We’re thrilled to welcome Lisa Graff to the Mixed-Up Files. She’s a long-time reader of our blog and she’s celebrating the release of her fifth novel, DOUBLE DOG DARE. She’s also the author of THE THING ABOUT GEORGIE, UMBRELLA SUMMER, THE LIFE AND CRIMES OF BERNETTA WALLFLOWER, and SOPHIE SIMON SOLVES THEM ALL. A former children’s book editor, she’s an adjunct professor at McDaniel College and a writing instructor at Writopia Lab in Manhattan. To learn more about Lisa, visit www.lisagraff.com.

DOUBLE DOG DARE tells the story of fourth-graders Kansas Bloom and Francine Halata, who start out as archenemies, until–in a battle of wits and willpower–they discover that they have a lot more in common than either would have guessed.

This dual-perspective novel will appeal to girls and boys alike–and to anyone who has ever wanted anything so badly that they’d lick a lizard to get it. (From IndieBound)

Lisa, I double dog dare you to do this entire interview while unicycling on a high wire. Are you game?

Of course! (That’s how I typically answer interview questions, anyway.)

Impressive. So what inspired you to write DOUBLE DOG DARE?

This book originally grew out of a two-page short story I wrote as an exercise in graduate school (I got my MFA in Writing for Children at the New School in Manhattan in 2005). Somehow the two characters, Francine and Kansas—fourth-graders who couldn’t stop egging each other on to do more and more ridiculous things—stuck with me over the years, and I knew that one day I’d like to turn their story into a novel. But it wasn’t until I decided to add the divorce element that everything really began to fall into place.

Green hair. Underwear up a flagpole. Howling whenever your name is called. How did you come up with so many perfect-for-fourth-grade dares? And what’s the craziest dare you’ve ever done?

Lisa in Fourth Grade

I was pretty much a goodie-two-shoes when I was a kid. I think the most exciting dare I ever did was eating dry cat food (which, as I remember, was not too terrible). To come up with some of the dares in the book, I asked my friends and family members to tell me about dares they’d done. It turns out this is a good way to learn a lot of juicy information about people—who knew I had so many crazy friends??

Mmmm…cat food. Besides all the highly entertaining dares, you sort of slip in some heavier stuff about divorce and coping with it through the two narrators—Francine and Kansas. What advice would Francine give to kids about divorce? Kansas?

I knew when I began writing the book that I wanted to portray two very different kinds of divorces. Francine’s parents are trying their hardest to have a “civil” divorce, while Kansas’s father is almost completely absent from his life. So I think their advice would probably reflect those differences: Francine would most likely tell kids that sometimes you need to learn how to make the best out of a bad situation, while Kansas would encourage kids to lean on friends when they need help.

Your story alternates between a boy and girl narrator, something I haven’t seen a lot of in contemporary middle-grade stories. Why did you choose to tell the story in this way?

I’d never done that in a novel before, but the story just sort of seemed to call for it. It was a lot of fun to explore these very different kids, as well as to get two sometimes drastically different takes on the Dare War Francine and Kansas find themselves wrapped up in.

As a writer, I thought it was so unique the way you used each chapter title in one special scene near the end (don’t want to give anything away). Was this structure something you planned from the beginning or did that idea come along later?

Thanks so much! That absolutely was not something I planned. That structure came about probably in the eighth draft or so. Once I finally figured out what the end of the novel should be, I had to go back through the story and weave in those pieces throughout, so that everything would fall perfectly into place.

Your stories read so spot-on for their age. How do you stay in tune with the middle-grade mind set?

I’ve always been drawn to writing for the middle-grade age group, especially fourth-graders. I think it’s because that period was a very important one for me growing up (both of my parents remarried the summer before fourth grade, for one thing), so those memories have really stuck with me. I’m also lucky because I get to visit schools fairly frequently to talk about my books, and that helps to remind me what it’s like to be that age (and also to learn how being a kid has changed over the years!).

