An Inside Look with Katherine Applegate
*Season #SIX (Summer 2019)
How did you come to know Willodeen?
I absolutely love this question, Patrick, because that’s just how it feels when you’re writing a character: You come to know them, one moment at a time, the way a stranger gradually morphs into a friend.
I think part of Willodeen’s personality began with my admiration for the amazing Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg. I so admire that brave honesty, that ability to tell adults the truths they need to hear. There’s also a bit of Jane Goodall in Willodeen—the way they’re both willing to sit with nature and wait for its secrets to reveal themselves.
What do you think is Willodeen’s most admirable quality?Willodeen understands that in order to deal with pain and grow emotionally, she needs to be her truest self. She’s ridiculed for being “odd,” and that includes her obsession with an unloveable species called “screechers,” but she stays the course. I doubt I would have been that brave when I was just eleven.
Is there anything you wish she would have changed or done differently in her story?
I’m smiling, because I have yet to write a book I didn’t want to tweak after the fact. It’s so hard to let go of a manuscript—to accept that you are always going to want to do more to bring the story to life.
As for things Willodeen the character might have done differently . . . It was hard to watch her resist the affection of Birdie and Mae, the two lovely women who’d taken her in. But that’s how love is. It has its own unique timetable.
What do you think she can offer to other children that are experiencing similar situations to what she went through?Willodeen has endured great trauma. But slowly she learns that life can go on, with enough time and care. For her, the path to healing lies in taking action. She finds her voice and speaks up for the species she loves, and in doing so, she moves past her pain to find a stronger self.
How did you research Willodeen and the circumstances she found herself in?
Sadly, I had no shortage of environmental crises to write about. But at the end of the day, I decided to create a fantasy world with invented species. I wanted to write about a place that would be accessible to young readers, no matter where they lived. (Besides, it’s great fun to invent your own species!)
Do you and Willodeen share any similarities?
Many! I am an introvert, and often feel a bit out of synch with the world, much like Willodeen. And I adore the natural world, and species of all kinds. If screechers were real, I’d be their biggest fan.
What was the hardest scene to write about Willodeen?
Perhaps the scene where she and her friend Connor battle a fire threatening their village. She’d already been through so much, and she so feared fire, poor girl!
Who do you think was her biggest supporter and why?
I love that about Willodeen. She has so many people who care for her. But her friendship with Connor, a kind, artistic boy who appreciates her strengths, is vital to her growth.
Why do you think young people have such a special connection to animals and creatures?
You know, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that animals are so vulnerable. Children relate to that. They, too, are often at the mercy of adult whims. And caring for creatures gives kids agency—an opportunity to do something meaningful.
What do you think Willodeen is doing as the present time?
Running a sanctuary for endangered animals. Or maybe running for Congress. Either one would be great for the world.
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)
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