Kimberly Hirsh

Today’s Interviews
Eddie Campbell at Chasing Ray
Sara Zarr at Writing and Ruminating
Brent Hartinger at Interactive Reader
Justine Larbalestier at Big A, little a
Cecil Castellucci at Shaken & Stirred
Ysabeau Wilce at Bildungsroman
Jordan Sonnenblick at Jen Robinson’s Book Page
Chris Crutcher at Finding Wonderland
Kazu Kibuishi at lectitans
Mitali Perkins at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby at The YA YA YAs

Tomorrow’s Interviews
Tim Tharp at Chasing Ray
Justina Chen Headley at Big A, little a
Ysabeau Wilce at Shaken & Stirred
Dana Reinhardt at Bildungsroman
Julie Ann Peters at Finding Wonderland
Cecil Castellucci at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Bennett Madison at Bookshelves of Doom
Holly Black at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Justine Larbalestier at Hip Writer Mama
Kirsten Miller at A Fuse #8 Production

The Summer Blog Blast Tour continues here at

 with Kazu Kibuishi.  

Kazu is the creator of the online comics "Copper" and "Clive & Cabbage," the graphic novel Daisy Kutter: the Last Train, and the editor of the Flight anthology series.

I'll have a review of Daisy Kutter later this week.

And now, the interview!

Both in the back of the Daisy Kutter trade paperback and on your website you include glimpses into your comic-creation process.  What goals do you have in providing this look behind the scenes?  What kind of response to this unique perspective have you received from fans?

I didn't have any specific goals in mind but I did get a lot of people asking about the process, so I decided I should include some of that stuff in the book.  If it does help others get better or faster at drawing comics or inspire them to get started, then great!   It can only help the rest of us in the comics industry. 

In Daisy Kutter, you seamlessly integrate an Old West setting with futuristic technology.  Why did you choose to put these two elements together?

I just love drawing robots and creatures.  When I decided to work on Daisy Kutter, I knew it would be a western, but the idea of not being able to draw robots and creatures saddened me, so I just incorporated them into her world.

The Daisy Kutter TPB has the number 1 on its spine.  Do you have plans for more stories featuring Daisy?

Yes.  I even have at least two stories in mind.  I'm just not sure when I'll be able to tackle them.  She's a wonderful character, though.  I love writing and drawing her adventures.

On your blog you mention that Flight was born at the Alternative Press Expo.  Would you give us more insight into how that happened?

The first year I attended the show, my friends and I didn't have very much to sell at our table.  We decided that we should put something together for the next year.  It was supposed to be a small, black and white book, but as soon as the wheels started turning, the project just got bigger and bigger.  The next year we showed up, but without an actual book. We set up a booth at the show with the intention of pitching the project to various publishers.  Luckily,  Erik Larsen from Image Comics saw us there and said he would publish it immediately.

Daisy Kutter was picked as one of 2005's ALA Best Books for Young Adults and Flight Vol. 3 was a finalist for the Cybils awards.  What were your intended audiences for these books?

It's hard to say who the intended audience was for Daisy Kutter.  I think I was trying to do something different than what I was known for, which was mostly very kid-friendly material.  However, no matter how cool or edgy I try to be, my comics usually tend to be considered kids' material anyway.  As for Flight 3, I leave the book in the hands of the artists, so the intended audience covers a broad range of people.  I only have control of choosing the artists and putting the material together when it's done.  I do, however, encourage the artists to make the material appropriate for all ages.

Your new graphic novel, Amulet, is set in a fantasy setting.  How is the world-building for this story different than what you have had to do for your other work?

Since Daisy Kutter was all about someone reconciling their differences with their past, I didn't give much thought to the world in which Daisy lived.  All of the focus was on the emotional journey of the character and the world only worked to service the themes and mood of the story.  While this is true to a certain extent for Amulet, once the fantasy stuff started kicking in, I realized I needed to take the world-building much more seriously.  In fact, I began to realize most fantasy literature was comprised almost entirely of world-building, especially when writing about children.  Young characters tend to have very little in the way of emotional conflict, since they're so new to the world, so I needed the fantasy world to provide most of the conflict for me to work with.  Alledia, the world in which the kids travel to, became a living, breathing character in the book.

