Dan Gutman grew up in New Jersey loving sports, which inspired him as an adult to write his baseball card book series, that begins with Honus & Me, which was nominated for eleven state awards and adapted for television. Other titles of his include the My Weird School series, The Genius Files series, The Kid Who Ran for President, and much more. He lives with his wife and two kids in New York City. Houdini and Me is Dan’s first title with Holiday House.
We chat with author Dan Gutman about his new novel Houdini and Me, writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Dan Tell our readers a bit about yourself!
I was born in a log cabin in Illinois and used to write by candlelight with a piece of chalk on a shovel. Oh, wait a minute. That was Abraham Lincoln. Actually, I’m a children’s book author who grew up in New Jersey.
For the littlest ones, I write picture books like “Rappy the Raptor,” about a rapping raptor.
For beginning readers, I write “My Weird School,” about a group of kids who go to a school in which all the grownups are crazy.
For middle-graders, I write a series about a boy who has the power to travel back in time using a baseball card like a time machine. He goes on adventures with players like Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, and others.
For advanced readers, I write “The Genius Files” and “Flashback Four.” In the former, a pair of twins named Coke and Pepsi travel cross-country with their parents while a crew of psychotic bad guys are chasing them. In the latter, four kids travel through time with a camera and try to take pictures of events that were never photographed before (Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, the sinking of the Titanic, the destruction of Pompeii, and the Hamilton-Burr duel).
I live in New York City with my wife Nina. We have two grown children, Sam and Emma, who have inspired many of my books.
If you’d like to find out more, visit my website and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
After the chaos that was 2020, have you set any goals for this year? If so, how are they going so far?
After all we’ve been through, all I want is the world to return to normal again. People not getting sick and dying. Businesses and restaurants open again. Getting together with friends and family. Going out to shows, concerts, lectures, and movies.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
“The Cat In the Hat Strikes Back,” by Dr. Seuss. “Ball Four” by Jim Bouton. “Houdini and Me” by Dan Gutman
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I never took a class in writing. I was a psychology major in college. I even went to graduate school in psychology for two years. I hated every second of it. I knew I didn’t want to be a psychologist, but I didn’t know what I should do with my life. So I thought about what I LIKE to do. I always enjoyed writing letters to my friends. Writing always came naturally to me. So I dropped out of school and moved to New York City, where all the starving writers go. I spent a decade trying to write for grownups (unsuccessfully). Then my son Sam was born and I started reading children’s books with him. I thought, “I can do better than this!” and I decided to try writing for kids. And I realized THIS is what I’m good at. This is what I should have been doing all along.
Your new novel, Houdini and Me, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
KID SWAPS TEXTS WITH HARRY HOUDINI
What can readers expect?
The book is sort of an action/adventure/mystery/fantasy with a surprise ending that will blow their minds.
Where did the inspiration for Houdini and Me come from?
I live in New York City, and I was walking down 113th street near Central Park one day when I noticed an apartment building that had one of those plaques next to the front door indicating somebody famous once lived there. I went closer and saw that it was Harry Houdini. For the last 22 years of his life, he lived just eight blocks from where I live today.
I got to thinking about Houdini, reading about him, and that made me want to write a book about him. He was a fascinating man, and he’s one of those few people from the distant past that just about everybody has heard of. Houdini was the most famous magician and escape artist ever. He could escape from ANYTHING, and he seemed indestructible.
There was just one thing he couldn’t escape from—his own death. So I had this idea: What if a present day kid lived in Houdini’s house on 113th street? What if Houdini found a way to communicate with that kid…from beyond the grave…using text messages? And…what if the two of them somehow found a way to switch places? That would make a cool story!
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
With any time travel adventure, you have to deal with the fact that history is history. It’s in the books. So if your character goes back in time and does anything significant, when he returns to the present day, the world needs to reflect those things or you simply have to pretend they didn’t happen. In my book, Houdini wants to switch places with the kid so he can escape death and live in the 21st century. I figured out a way to get around the fact that Houdini is not alive today.
If it’s not too spoilery, were there any favourite moments you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Houdini lived just eight blocks from where I live today. So it was fun figuring out the real locations in the neighborhood that I could use in the story. Some of my photographs appear in the book too.
What’s the best and the worst writing advice you have received?
Honestly, I can’t recall anyone ever giving me any writing advice, good or bad. I had to figure out everything on my own. I think the fact that I’m self-taught is an advantage. I never learned the rules and conventions of fiction, so I’m not restricted by them.
What’s next for you?
Looking for the next great idea, as always. Until that comes along, I’ll continue writing My Weird School and doing “virtual author visits” with schools.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
If you mean my books, in addition to the ones I mentioned above, a few of my favorites are: The Homework Machine, The Million Dollar Shot, Johnny Hangtime, The Kid Who Ran For President, and Rappy the Raptor.
