yes.

Grace Lin: So thank you Tara for asking this question, and thank you Andrea for asking it. I mean, no for answering it, sorry! Thank you Andrea for answering it.

Andrea Wang: Sure. It was such a great question.

Grace Lin: Thanks. Bye!

Andrea Wang: Bye!

Today’s BOOK REVIEW comes from Zahabia! She is reviewing, Watercress, by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin.

Hi, my name is Zahabia and the book I would like to talk about is Watercress written by Andrea Wang and pictures by Jason ChinWatercress is about a young girl of Chinese heritage. Her parents see watercress a salad green growing on the side of the road and jump at the opportunity to get free food. The girl thinks it’s embarrassing to eat food from a ditch, but soon learns the rich Chinese culture embedded in watercress, and of her family’s past.  I liked this book because it teaches children not to be ashamed of your culture or family. The author tied Chinese culture with great storytelling, and I really enjoyed the beautiful illustrations too. We eat watercress in my family a lot too so it was cool to learn more about its Chinese history. 

 This book taught me a lot and I hope it teaches you something too!

Thank you Zahabia!

More about today’s authors:

Andrea Wang is the award-winning author of The Nian Monster (APALA Honor, PW starred review) and Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando (JLG Gold Standard Selection, Sakura Medal, Freeman Book Award Honor, SLJ starred review). She has two books releasing in 2021: Watercress (JLG Gold Standard Selection, starred reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, PW, Horn Book); and The Many Meanings of Meilan, her debut middle grade novel. Her work explores culture, creative thinking, and identity. She is also the author of seven nonfiction titles for the library and school market. Andrea holds an M.S. in Environmental Science and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing for Young People. She lives in the Denver area with her family.

Grace Lin, a NY Times bestselling author/ illustrator, won the Newbery Honor for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and her picture book, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, was awarded the Caldecott Honor. Grace is an occasional commentator for New England Public Radio , a video essayist for PBS NewsHour (here & here), and the speaker of the popular TEDx talk, The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child’s Bookshelf. She is the co-host of the podcast Book Friends Forever, a kidlit podcast about friendship and publishing (geared for adults). Find her facebook, instagram , twitter ( @pacylin) or sign up for her author newsletter HERE.

Thank you so much for tuning into to Kids Ask Authors!

Please visit the Asians, Everyday  exhibit found online at the Carle Museum featuring Andrea Wang and Jason Chin!

“Award-winning children’s book author and illustrator Grace Lin curated this online exhibition, launched May 2021 in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Asians, Everyday showcases positive Asian American representation. The selected artworks and books, featuring contemporary characters and stories, celebrate our common humanity by depicting Asian Americans living their everyday lives.”

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Episode #103: How can you write such funny books? with Tom Angleberger

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Episode #101: What are the biggest changes you’ve made from first draft to a published book? -with Jasmine Warga