Hi, everyone! Today I'm happy to present an interview with Dee Romito, the author of multiple MG novels, including No Place Like Home, and the new chapter book series, Fort Builders Inc.
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 No Place Like Home?
No Place Like Home is about a girl named Kenzie who travels around the country with her dad for his job. They live in fancy hotels and fly first class, and she knows how lucky she is to have that life, but she misses having a real home. When she gets the chance to go to middle school for six weeks, she’s thrilled! She wants to try everything, but she doesn’t tell anyone that she’s only there temporarily. Which gets her in a bit of trouble.
It’s a story about what home means and why the things we often take for granted are really the best things in life.
You have a chapter book series releasing this year! Would you please tell us a little about it?
Sure. 😊 Fort Builders, Inc. is a series about a group of kids who decide to start a fort-building business to earn some money. Along the way, they learn about teamwork, perseverance, and friendship. The first book, The Birthday Castle, is out now, and Happy Tails Lodge releases August 25, 2020. Two more will follow in 2021.
The books are early chapter books, meant for emerging readers in grades K-3. They also have a cast of characters, word list, discussion questions, and a STEM/STEAM activity, so they’re great for teachers and parents because they give some guidance along the way.
Random Question! What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
My two favorites have always been black raspberry and peanut butter swirl. But I LOVE ice cream, so there are plenty of flavors I like. 😊
I love ice cream, too! I think it's the best dessert! :)
If you're able to talk about it, what are you currently working on?
Right now I’m hovering between a nonfiction picture book and a contemporary MG--mostly doing a lot of thinking and planning. With everything going on in this weird time in history, I’m home with the kids and am taking the opportunity to spend time with them. I’m also doing some organizing projects I’ve been putting off for so long!
What are some of your favorite MG books you've read? And what are some that you're looking forward to reading?
Two of my favorites are The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society by Janet Sumner Johnson and The Rat Prince by Bridget Hodder. Both authors debuted with me when The BFF Bucket List came out in 2016. As far as what I’m looking forward to reading, I’m paying attention to all the great lists coming out now of books with diverse characters and by diverse creators.
Excellent choices! :)
Thank you to Dee Romito for participating in this event! :)
Author Bio: Dee Romito is an author of books for young readers and a former elementary school teacher. Her middle grade books include The BFF Bucket List, No Place Like Home, Postcards from Venice, and co-authored Best.Night.Ever (Aladdin/S&S). Her debut picture book, Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Little Bee Books) received a starred review from Booklist and a Crystal Kite Award. Next up is a chapter book series titled Fort Builders (Aladdin/S&S), which will release in 2020. Dee blogs about writing at WriteforApples.com and is Co-Advisor of Buffalo-Niagara Children’s Writers and Illustrators. While she does her best to be a grown-up most of the time, giggling with her BFFs is still one of her all-time favorite things. You can visit her website at DeeRomito.com.
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Congrats to Dee! Fort Build sounds like a great chapter book.
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