You may have seen our review of Seaglass Summer, by Anjali Banerjee among the reviews recently added to PaperTigers as part of our focus on children’s literature from India and the Indian diaspora. If not, here it is.
After reading it, make sure to check out Uma Krishnaswami’s metafictional interview with Poppy, the book’s eleven-year-old protagonist. The fact that Uma read drafts of the novel before it was published gave her a privileged perspective on the character’s evolution from idea to full development. Uma’s interview questions prompt Poppy to reveal how she and her story changed in the process of being written.
What a fun way to get some insight into an author’s creative process! That’s what I call giving voice to a character!…
Does anyone know of other interviews with book characters (keeping in mind our focus on multicultural children’s and ya books)? I know Uma also did one with Amadi, the Nigerian boy from Katia Novet Saint- Lot’s picture book, Amadi’s Snowman… If you’re aware of any others, do let us know!