What’s your writing process like?

My process really changes for every novel—sometimes I outline a ton, sometimes not at all. The only thing that remains constant for me is the amount of revising I do. I am a HUGE reviser. I typically rewrite a novel—beginning, middle, end, all of it—at least four times, and very often more. Most writers really hate revising, but I actually like it quite a bit. For me revising is like a puzzle, trying to get every single piece of the story to fit just perfectly. First drafts are my nightmare—all that white space on the page really freaks me out.

What’s next for you?

I have another middle-grade novel, A TANGLE OF KNOTS, coming out with Philomel Books in Spring 2013. I’m really excited about that one because it’s my first novel with any magic in it. I also have my very first young adult novel, MOTHERSHIP, coming out this July. It’s the first in a series—sci-fi and very funny—which I’m co-writing under the pen name Isla Neal.

And, of course, the Mixed-Up Files has to know: what’s your favorite middle-grade novel?

That’s an easy one! My all-time favorite middle-grade novel is HOLES by Louis Sachar. That was the novel that made me really serious about writing my own books. (I had the honor of meeting Mr. Sachar several years ago, and I was so nervous I could barely squeak out four words!) If I can ever create anything half as good as that book, I’ll be a very happy writer.

Lisa’s blog tour continues this week at:

She’s also giving away a copy of her book for Mixed-Up Files readers! Leave a comment to win DOUBLE DOG DARE.

Karen B. Schwartz writes contemporary middle-grade novels and raises contemporary middle-grade kids.

Like nearly everyone from my generation who watched Saturday morning cartoons, I remember those old PSAs RIF did with Ed Asner and Carol Burnett. The message that every kid deserves a book of their own really resonated with me even when I was 8 years old. All the more so now that I have made my life in the field of education and children’s literature. It was a great honor to meet Carol Rasco the president and CEO of RIF last fall ath the Kidlit Bloggers Conference in Seattle, Washington and an even greater honor to work in some of her RIF supported schools in Washington DC last month. Here I am with one of the wonderful librarians I met on that trip!

I’m delighted to welcome Carol to the Mixed Up Files as a part of our ongoing series highlighting literacy programs.

RIF has been a smashing success for decades on the simple premise that kids in need ought to have a few books of their own choosing to keep forever, delivered in an environment that celebrates literacy, and supports the adults in the community who are raising up young readers. Last year in support of that goal RIF provided 14 million books to 4 million children.

Can you speak a little bit more about RIFs newer programs, Care to Read and Family of Readers?

RIF recognized a number of years ago that the books were an ingredient around which we should build additional services in order to further our mission “To motivate young children to read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make reading a fun and beneficial part of everyday life.”  Our primary population to be served is that of children at highest risk of failure to learn to read which in truth the majority of the time means children in poverty. 

Two training courses for “train the trainers” were developed: Care to Read for those who care for young children as well as the parents and Family of Readers for parents of school age children and others who work with this age group. Both courses are built on the importance of talking and reading with children, making reading an enjoyable activity…with a sensitivity as well to the fact many of the parents of children in RIF’s primary population served are parents who do not feel they read well, do not read in English, are not comfortable reading with their children. Through corporate funding and fee for service contracts RIF conducts these courses across the country with the demand outstripping the funding available, particularly as schools seek to cover all bases in striving to increase achievement levels. 

Research shows the critical role parental engagement plays in achievement and help in involving parents is welcomed by most organizations. As part of this effort we are also helping local communities discover the power of parent/child reading nights or activities that bring communities or subsets of communities together to share in the excitement of reading together!

One of the most inspiring things about my time working in RIF schools last month was hearing from the women on your staff about why they came to RIF and how much the mission of RIF has meant in their lives. How did you come to be involved with RIF and how long have you been with the organization?

As I left my time in overall domestic policy at the state and federal levels of government, I knew I wanted to focus on children’s programming and policy either in health, child welfare, disability issues and/or education.  The RIF opening seemed and has been a wonderful place over the last ten years (since November 2001) from which to work on all of these to some extent with the emphasis in education and literacy of course.  From my time as a teacher and elementary counselor 40 years ago as well as my role as a parent to a child with special learning needs, I came away with a passion to insure all children and their families have the tools and background needed to have children ready to enter school to learn to read and then supports as needed upon entering school to insure the ability to read well and independently by the end of third/fourth grade. To do less means our nation has failed the child.  

My favorite thing about being a teacher is the collection of victory stories accumulated over the years about children who have succeeded against great odds or who came to you a closed shell of resentment and defeat and then with the right touch, blossomed into an amazing young learner. Do you have a favorite victory story or two from your time with RIF?

It never fails. Anytime I go to speak or simply to be present for RIF at an outside event, someone comes up to me to tell me her/his “RIF story” and often holding the first or the most memorable RIF book received.  It is usually encased in plastic wrap or a sandwich bag and has often been in “Mom’s attic” where the heat has hardened the glue along the spine and the book is falling apart.  There are frequently tears of gratitude that are shed…it is most humbling and is matched by the twinkles in eyes of children selecting a RIF book or the wonder present in first time RIF kids when they realize they “really, really” get to have the book to keep. 

This video of Dr. Dale Allender tells in brief one such story; he contacted us when he learned of the funding problems we were facing in Congress, he wanted to help by telling his RIF story.  One piece not in the video is the fact his doctoral dissertation was based in part on mythology first brought to his attention and activating his interest in reading by way of that first RIF book! 

Given the importance of the mission and the long-track record of success, I was simply gob-smacked to hear that RIF was subjected to a major cut in funding last year. How is RIF moving forward in spite of this financial set back?

Federal fiscal year 2013 will mark the first time in 34+ years that RIF has not had a federal grant with which to assist local communities in purchasing new paperback books from which children can select and own books as their own.  The President recommended this cut for RIF along with numerous other literacy groups in order to make the funds competitive in a reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (which has not occurred, is not yet even a process underway in Congress).  

At RIF we know the need is great and while we will continue to work hard to have funds reinstated in the federal budget, we are moving ahead to downsize our operation, to increase our corporate and private fundraising, to assist our local programs in doing the same.   We are fortunate that we have not lost funders due to this grant loss and many of those funders are seeking to increase their efforts as well.  However, let’s not kid ourselves, we in no way can make up the amount of that grant per year on a sustained basis which provided 15 million books annually to more than four million children. We are also continuing to develop apps and other new programs that were underway as we know it takes an array of tools and methods to meet the needs of all children.

We are also excited about a brand refresh project that was well underway before the loss of the federal grant. This past fall we unveiled a bold new look and logo which marked the beginning of an awareness campaign designed to honor RIF’s iconic brand and spark a widespread movement in support of reading. The new logo is a modern formation of an open book—its openness symbolizes a voice for underserved communities and the world of possibilities opened to children through reading.

• Today we are launching the awareness campaign aptly named, Book People Unite. The campaign aims to focus national attention on the children’s literacy crisis in America and calls on anyone who believes in the power of books to transform lives to stand with RIF and help get book in the hands of kids that need them most. (see initial video on home page, www.rif.org )
• The campaign will be formally announced April 16th and will extend well beyond 2012. At the center of the campaign will be the release of a new, history-making PSA showcasing for the first time several of America’s most beloved book characters—including Pinocchio, Babar, Clifford, Madeline, and many others coming together for the love of reading. 
• This initiative was funded by the generous support of Macy’s, a long time RIF partner, contributing over $21 million to RIF since 2004. Additional funding and support has been provided by the Ad Council, Library of Congress, and creative agency, Mother New York. 

The Mixed Up Files readers are a community of people dedicated to literacy and I’m sure many would like to know how they can best help RIF at this critical time and also how they might bring RIF services their own community. What do you suggest?