There has been much discussion among librarians, educators, and children's literature experts about how graphic novels can be an integral part of reaching reluctant readers.  How do you think webcomics can play a part in this process?  What are some webcomics you would recommend for younger readers?

Hmm, I actually think webcomics wouldn't be all that effective in getting reluctant readers to begin reading.  Chances are, if the kid is online looking for a webcomic, they're already reading plenty of information.  However, if one were to print the webcomics in book form, then I can see how they could help.  The web is a wonderful place to get comics started, and offers the artists a chance to gain confidence and a readership to keep them going.  That said, I do recommend Ben Hatke's "Zita the Spacegirl" and Kean Soo's Jellaby, both of which are among the best comics for younger readers being produced today.

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Thanks for joining me, Kazu!

Eager for more?  You can read Kazu's other Summer Blog Blast Tour at Finding Wonderland.

Today's Interviews
Mitali Perkins at Hip Writer Mama
Svetlana Chmakova at Finding Wonderland
Dana Reinhardt at Interactive Reader
Laura Ruby at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Holly Black at Shaken & Stirred
Hilary McKay at Bookshelves of Doom
Kirsten Miller at Miss Erin
Julie Ann Peters at A Fuse #8 Production (Part Two)
Carolyn Mackler at The YA YA YAs
Jordan Sonnenblick at Writing and Ruminating

Tomorrow's Interviews
Eddie Campbell at Chasing Ray
Sara Zarr at Writing and Ruminating
Brent Hartinger at Interactive Reader
Justine Larbalestier at Big A, little a
Cecil Castellucci at Shaken & Stirred
Ysabeau Wilce at Bildungsroman
Jordan Sonnenblick at Jen Robinson's Book Page
Chris Crutcher at Finding Wonderland
Kazu Kibuishi at lectitans
Mitali Perkins at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby at The YA YA YAs

[NOTE: This entry is backdated because I was away from the computer on June 19.]

Today’s Interviews
Laura Ruby at Miss Erin
Bennett Madison at Shaken & Stirred
Shaun Tan at A Fuse #8 Production (Part Two) (Part Three)
Chris Crutcher at Bookshelves of Doom
Holly Black at The YA YA YAs
Kazu Kibuishi at Finding Wonderland
Christopher Golden at Bildungsroman
David Brin at Chasing Ray
Kirsten Miller at Jen Robinson’s Book Page
Sara Zarr at Big A, little a
Sonya Hartnett at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Tomorrow’s Interviews
Mitali Perkins at Hip Writer Mama
Svetlana Chmakova at Finding Wonderland
Dana Reinhardt at Interactive Reader
Laura Ruby at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Holly Black at Shaken & Stirred
Hilary McKay at Bookshelves of Doom
Kirsten Miller at Miss Erin
Julie Ann Peters at A Fuse #8 Production
Carolyn Mackler at The YA YA YAs
Jordan Sonnenblick at Writing and Ruminating

Today’s Interviews:
Tom & Dorothy Hoobler at Chasing Ray
Mitali Perkins at Big A, Little a
Sara Zarr at Interactive Reader
Justina Chen Headley at Hip Writer Mama
Justine Larbalestier at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Dana Reinhardt at lectitans
Brent Hartinger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby at Writing and Ruminating
Jordan Sonnenblick by Bildungsroman
Ysabeau Wilce at Finding Wonderland

Tomorrow’s Interviews:
Laura Ruby at Miss Erin
Bennett Madison at Shaken & Stirred
Shaun Tan at A Fuse #8 Production
Chris Crutcher at Bookshelves of Doom
Holly Black at The YA YA YAs
Kazu Kibuishi at Finding Wonderland
Christopher Golden at Bildungsroman
David Brin at Chasing Ray
Kirsten Miller at Jen Robinson’s Book Page
Sara Zarr at Big A, little a
Sonya Hartnett at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

The Summer Blog Blast Tour begins here at

 with Dana Reinhardt.

Dana is the author of two novels for young adults: A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life and Harmless.  

In Brief Chapter, Simone, the adopted child of an ACLU attorney and a political cartoonist, meets her birth mother, Rivka, for the first time.  The things she learns in her encounters with Rivka challenge her concepts of belief and family.

