Just another teen reading books: Yay For Middle Grade Books! Interview With Tamara Bundy!

Hi, everyone! Today I'm pleased to present an interview with Tamara Bundy, the author of the MG novels Walking with Miss Millie and Pixie Pushes On, and the upcoming Picture Book, Lullaby Prayer.

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

Would you please tell us a little about Pixie Pushes On?

Pixie is my second book with Nancy Paulsen (the first was Walking with Miss Millie). It was so wonderful to work with her again. In this novel, I got to look back at my parents’ childhoods of being raised on farms. In particular, my mom’s relationship with a lamb she raised. This lamb was so special to my mom –but it was 1945 and life on a farm could be hard. When I was little and Mom would tell me what happened, I would often think it was a great story that needed to be shared. So, I had to share it in Pixie Pushes On. The other plots deal with polio, WWII, grief and just trying to “push on” each day.

You have a Picture Book releasing in November! Would you please tell us a little about Lullaby Prayer?

I am so excited about this! I was raised on the rhythm and rhyme of Dr. Seuss, so I always knew I wanted to write a rhyming picture book. This sweet book is a nod to the many bedtime routines I had with my children when they were little. It gently reminds them that the world is winding down, and I can’t be with them all night, but God is with them and they are safe. The illustrator did a perfect job bringing my words to life.

I love rhyming Picture Books, and this one sounds so good! :)

Random Question! What’s your favorite color?

Green.

If you're able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?

I just turned in a book for submission that deals in two time periods –the first is 1913 when women were fighting to try to get the right to vote. And the other is 1970 when another girl is trying to make a difference in her world. I’m looking forward to seeing what this becomes.

What are some of your favorite MG books you've read? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?

I read EVERYTHING middle grade. I love this genre. When I was an English teacher, I read Sharon Draper’s Tears of a Tiger to my students every year. Sharon was also an English teacher at one time. So, I drew so much inspiration from her and her journey. I had a chance to meet her right before my first MG novel came out. I recently read her Out of my Mind and it was wonderful.

And I loved Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan, so I’m looking forward to reading The One and Only Bob.

I've read Out of My Mind and really liked it! :)

Thank you to Tamara Bundy for participating in this event! :)