We welcome the Mixed Up Files readers, we know you are all Book People and hope you will become involved in the campaign!  Join us in taking the Book People pledge - declaring your belief in the transformative power of books for children.

Don’t forget a lovely gift for someone is to give to RIF in the person’s honor.  For each $2.50 given a new paperback book can be given to a child, cost inclusive of handling!

If your local community is seeking to build a greater literacy learning environment, do not hesitate to write us at contactus@rif.org, we are eager to visit with you! (put to ATTN: Carol Rasco so I can make sure I see your request!) 

And don’t forget to explore and refer others to our award winning website where there are many great activities for children and for families.

Thank you for sharing your time with us, Carol. In the comments today I’d love to hear from our readers about the difference that book ownership made in your life or that one pivotal book that spoke deeply to you. Let’s hear YOUR stories!

As a mother of a daughter (and a son), I’ve long been aware of this country’s ‘princess problem’ – the cultural stranglehold of a certain franchise of princesses on our culture’s collective psyche. I’ve also been aware of resistance to this type of pink, tiara-ed narrative of girlhood — through organizations like princess-free zone or even this viral video of 5year old Riley sounding off about big business, the color pink, and gender marketing.

But much to my chagrin, nay, shame, I’ve really never given a second thought to this issue through the eyes of the concerned princes. I mean, what must it be like, as a fairy tale character, to be so completely overshadowed all the time by princesses like Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty? To be made essentially anonymous, stripped of your individual and autonomous identity, and lumped together with every other Prince Charming of legend and lore?

Luckily, the wildly talented Christopher Healy is coming to the rescue of neglected princes everywhere with his hilarious and imaginative forthcoming The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (Walden Pond Press/HarperCollins, May 2012).  I was lucky enough to read an ARC of the novel and interview Christopher; and one of you will be lucky enough – just by leaving a comment below – to win a signed hardcover copy of his hot-off-the-presses forthcoming book! (unless you have some kind of aversion or allergy or something to laughing – in that case, please DON’T leave a comment. Because this book will make you laugh – and laugh a lot!)

But first, the most awesome interview of this most awesome author, in which he reveals which Prince Charming he is most like, why he has a soft spot for witches, and what really “ooks” him out as a writer of fractured fairy tales:

Question: Christopher, your book has four main protagonists – Frederic, Gustav, Liam and Duncan — all former Prince Charmings (er, I mean, Princes Charming. As your character Duncan would remind me, the noun is made plural, not the adjective).  Where did you come up with their off-kilter personalities? And tell us the truth – which one is closest to your own?

Christopher: Well, the original fairy tales don’t give us much to go on, but it was still important to me that my princes’ personalities made sense with what little we do know of these guys already. I asked myself, for instance: What do we know about Cinderella’s prince? He can dance. He’s sophisticated. And he’s got noble ladies swooning over him. But beyond that, we don’t know much. So I took what Charles Perrault gave me, and got creative with the rest. From that starting point, it’s not too much of a stretch to think that Prince Frederic is probably not very outdoorsy, perhaps a little too focused on his fashion choices, and (to put it mildly) not the most daring guy in the world.

I did the same for all the princes. Rapunzel’s prince wants to rescue her, but never thinks to get a ladder — so Gustav is the kind of guy who rushes into things without thinking. Sleeping Beauty’s prince actually rescues an entire kingdom in his story, and gets major kudos for it — so Liam bases his entire identity on heroics and has a bit of an ego about it. Snow White’s prince gets lucky by wandering through the forest and stumbling upon a bewitched princess to kiss — so Duncan is a carefree oddball who spends a lot of time walking the woods by himself, just waiting to see where life takes him next.

And while there’s definitely a little bit of Duncan in me, the prince who most represents me is Frederic. As a child, I shunned cotton candy because it I was afraid it would make my hands sticky. That says it all, really.

Question: Your book plays with the princess stereotype as well. How did you decide on your princess’ personalities?