In Harmless, three girls are caught at a party when they shouldn’t be.  Their lie to explain their whereabouts balloons, resulting in the arrest of an innocent man and their town and school rallying around them.  Emma, Anna, and Mariah learn that a lie that may seem harmless can do a lot of damage.

I’ll have reviews of these two books later this week.  

And now, the interview!

The Summer Blog Blast Tour is underway! The tour lasts from today through next Saturday. Each day I’ll be posting a round-up of the interviews.

Today’s Interviews:
Gene Yang at Finding Wonderland

Tomorrow’s Interviews:

Here at

 , I’ll be talking to Dana Reinhardt, author of A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life and Harmless.

Tom & Dorothy Hoobler at Chasing Ray
Mitali Perkins at Big A, Little a
Sara Zarr at Interactive Reader
Justina Chen Headley at Hip Writer Mama
Justine Larbalestier at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
Dana Reinhardt at lectitans
Brent Hartinger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Ruby at Writing and Ruminating
Jordan Sonnenblick by Bildungsroman
Ysabeau Wilce at Finding Wonderland
For the full schedule of interviews, click here!

In honor of the end of school and in light of the fact that I have an in-service workshop today, I'm posting poems about school.

I found a whole collection of school-related poems at poetryteachers.com.  My favorite is "My Teacher Loves Her iPod."  I also like "My Teacher Sees Right Through Me."  "Confession" is another fun one.  I'm not posting quotes because they're all too short.

There's another collection at Funny Poems and Children's Poetry.  I like "My Teacher's Voicemail Message":

This is Mrs. Crane and I'm pretending I'm not home.
I wish you pesky little kids would just leave me alone.

Read the rest here.

"The Last Day of School" is fun, too.

Summer vacation is starting today.
The teachers are shouting out, "Hip, hip, hooray!"

Read  the rest here.

Enjoy!  Today's roundup is at The Simple and the Ordinary.

Back in May, Kelly at Big A, little a tagged me with the Thinking Blogger Award.  Thanks, Kelly!

 


The award originated at the thinking blog.  Here are the rules: 
1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to the original post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

Here are five blogs that make me think.  If you’ve received the award before, feel free to pass it on to someone else.  

1. educating alice - Monica always makes me think about my own teaching and how I can improve it.

2. A Year of Reading - Franki and Mary Lee also post a lot about teaching and school visits by authors, spurring me on to further reflection.

3. Wild Rose Reader - Elaine Magliaro provides Classroom Connections for children’s poetry with several of her posts.

4. HipWriterMama - Vivian recently made me think in her post, Girl Power: At What Price?

5. Chasing Ray - Colleen makes me think so much, my brain hurts.

Far too often I’ve heard a student say, “I don’t read."  To the end of hearing those words replaced with “I love to read,” I’m joining Colleen Mondor’s Summer Blog Blast Tour.  Here’s the scoop on the tour from Colleen herself:

Starting next Sunday, with an interview posted at Finding Wonderland with 2006 NBA finalist and Printz Award winner Gene Yang, there will be multiple blogs in the kidlitosphere conducting multiple interviews for the following week. We will average ten interviews a day with authors like Justine Larbalestier, Brent Hartinger, David Brin, Hilary McKay, Christopher Golden, Kazu Kibuishi, Chris Crutcher, Holly Black, Kirsten Miller and Shaun Tan. Between Yang’s interview on Sunday and the last one with Justina Chen Headley on Saturday there will be over 50 author interviews posted. These authors include multiple genres (SF, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Drama), multiple formats (prose, graphic novel, manga) and for mutliple audiences (boys and girls, straight and gay). Many of the authors agreed to more than one interview although fans should not be worried - the bloggers were careful to make sure that different questions were asked each time. In the end we hope to provide a wealth of information about how these authors create, the kind of books they write and what they have to offer to new readers and long time fans.

We plan, quite simply, to rock the literary world.

Here’s my schedule:
Monday, June 18
Dana Reinhardt

Thursday, June 21
Kazu Kibuishi

I’ll post links to the other interviews as they appear.  The full schedule will be available at Chasing Ray tomorrow.  

Thank you so much to Colleen for organizing the tour and inviting me to participate, to the other bloggers for sharing their interviews, and to the authors for answering our questions!