Amazon Asks: Newbery Medalist Rebecca Stead

In 2010 Rebecca Stead won the prestigious Newbery Medal for When You Reach Me, and this month we chose her new title, Liar & Spy, as our favorite book for middle grade readers (age 9-12).   Liar & Spy, like the book before it, touches on family and friendship, self-discovery and, in this case, lies we tell ourselves and others. Liar & Spy is funny and heartfelt--I would give this book to anyone.  In the Q&A below, Stead shares favorite books, her thoughts on superpowers and more.

Q: Did winning the Newbery change the way you approached writing LIAR & SPY?

RS: It didn’t affect the writing process itself. I may have approached the task of writing with a little more trepidation for a while. The Newbery was a bolt of joy from the blue, though, so I’m not complaining.

Q: Do you have a phobia?

RS: I am not fond of snakes or drawings of clowns. But no, I don’t have a real phobia.  (A collection of small worries, maybe – riptides, writer’s block, New York drivers who text while my kids are crossing the street, etc.)

Q: What’s your most prized possession?

RS: I honestly can’t think of one.  Name it, you can have it.

Q: What was your favorite book as a child?

RS: So many: Mom, the Wolf Man and Me, Red Planet, Half Magic, Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing, The Cat Ate My Gymsuit, Daddy Was a Number Runner, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A Wrinkle in Time. And many more.

Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be? (Flight and invisibility are off the table)

RS: Teleportation. Imagine having the whole world within reach at all times.

Q: What’s next for you?

RS: I’m working on several projects right now – a middle-grade novel, a short story for adults, a picture book, a short story for middle-graders. . . I often work on something and then put it away for a while. I’m just hoping I’ll keep writing.