An Inside Look with Kathryn Erskine
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Lily?
Like all my characters, Lily began talking in my head. I know it sounds strange, but that’s how it happens with me. Actually, Libro spoke first (not surprisingly!) and he introduced me to Lily and Hobart. The other characters grew from there. Also, as many of my characters, Lily is a little bit me, so she was easy to come to know.
What do you think is her most admirable quality?
I think Lily’s openness is key. By that I mean that she is open to trying to speak out and strive for five even though it’s something extremely difficult for her. She is open to her new house and neighborhood, even though she misses her old one, because she appreciates the positive things like a big fenced yard for Skippy. And she’s open when it comes to friendship. She doesn’t shy away from Hobart because he gets teased or people think he’s weird, or Skylar because he’s poor, or Dunya because she’s an immigrant. She doesn’t close herself off from people others might reject because she’s open to learning about them and getting to know them, and to becoming friends with them.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
I like to let my characters navigate their own stories and feel that there’s a reason for why they do, or don’t do, certain things. Even though I’m the author, sometimes it feels like I’m just sitting back and watching the characters grow.
What do you think Lily can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?
I wanted to deal with her grief honestly and not brush past that. It’s so difficult when people think you should be “back to normal” because it has been six months since you suffered a tragedy. It’s not normal. We carry that sadness always, but it does lessen and we do get to the point where memories that make us cry because we miss the person eventually make us laugh because we remember what a fun or even funny experience it was. It takes different people different amounts of time to heal, or start healing, and we need to respect that.
How did you research Lily and the circumstances she found herself in?
I always read psychology books about how someone my character’s age might deal with loss, or whatever my character is going through. I also have a sister-in-law who’s a psychotherapist so she’s a great resource I can tap! And, as I mentioned in #4, I drew on my own experiences of starting new schools and being a shy person. I’ve also had to deal with people who behave rudely and unkindly. Sometimes I’m more successful at that than others. I do try hard, like Lily, to speak up for those around me!
Do you and Lily share any similarities?
Yes! I was very shy in school and it was hard for me to speak up. Like Lily, I would know the answers to the teachers’ questions but could rarely bring myself to answer. Sometimes that was because I’d be targeted as a “nerd” or “know-it-all” or “teacher’s pet” but other times it was simply that I was too shy. I’m still introverted but not nearly as shy as I was. I also love learning, especially geography! And I like being kind to people and appreciating those who are a little different than the average person.
What was the hardest scene to write about her?
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
Well, beyond her mom, I’d say all of her new friends but, in particular, Hobart. Part of that is because Hobart really needs a friend himself. He’s also just plain kind and wanted to help out a new student. I think they’re a really good match because Lily is quiet and serious and almost like a big sister to Hobart, and Hobart’s exuberance and joy is so helpful to Lily to lighten her mood and make her laugh and see life a little differently.
Why do you think some young people are able to stand up to bullies and rise above it, while others seem to succumb and become powerless?
I think a lot of it is personality. Some people are naturally more outgoing, outspoken and confident. Others are quieter and more sensitive. It’s hard to change your personality. There’s also upbringing—if you’re taught to be kind and respectful at home, your first instinct is not to talk back. Bullies often target the more sensitive people because they know they can hurt them. It’s easier than dealing with someone who’s going to give back what you throw or shrug it off because they don’t care what you say. So, two tools I used were to try act the part of someone who didn’t care by pretending it didn’t bother me (even though it did), but the better tool was to have a group of friends because they had my back and I had theirs, just like Lily and her friends.
What do you think Lily is doing as the present time?
Lily is now navigating middle school which she is much better equipped to do having had a year at J.H. Banning Upper Elementary. Also, she has her whole group of friends with her so she is flourishing. She and Dunya are doing Geography Bee and, even though Lily is really good, I have to say that Dunya is even better. But more important than being the top Geography Bee student, Lily has learned to speak up for herself and her friends, even though it’s still not easy.
SEASON #SIX (Summer 2019)
Interview #122 with Tamara Bundy (Author of Pixie Pushes On)
Interview #123 with Lindsay Lackey (Author of All the Impossible Things)
Interview #124 with Tae Keller (Author of When You Trap a Tiger)
Interview #125 with Jamie Sumner (Author of Roll With It)
Interview #126 with Hena Khan (Author of More to the Story)
Interview #127 with Phil Bildner (Author of A High-Five for Glenn Burke)
Interview #128 with Leslie Connor (Author of A Home for Goddesses and Dogs)
Interview#129 with Gillian McDunn (Author of Queen Bee and Me)
Interview #130 with Jody J. Little (Author of Worse Than Weird)
Interview #131 with Jenn Bishop (Author of Things You Can't Say)
Interview #132 with Kaela Noel (Author of Coo)
Interview #133 with Rebecca Stead (Author of The List of Things That Will Not Change)
Interview #134 with Gae Polisner (Author of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me)
Interview #135 with Emily Blejwas (Author of Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened)
Interview #136 with Joy McCullough (Author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost)
Interview #137 with Kim Baker (Author of the Water Bears)
Interview #138 with Erin Entrada Kelly (Author of We Dream of Space)
Interview #139 with Jess Redman (Author of Quintessence)
Interview #140 with Melanie Conklin (Author of Every Missing Piece)
Interview #141 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Brave Like That)
Interview #158 with Rebecca Ansari (Author of The In-Between)
Interview #159 with John David Anderson (Author of One Last Shot)
Interview #160 with Tracy Holczer (Author of Brave in the Woods)
Interview #161 with James Bird (Author of The Brave)
Interview #162 with Marcella Pixley (Author of Trowbridge Road)
Interview #163 with Barbara O'Connor (Author of Halfway to Harmony)
Interview #164 with Alan Gratz (Author of Ground Zero)
Interview #165 with Lisa Fipps (Author of Starfish)
Interview #166 with Ann Braden (Author of Flight of the Puffin)
Interview #167 with Kimberly Willis Holt (Author of The Ambassador of NoWhere Texas)
Interview #168 with Elana K. Arnold (Author of The House That Wasn't There)
Interview #169 with Erin Soderberg (Author of The Great Peach Experiment)
Interview #170 with Donna Gephart (Author of Abby, Tried, and True)
Interview #171 with M. Evan Wolkenstein (Author of Turtle Boy)
Interview #172 with Lindsey Stoddard (Author of Bea is for Blended)
Interview #173 with Jess Redman (Author of The Adventure is Now)
Interview #174 with David Levithan (Author of The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden)
Interview #175 with Chris Grabenstein (Author of The Smartest Kid in the Universe)
Interview #176 with Ali Standish (Author of The Mending Summer)
Interview #177 with Holly Goldberg Sloan (Author of The Elephant in the Room)
Interview #178 with Jeff Zentner (Author of In the Wild Light)
SEASON #ELEVEN (Fall 2021)
Interview #179 with Katherine Applegate (Author of Willow)
Interview #180 with Padma Venkatraman (Author of Born Behind Bars)
Interview #181 with R.J. Palacio (Author of Pony)
Interview #182 with Kyle Lukoff (Author of Too Bright to See)
Interview #183 with Barbara Dee (Author of Violets are Blue)
Interview #184 with Anne Ursu (Author of The Troubled Girls of Dragonmir Academy) f
Interview #185 with Margaret Finnegan (Author of We Could Be Heroes)
Interview #186 with Jasmine Warga (Author of Shape of Thunder)
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