An Inside Look with David Levithan*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Aidan and Lucas?
Honestly, I started with the premise of the story -- one brother disappearing for six days, then coming back and telling the other brother a story he can't beleive. And from there, I had to figure out who these brothers were. So I came to know them by writing the book -- which is what I always end up doing.
What do you think is each boy’s most admirable quality?
I like Aidan's sense of adventure and Lucas's sense of allegiance.
Is there anything you wish they would have changed or done differently in their story?
Not that I can think of!
What do you think they can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what they went through?
I think one of the important themes in the book is how belief can sometimes be hard, because although it can be earned up to a certain point, after that point you have to make a leap in order to fully believe. And often the thing that makes us take that leap is trust, or love.
How did you research the boys and the circumstances they found themselves in?
At the risk of sounding lazy, everything played out in my head.
Do you and the characters share any similarities?
Well, I also only have one brother, and grew up in a house with me, my mom, my dad, and my brother. The twist is that I'm the older brother in my family, but decided to write from the point of view of Lucas, who's the younger brother in his family. So the dynamics between them aren't really the same as between me and my brother, but the feeling of home being a world of four people is very much what my childhood was like.
What was the hardest scene to write about the boys?
I didn't know how the book was going to end until I got there. Writing the ending wasn't actually hard once I knew it -- but writing most of the book without knowing what the ending was going to be was very hard at times.
Who do you think was Aidan and Lucas’ biggest supporters and why?
I think their parents support them, even though sometimes that support is strained. The only person who supports them without reservation is their Aunt Brandi, who wants to be the truth-teller in the family. A lot of people who've read the book have told me she's their favorite character.
Why do you think some people are more willing to believe their family members and/or friends, when others can be quite skeptical and untrusting?
Sort of an offshoot of my answer above -- ultimately, trust needs to be earned. And by getting close to someone, you learn whether or not they deserve your trust. For me, the more I got to know my parents and brother, and the more I got to know my best friends, the more I trusted them because I saw the way they treated not only me buy everyone around them. But I was lucky to have such trustworthy people in my life. Not everyone does.
What do you think the two boys are doing as the present time?
After spending so much time figuring out the ending, I am NOT going to give it away in an interview!
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)
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