Christopher: While I did work to make sure that my princesses were different from previous depictions of those same characters (especially their film incarnations), I crafted their personalities the same way I did the princes. I built them out of the original stories.

Cinderella worked hard labor for years, so she’s tough and strong. Rapunzel has the power to heal people with her tears (in the original tale), so here she’s got a bit of a savior complex. Sleeping Beauty was hidden away and catered to for her whole childhood, and has thus ended up somewhat spoiled. And Snow White, just like her prince, spends a lot of time wandering the forest and chatting with wildlife, so as it turns out, she’s actually a good match for Duncan.

But those were just starting points for the princesses. The ladies come into the spotlight a whole lot more in Book II, and the further changes you’ll see there should come across as a natural evolution for the characters.

Question: Usually, middle grade novels need middle grade-aged protagonists.  But except for Liam’s younger sister, and a juvenile delinquent of a robber baron, none of your characters is kid-aged (and in fact, two are married). Was this a deliberate decision? Did you ever consider making them younger?

Christopher: The fairy tales I’ve based my book on all end with their protagonists being set up for a happily-ever-after wedding. And even if Perrault and the Grimms wouldn’t have had a problem marrying off tween characters, I was ooked out by the idea. So I went young adult-ish. I intentionally kept their ages vague, but yes, they’re definitely older than the average middle-grade reader. I think my characters will still be relatable to kids, though —they’re not exactly the most mature adults you’ll ever read about.

Question: The poor bards and minstrels of your story have it hard – they get captured and almost killed by a notoriety-crazed witch and then given a hard time for getting their stories ‘wrong.’ Tell us about your journey to publish this novel. Any similarities to those bards and minstrels?

Christopher: The bards deserve every bit of misery they get. They have no journalistic integrity. They pump out whatever kind of story they think their fans will want to hear and never bother checking the facts. I, on the other hand, went back over my manuscript and revised it about a zillion times before it was finished. Unlike the bards, it was very important to me to make sure I’d truly captured the personalities of these princes and princesses. Plus, before I could even turn the thing into my editor, I had to get it past my wife and daughter — and they are not an easy audience.

Question: Did you have a favorite fairy tale as a kid? Now?

Christopher: As a kid, it was probably Hansel and Gretel. It was one of the few where I was able to relate to the male protagonist. In so many of the others, the male heroes were personality-free, generic princes — which is exactly why I wrote Hero’s Guide.

Currently, though, I have to say my favorite fairy tale is one I discovered only recently: “Great Claus and Little Claus.” It’s a more obscure Hans Christian Andersen story and it is completely insane. It’s basically this little guy getting revenge on a bully in the freakiest ways, but all sorts of really absurd stuff happens along the way. My favorite part is when Little Claus meets a farmer with an irrational hatred of sextons. A sexton is a church employee who handles daily chores — why in the world would the mere existence of sextons inspire fits of rage in someone? I have no idea if it was meant to be hilarious, but it is. In a very, very dark way.

Question: How about a favorite fractured fairy tale? Now?

Christopher: Well, I loved the original “Fractured Fairy Tales,” the cartoon shorts on the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show that inspired the phrase. That was the first time I remember seeing classic stories being treated irreverently — and I thought it was awesome.

In terms of current entertainment, I’ve really enjoyed Michael Buckley’s Sisters Grimm series. It’s not technically a fractured fairy tale, but Buckley put some really fun, creative twists on characters we’ve seen a hundred times before.

Question: The humor in this novel is so over the top hilarious. Let me repeat, HI-LA-RI-OUS. How did you hit upon that hysterically funny voice? (And did you laugh while you were writing?)

