First my updated "elevator
pitch" review of Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.
Book Scavenger is a gripping multi
layered mystery best suited for ages eight and up based in San Francisco. This
amazing series is for anyone who is brave enough to be open to secret
discoveries about San Francisco while they rediscover the infinite joys of
books, ingenious codes, the crucial role of games, baffling puzzles and a
love of the art of language in this quirky, funny, empowering and
insightful series.
Now, It is my distinct honor to finally be interviewing one of my youth literature heroes, Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, author of the Book Scavenger series.
Oh wait, you have a chance to see the
brilliant Bertman, and yours Drewly in person!!!
Come in person to Check out this
event!!
Unfortunately the scavenger hunt is
only for kids not yet in high school, what a hella major bummer.
Let me scavenge a memory from my recent
past, all the way Back in 2015 Yours Drewly, was part of the American
Bookseller Association Indies Introduce New Voices panel. The panel and I
surveyed over 40 debut author advanced reader books (books before they are
published)! The one that I loved most by far was Bertman's debut story aptly
named Book Scavenger!
When the panel was done and Book
Scavenger won unanimously and was picked a top ten finalist, I somehow got the
chance to call her. I left a bewildered and amazed message on her voicemail.
When she called me back I about lost it with joy.
I don't remember much about the content
of the conversation just the special context and the awesome memories of that
time and panel. That panel was full of interesting converstations about 43
books that haven't had much "staying of shelves power", only Book
Scavenger and a little soap opera queen book called Everything Everything came
out worthy of reading after the panel. Weeks of reading and one book was worthy
of my time. Weird. Luckily kids books for all ages have become super worthy of
my time since! The book also marked a turn around in my personal view on life,
and I have been a more enthusiastic Book Scavenger (in my case bookseller) ever
since.
Proof I was on the panel (though at a
different bookstore) is here.
Without further rambling, (I will save
that rambling for later) i will now have my first and hopefully not last
interview with Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.
My questions are in bold.
Please introduce Book Scavenger in
your own words.
Book Scavenger is an adventurous mystery set in San Francisco about two
friends who discover an Edgar Allan Poe book that they think was hidden as part
of the Book Scavenger game they play, but they soon realize is actually the
beginning of a brand-new game designed by the eccentric book publisher and
creator of Book Scavenger, Garrison Griswold. Mr. Griswold was attacked and
hospitalized before he could announce or launch his latest game, and once Emily
and James realize what they've found they attempt to solve the trail of puzzles
Mr. Griswold left behind, not realizing his attackers know about the hidden Poe
book and are after it too.
What were the top three influences
for Book Scavenger?
I spent ten years writing Book
Scavenger so as you can imagine I had a lot of different things
influencing me over that span of time, and it would be impossible for me to
rank them. But here are three:
1. Favorite books from my childhood, in
particular: The Westing Game, From the Mixed-Up Files of
Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and The Egypt Game. I loved
adventurous mysteries set in a contemporary real world with characters who were
fairly average kids like me. I loved how puzzles were incorporated into The
Westing Game, I loved how a famous location and historical facts were part
of the story in From the Mixed-Up Files, and I loved how
siblings and friends banded together for both their game and then solving their
problems in The Egypt Game. You can find all of those
elements in Book Scavenger as well, and I’d credit those
stories as the influence.
2. Masquerade by Kit
Williams. This was a picture book published in 1979 that had clues hidden
within the pages that led to a golden hare that was hidden somewhere in
England. The book started a treasure-hunting phenomenon as people attempted to
figure out what the clues were and where the treasure was located. I learned
about this during the course of writing Book Scavenger and it
was a big influence for me in how I imagined Garrison Griswold and his plans.
3. Goonies. This is one of
my favorite movies, both as a kid and a grown-up, for similar reasons to why I
liked the books listed in #1. During moments working on Book Scavenger when
I felt like I’d lost my way or steered the story off course, I played the theme
music to Goonies on repeat and it always brought me back to
the tone and spirit I was trying to capture.
How did you create book scavenger? What
are some highlights from that process?
It was a long process that
involved eight different drafts. The first four drafts were like writing an
entirely new book, really, but using the same concept and characters each time.
After the fourth draft, I had a handle on the characters and story I was trying
to tell. Then it was a matter of finessing my storytelling by scrutinizing my
pacing, working on character development, questioning each scene and the
purpose it served in the story. Getting feedback from trusted readers along the
way was also integral to my process, as well as reading books that I adore and
that inspire me, like Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach.
How did you create the dynamic duo of
Book Scavenger’s young protagonists Emily and James?
For me, writing characters is a lot
like making friends and, as it can be with friends, getting to know each
character is its own process. Sometimes you fall so easily into a friendship
you don't even realize it's happening, other times it takes patience and
dedication. With Emily and James, I had an idea of who they were in the
beginning but it took me awhile to feel like I really understood them.
Now that I know them, I would say James
disarmed Emily with his humor and lack of self-consciousness--she didn't get a
chance to put up the guards she's used to having in place when she moves
somewhere new. Emily also can't resist an intriguing puzzle or mystery and
that's what James represented to her, at first. Literally--he presented her
with a puzzle--but she'd also never met anyone quite like him, a person who
delivers messages via a pail-and-pulley system and who has anthropomorphized his
cowlick. I think they formed such an immediate and strong bond because they
have the right balance of shared interests to provide a common ground, and
differences that challenge each other to grow and keep things interesting.
How would you compare Willy Wonka and
Garrison Griswold?
I would say Willy Wonka is more
mischievous and childlike than Garrison Griswold. I also can't imagine Willy
Wonka mixing very well in society outside his chocolate factory setting.
Garrison Griswold is very rooted in the real world--he turned a small
publishing venture into a successful company that he continues to run to this
day. But he has a big heart and a strong spirit of play. Amidst a life of
grown-up responsibilities and pressures, he has remained attached—and stubbornly
so--to his childhood self. I think he feels it’s essential for his own
well-being, and I think part of why he plans such elaborate games is that he
feels it’s essential for everyone else’s well-being too.
Why is San Francisco the setting for
Book Scavenger?
The simple answer is I was living
there, in Emily and James's neighborhood, when I started writing the book. I
also grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and have always had a connection and
fascination with the city. San Francisco has always struck me as a setting rich
with potential for adventurous mysteries, but I hadn't seen it used very often
in middle grade books.
Life is a game and books are the
tokens. Garrison Griswold, please explain this quote?
Greetings, scavengers! What these words
boil down to, for me, is this: READ! Whether you read for pleasure or knowledge
or distraction or inspiration or a myriad more reasons, it will enrich your
life in ways you cannot imagine.
Please List and explain your favorite
two passage (quotes) from book scavenger?
I love the exchange Emily and James
have when they first meet. It makes me laugh, and I feel like it captures them
and their relationship well:
Emily
didn't know what to make of this guy. He wore reindeer antlers and delivered
puzzle challenges via a rusty old sand pail. He seemed genuinely offended that
she might have thought he'd stolen her notebook, but he still seemed friendly.
Even the cowlick on the back of his head stuck up like a wing waving hello.
"Are you
hypnotized by my hair?" James asked.
Emily felt her
face heat up, but James waved her off.
"It's
cool. He likes the attention."
"He?"
"His name
is Steve."
"Your cowlick is named Steve?"
"I was
going to name him Geronimo, but that seemed ridiculous," James said.
As for a second passage that I like,
well, writing these lines was very satisfying both because it's the end and I
also feel like they subtly wrap up the arc of personal growth Emily goes
through in the story:
"You
ready, Em?"
"I'm
ready."
And she was.
She was ready to lean into their next adventure.
Your book is a clever literary love
letter to books and indie bookstores as well as a love letter to San Francisco
that is a fantastic book for readers of all ages. What is it that makes your
stories so relatable to readers of all ages?
I'm happy to hear you think my stories
are relatable to readers of all ages! I imagine this question would best be
answered by readers themselves rather than me speculating, but I will speculate
nonetheless. J While writing Book Scavenger and The
Unbreakable Code I was attempting to write something that would have
been the ultimate book for me when I was young--not just a story I would have
liked, but a story I would have obsessed over. And also, with everything I
write, I always try to please my present-day, grown-up self, so perhaps it's
because I had both the adult and child me in mind as I was writing the story?
How do you write? What is your
relationship with writer’s block?
That's interesting that you used the
word "relationship" because that's really what writer’s block is
like, for me at least. It's an evolving back-and-forth dance that will change
depending on the day, my mood, what part of a story I'm working on. Many, many
years ago when I felt stuck in a story, I thought that said something negative
about me as a writer. I must not be a "real" writer. "Real"
writers have this all figured out, therefore, no writer's block. Now I don’t
take it personally and plunge forward and eventually I find my way.
What do you want the legacy of Book
Scavenger to be?
Well, "legacy" is a big,
intimidating word, but I do hope that Book Scavenger stays
published for a long time and readers continue to discover it and connect with
it.
Book scavenger has found its way into
the hearts of many yet far too few kids. I've heard there is a real game based
on the book and several tools online. How can we spread Book Scavenger love
most effectively?
Yes, there is a
version of the game being played by readers across the country, and the website
was recently updated to accept entries around the world too! (Visit www.BookScavenger.com to
find out more.) In the future, I’m hoping I’ll be able to add a forum to the
website to help foster a community among Book Scavengers. In the meantime,
anyone can spread Book Scavenger love by doing exactly what I know you are
already doing, Drew: Share the book and your enthusiasm with others, either in
real life or via social media or both. Book scavenging events have been
organized in many communities by bookstores, schools, and libraries using
either the official Book Scavenger website or their own means. If you'd like
your community/school to do something like that as well, reach out to a local
librarian, teacher, or bookseller to help make it happen. Or plan a book
scavenging event yourself! And I’m open to other ideas for spreading Book
Scavenger love as well!
You talk in previous interviews about
the desire to write a book your kid-self would love. What would your little
girl self say to the book scavenger community today?
My kid-self would probably be too
self-conscious and anxious that she might say the wrong thing to a group of
more than four people, let alone a community at large, so she probably wouldn’t
say anything at all. But she would write me, as the author of Book
Scavenger, a very nice note, probably including her best bubble letters as
well as a drawing of her cats, and she’d ask me to please keep writing more
books.
Here is a collage of me and the
brilliant Jenn Bertman, The Unbreakable Code, book 2 of Scavenger and the most
humbling credit ever given to me, my name in a kids book!
You once said indies feed the soul of
their communities, the Book Scavenger series is one of the most scrumptious
feasts of stories ever told. But don't take my word for it, take a close look
at this elaborate meal full of courses of fun today!!!
What are some parting words to your
readers?
"Thank you for being readers, and
thank you for choosing my books!"
For more i formation here are more
links.
Twitter: @jabertie
BOOK SCAVENGER (Christy Ottaviano
Books/Henry Holt)
New York Times Bestseller |
Best Book of the Year: Bank Street, Amazon | NCTE Notable Book
New York Times Bestseller | Junior Library
Guild selection
"Readers who loved the first volume will find this
follow-up even more satisfying. Purchase extra copies where there are
fans." --School Library Journal
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