How times have changed!
I remember being somewhat petrified to speak to adults as a child. They didn’t really listen, anyway. Most people from my generation will remember the monotone droning of the fictional “Charlie Brown” teacher, which sounded very
much like a muted wailing wind instrument.
In current times, however, children expect to be listened to, catered to, and entertained. They expect instant gratification, whether from their smart phones, social media posts, Amazon wish lists—this is a “me first” world.
As a child, I was naturally attracted to humorous, especially irreverent, fiction because it made me feel empowered. I didn’t dare to talk back to or argue with adults! Children of my generation were to be seen and not heard. So, the sheer delight of a character like Ramona Quimby, who lived life in her own quirky way
was rather exhilarating.
I loved finding a good book that made me laugh and laugh hard. I loved picturing myself having the courage to say the things that swirled around in my head, like Ramona did. I longed to say things to the class bully like, “Sit yourself down brace face, your hair is fried from too many perms and you smell like Aqua Net.”
Alas, I never had the guts! I had to live vicariously through Ramona and other fictional heroines like Anne Shirley and Pippi Longstocking.
Times may have changed, but kids really haven’t. Graphic novels are all the rage, which breaks this writer’s heart, since I think the fewer illustrations and more text the
better, but that’s a topic for another day. Kids still love to laugh.
When I created the characters of Holden and Harriet Reynolds, I kept that belief very close in sight with every chapter. I want my young readers to laugh … to imagine… and to feel that they can say those things that build up inside as they go
through each day.
My hope is that as they read and grow along with Harriet and Holden, they gain a little more confidence to live their own stories in the real world and to become their own hero or heroine! Of course, laughter is always the best medicine.
