What do you do if you're tryiong to reverse-engineer a popular children's book?

How about, if your goal is to create a series to help reluctant readers?

You might follow the path of today's guest, Dan Gutman, when he created the "My Weird School" series over 20 years ago!

Dan created the phenomenal book series to help solve for reluctant readers and create something he wish existed back when he was a reluctant reader himself!

Joe and Dan get into a conversation about creating a book series from scratch, how to help reluctant readers, and some advice for those young aspiring writers in our households.

Enjoy!

About Dan Gutman

New York Times best-selling and award-winning author Dan Gutman has written more than 190 books for readers from kindergarten through middle school. Dan’s My Weird School series includes 100+ titles, and has sold more than 35 million copies globally over the past 20 years. Dan also is the author of the best-selling Genius Files series, the Baseball Card Adventure series, and many more.

Dan’s books have been named Junior Library Guild Selections and Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books of the Year, and have been awarded numerous state book awards, including: The California Young Reader Medal, the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, and the Iowa Children’s Choice Award, among others. When he’s not writing books, Dan loves to ride his bike, play pickleball, throw Frisbees, and explore New York City where he lives with his wife Nina. To find out more, follow Dan on Facebook, X, and Instagram.

About the 'My Weird School' series

With more than 100 titles and 35 million copies sold, Dan Gutman’s My Weird School series follows the day-to-day life of wisecracking A.J., his loyal pals Ryan and Michael, and his archenemy, smarty-pants Andrea, as they face a set of wacky teachers at Ella Mentry School—the weirdest school ever.

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast:

What do you do when you feel stuck between two worlds?

How do you navigate the spaces you're in, when you're both part of and separate from, two worlds?

This is the situation Kathy finds herself in at the beginning of the book 'Continental Drifter'.

In this episode of the podcast, Joe sits down with author/illustrator Kathy MacLeod to discuss her autobiographical graphic novel about her time growing up in both Thailand and Maine.

Joe and Kathy get into a lovely conversation about navigating spaces and places while growing up to find one's one place in this world.

Enjoy!

About Kathy MacLeod

Kathy MacLeod is the author of Continental Drifter, a Winter/Spring 2024 Indies Introduce middle grade selection.

MacLeod is an illustrator and cartoonist whose work has appeared in The Believer, Catapult, The Hairpin, and Lucky Peach. After spending most of her life in Bangkok, Thailand (with a four-year interlude at Wesleyan University), she is currently living in Berlin, Germany.

About 'Continental Drifter'

With a Thai mother and an American father, Kathy lives in two different worlds. She spends most of the year in Bangkok, where she’s secretly counting the days till summer vacation. That’s when her family travels for twenty-four hours straight to finally arrive in a tiny seaside town in Maine.

Kathy loves Maine’s idyllic beauty and all the exotic delicacies she can’t get back home, like clam chowder and blueberry pie. But no matter how hard she tries, she struggles to fit in. She doesn’t look like the other kids in this rural New England town. Kathy just wants to find a place where she truly belongs, but she’s not sure if it’s in America, Thailand . . . or anywhere.

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast: