Yay for Middle Grade Books: Interview With Jen Malone!

Today is the first post of Yay for Middle Grade Books! And I'm happy to present an interview with Jen Malone! Ms. Malone is the author of multiple Middle Grade books, including At Your Service, the RSVP books written with Gail Nall, and the upcoming The Art of the Swap written with Kristine Carlson Asselin. Her newest MG book, The Sleepover, releases tomorrow, May 17th! She also has written the YA books Map to the Stars, and the upcoming Wanderlost (Releases May 31st!).

Now here's the interview! :)

The questions I asked are in bold, her answers are in regular font, and my comments about her answers are in bold italic font.

1. Your next MG book, The Sleepover, releases this month! (May 17th) Would you please describe it in five words?

Kid-friendly spoof of The Hangover

2. The RSVP books are about a group of girls who are party planners (And in the second book, wedding planners.). What would be the theme of your dream party?

Ooh, I love this question! If I weren’t an author I would definitely consider wedding planning as a career and I have whole Pinterest boards of decorations and ideas I adore for parties I will never throw:)  My dream party would probably be a beach bonfire with s’mores, acoustic guitars, and stargazing- not all that unfamiliar from one that actually appears in You’re Invited and was based on a party I went to in high school on the Outer Banks in North Carolina, during a meteor shower

That sounds like fun! :)

3. Random question! If you could travel into the world of any MG book and spend a day there, what book/world would you want to go into?
I know the obvious answer here is Harry Potter (and this was a close one for me) but I have to go with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- I’d like to hear what song those Oompa Loompas would come up for me (and then, of course, there’s that chocolate river…)


Honestly, the chocolate river would be the best part! :)

4. If you're able to talk about them, what other MG books are you working on now?

I’m working on two co-written project- one with Kristine Asselin called The Art of the Swap, which has two girls switching place in time and having to solve an art heist in high-society 1905 Newport, Rhode Island in order to swap back to their rightful time periods. I’m writing the modern girl who goes back in time and having a ton of fun doing all the research involved. There are huge differences with the way kids were expected to conduct themselves back then- it’s amazing to see how much has changed…let’s just say Hannah’s not a fan of corsets! I’m also editing a MG book called SEVEN SIDES TO EVERY STORY which is co-written Simon & Schuster Aladdin authors and tells the story of one night at a middle school dance from seven different characters’ perspectives with lots of overlapping storylines. The character I write is stuck missing out on the fun because she’s babysitting bratty twins.. until she decides to bring them to the dance- of course, chaos ensues! It’s pretty complex to plot, but I think the finished result is going to be really excellent and it’s cool to experiment with such a different way to write a book!! Both these books will be out in 2017

I'm looking forward to both of these so much! :)

5. What are some of your favorite Middle Grade books? Favorites growing up: From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Misty of Chincoteague, anything Beverly Cleary. New favorites: Breaking the Ice by Gail Nall, all of the Harry Potter books (I’m rereading them now and they only get better with each read), Pilfer Academy by Lauren Magaziner, Nooks and Crannies by Jessica Lawson, and Better Nate the Ever by Tim Federle.

I have already read and loved some of these, and more of them are on my TBR list! :)

Thank you for participating in this event! :)

Author Bio: Jen Malone writes sweet and funny books about tweens and teens for readers of all ages. Her middle grade titles include At Your Service, the You're Invited series (co-written with Gail Nall), and The Sleepover, all with Simon & Schuster/Aladdin. Her Young Adult titles (with HarperCollins/HarperTeen) include Map to the Stars and Wanderlost. Jen's a former Hollywood movie executive who once spent a year traveling the world solo, met her husband on the highway (literally), and went into labor with her identical twins while on a rock star's tour bus. These days she saves the drama for her books. You can learn more about her and her titles at www.jenmalonewrites.com.

Here are a few links:

Her Website

Her Twitter

Her Facebook

Her Goodreads 

Her Instagram