From Newbery Honor- and Coretta Scott King Author Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Renée Watson comes a heartwarming and inspiring middle-grade novel about finding deep roots and exploring the past, the present, and the places that make us who we are.
We had the pleasure of chatting to author Renée Watson about her new middle-grade novel, Some Places More Than Others, including its inspiration and the challenges she faced, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi Renée! Tell us a little about yourself!
I’m a storyteller who loves writing poetry and fiction. I grew up in Portland, Oregon and live in New York City. These two places are the setting for Some Places More Places Than Others.
When did you know you wanted to be an author?
From about age 7, I knew I was a writer and I wrote daily in my journal. In middle school I wrote the play that became the school’s spring production. It took me a while to know being an author was an option for me. As a child—and even in my early college years—I was resolved that writing would be something I’d always do on the side, like a hobby. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I started to pursue writing as a career.
Your new novel, Some Places More Than Others, is out now! What can readers expect?
Readers will meet a girl named Amara, who travels on a daddy-daughter trip to New York from Oregon. When she gets to New York, she meets family she’s never seen in person and works on her secret mission to get her grandpa and dad talking again. As she works to bring reconciliation between them, she learns about her family’s history and some of the history of African American legends. It’s a story about belonging, family and forgiveness.
What inspired you to write this book?
There was a lot of inspiration for this book. The first seedlings of the story came to me as I thought about all the Black men I know who love their families, have good relationships with their children and are positive role models in the their communities. I wanted to celebrate that. The men and boys in Some Places More Than Others have healthy relationships with Amara—her dad, her grandpa, a family friend who she sees as an uncle, her best friend—all of them love and care for her.
The idea started as a daddy-daughter road trip and developed from there. As the story developed, Harlem became a great source of inspiration. Amara is on a quest to connect with her roots, her family history, and Harlem provided so much art and history to include and draw from.
Were there any parts that challenged you while writing?
The most challenging part was getting the particulars right about Nike. I wanted Amara to be a sneaker head (but I am not) so I was in constant conversation with a good friend who works at Nike and has knowledge about the inner-workings. It was fun talking and sharing scenes with her.
What do you hope readers will take away from Some Places More Than Others?
I hope young readers see that family can be the people you are biologically related to but also the people you choose. I hope they want to investigate their histories and that they find strength and pride from their ancestors.
I was intentional about making Amara a big girl. On the cover, we see her full body but in the actual story, her weight is not a part of the plot. I hope this resonates with readers and that they think of Amara’s humanity—her story, not just her size.
At the back of the book, there are prompts for writing and interviewing loved ones. I’m excited to see if educators use that with students and what art and oral histories will come from it.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?
My advice to aspiring writers is to read, read, read. The more you read the stronger writer you’ll become. If you love a book, read it twice so that you can study it and figure out what the author did to pull you in, to make you want to keep reading and then, apply those techniques to your own writing.
What’s next for you?
In May 2020, Ways To Make Sunshine will be released. It’s a sweet tale about a girl named Ryan who loves to race bikes with her brother, cook in the kitchen with her mom, and spend time with her friends. Sometimes things don’t go her way—especially when playing with friends or cooking up concoctions in the kitchen. Through it all, she finds a way to make the best of every situation. I had such a fun time writing it and I am looking forward to sharing it next spring.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
Yes! Here are a few fall titles I am very excited about:
The Jumbie God’s Revenge by Tracey Baptiste
Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes
Forgotten Girl by India Hill
Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy
