We chat with author Sydney Dunlap about Racing The Clouds, which is a heartfelt and empowering story that explores the complexity of family relationships, the value of forgiveness, and how to find your way forward in a tough situation with resilience and hope.
Hi, Sydney! Welcome back! How have the past two years been since we last spoke?
Hi! Thank you so much for having me again! It’s an honor to be here.
The last two years have been very busy and so much fun. I’ve gotten to travel around the country and present at many wonderful events—book festivals, and state and national conferences including NCTE and AASL—and speak with thousands of middle schoolers about social media safety. My dream was to be able to share It Happened on Saturday’s themes about making wise decisions when going online with as many young readers as possible, and I’m incredibly grateful for the awards, state reading list placements, and overall reception Julia’s story has received. I’m also thrilled to have an opportunity to put another book out into the world.
With it still relatively early in the year, do you have any goals or aspirations for 2025?
I have lots of events and travel planned already, so it’s already looking to be a busy and exciting year! I would like to try to finish drafting my current work-in-progress, maybe start something new, and also to continue volunteering in my community in the fight against child trafficking.
Your latest novel, Racing the Clouds, is out February 18th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Heartfelt hopeful story of resilience
What can readers expect?
Like my debut novel, Racing the Clouds takes on a timely topic that isn’t often addressed in middle grade literature. It explores addiction in the family through the lens of a middle schooler whose mother is dealing with opioid abuse. The main character, Sage, is thirteen years old, but she has never heard from or met her mom’s parents due to a falling out in the family before she was born. While her mom is in rehab, Sage has to decide if she wants to accept her grandparents’ invitation to visit them, even though it goes against her dad’s wishes. The story includes serious themes of the complexity of family relationships, forgiveness (of both self and others), and resilience, and there are also lighter moments with a silly, adorable dog, a concert with a great band, and a strawberry festival with people dressed as giant pieces of fruit!
Where did the inspiration for Racing the Clouds come from?
Like Sage, I have experienced the addiction of loved ones, and I wanted to explore how addiction’s effects can ripple outward through family relationships. Additionally, I know families who have experienced estrangement, and I started wondering what might happen if grandparents and kids connected on their own. This led me to a bigger story with a lot of other elements, including a bit of mystery about why Sage and her dad had to leave Philadelphia and what happened to her mom.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
As an animal lover with a houseful of rescue pets, I loved writing the scenes with Nicky, the stray dog who follows Sage home. Especially since my son’s dog, Barry, was sitting under my desk the entire time I was writing, just waiting to have a character modeled after him. I also enjoyed exploring the impact an animal can have on a family—particularly in bringing together people who might not connect on much else. I’m always amazed at how dogs can bring people together, and I liked having that as part of the plot. It was fun writing the completely awkward scene between Sage’s dad and her grandparents when everyone is desperately trying to make conversation but not succeeding at all and then thankfully, Nicky comes bursting in, and they all start talking at once.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Probably my biggest challenge was writing in the point of view of a protagonist who is not sharing everything with the reader. I wanted readers to go along on Sage’s journey toward forgiveness of herself as well as her mom, and for that to happen, I needed for the story to unfold gradually, leaving readers to piece flashbacks together, bit by bit. My editor, Meg Gaertner, was so helpful in this process.
What do you hope readers take away from Racing the Clouds?
Kate Albus, one of my blurbists, summed up my hopes for reader takeaway perfectly in her quote:
“Told with touching honesty and profound sympathy, Racing the Clouds lovingly reminds us about the importance of having the hard conversations, the value of standing in another person’s shoes for a while, and the extraordinary resilience of family.” — Kate Albus, author of A Place to Hang the Moon
What’s your pitch to adults looking to purchase or recommend Racing the Clouds to young readers?
This is a hopeful, heartfelt, character-driven story that encourages empathy and also equips young readers with a better understanding of the dangers of opioids and how to stay safe from them. It includes a Q&A at the end about fentanyl and how it is reaching people, and it could be very useful in enabling young readers to make smart, careful decisions that could help them avoid these dangerous substances, both now and in the future.
What’s next for you?
I am very excited for my upcoming launch events in Houston and also in northern Virginia, where I lived most of my life until my husband was transferred to Houston for his work. I’m looking forward to meeting young readers at upcoming school and library visits and also a museum event—and to take part in the Texas Tea with Authors in April at TLA and present with author friends at MLA/DLA. I am hoping to complete my next work in progress too!
Lastly, what books are you looking forward to picking up in 2025?
I love reading middle grade books my friends have written, so I’m especially excited about Tricia Springstubb’s How to Tell a True Story, Amar Shah’s Wish I was a Baller, and Stan Yan’s The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang.