Christopher: I’ve always had a rather eclectic sense of humor. I can laugh just as hard at slapstick pratfalls as I can at highbrow literary references and esoteric wordplay. To be honest, I was a little worried about how my humor would hit with readers. Could I expect the same person to chuckle at the hero face-planting in the mud and then also laugh at grammar jokes about pluralizing nouns? A person other than me, I mean. Because yes, I laugh. Not so much while I’m writing, but afterwards. I mean, as a writer, you’ve got to like your own stuff, right? If you don’t, why are you writing it? But I’m incredibly happy to hear you enjoyed it too.

Question: Ok, the hard part of the interview. A test! But luckily, it's multiple choice:

1. Glass slippers or combat boots?

Christopher: Glass slippers are utterly useless. I don’t think Cinderella actually lost hers; I think she kicked it off because she’d finally gotten tired of tiptoeing all night.

2. Swords or wands?

Christopher: Wands! Or anything that allows you to defend yourself while standing far, far away from your enemy.

3. Towers or Dungeons?

Christopher: I’ll say towers, because I am slightly less afraid of heights than I am claustrophobic.

4. Wolves or Witches?

Christopher: Regular wolves or werewolves? Never mind, I’ll go with witches. Thought both of them get a pretty bad rap in the fairy tale world. It’s not always very fair.

5. Poisoned Apples or Thorns in the Eyes?

Christopher: That might be the worst choice I’ve ever been asked to make. I guess I’ll say apple. I’d rather be peacefully asleep than painfully blinded. And maybe there’d be a chance that someone would come along and kiss me.

 6. Life lessons or Frothy romps?

Christopher: Must the two be separate? I’ll choose frothy romp. Because if you give me a frothy romp, I’ll find some life lessons in it. But if you give me a straight up lesson, there may be no froth to be found.

Question: As a male author, writing about (mostly) male protagonists – what’s your take on the “boy’s don’t read” controversies? Did you write this book for a particular gendered audience? 

Christopher: When I was a kid, I got more than a few scrapes and bruises due to foolhardy attempts at reading while walking. And my son, who is only five, just smashed into a doorframe yesterday doing the same thing. So, I refuse to accept the idea that boys won’t read. However, I know that a lot of boys aren’t reading. So, yes, I did want to contribute a piece of literature that I hope boys will pick up. I don’t consider Hero’s Guide a “boy book,” though; my goal was to create a story that had appeal across gender lines. So, while Hero’s Guide is a fairy tale, it’s also an action-adventure comedy. While it’s about Prince Charming, it’s also about the League of Princes. While there is talk of weddings and romance, there is also talk of troll battles and barroom brawls. I’m hoping that whichever elements bring a reader into the book, the rest of the story will appeal to them while they’re there.

Question: What do you like about writing for middle grade audiences? What are your biggest challenges?

Christopher: My daughter is in that middle-grade demographic right now, and she exemplifies a lot of what I love about that audience.  She appreciates imagination in any setting. She’s open to just about anything from a storyteller — thoroughly accepting unreal, magical worlds just as much as she does slice-of-life middle-school tales. And by this age, she also has enough of a cultural vocabulary to catch literary references and analogies. When I write for a middle-grade audience, I don’t want to write down to them — I want to challenge them, because I know they’re up to the challenge.

Also, my daughter and her friends are all very outspoken with their opinions on the books they read. When they love a book, they LOVE a book. They talk about

it constantly, they re-read it seven times, they turn it into games that they play with one another. If they’re not into a book, though — well, they let that be known too. And that’s the potential downside in being a middle-grade author.

THANK YOU so much for your time Christopher, and for your delicious novel. It’s been a pleasure!

Please leave a comment below to qualify to win a signed hardback copy of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom!  Winner will be announced on April 12th!

(all images courtesy of indiebound publishers and microsoft office free clipart)

Sayantani DasGupta loves re-imagining fairy- and folk-tales, and has a middle grade novel on submission based on Indian stories of demons, princesses and, or course, awesome princes. Look for her story reimagining "Little Boy Blue" in Month 9 books' forthcoming Two and Twenty Dark Tales: Dark Retellings of Mother Goose Rhymes!