RAR #56: What’s at Stake and Why Stories Matter, Jonathan Auxier
Jonathan Auxier has been a writer for a very long time, but he says he never really felt like he had found his place until he began writing children’s literature.
Thank goodness he did!
The New York Times best-selling author of what he calls “strange stories for strange children,” his books include Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, The Night Gardener and most recently, Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard.
In this episode he joins Sarah (and 13-year-old Allison!) to talk about writing for children, and why he’s so driven to connect kids with stories.
In this episode, you’ll hear
- his mother’s decision to homeschool him for a year so he could read for three hours a day
- why he always recommends other authors’ books too to the kids he meets
- scary books and sensitive kids
- Allison’s favorite books series (Jonathan hadn’t heard of it before!)
Click the play button below:
Books from this episode:
(All links are affiliate links.)
Links from today’s show:
- That C.S. Lewis quote that Sarah shares
- On Three Ways of Writing for Children by C.S. Lewis
- That G.K. Chesterton quote
- Jonathan’s website
- Jonathan on Facebook
- Jonathan on Twitter
What was the book series your daughter was talking about wing feather (?)
It’s the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. :)
https://soundcloud.com/rsl/micheal-morpurgo-afraid-of-the-dark
I enjoyed this recording from The Royal Society of Literature and think you may as well.
“It’s the passing on of the love of it, which is what my mother did for me, and I just regret enormously that we’ve regressed, we’ve gone down to this notion, really, that children are there just to be tested. It’s the whole child we are educating and from books they can learn so much intellectually and emotionally. That’s what’s important about it, you know?” -Michael Morpurgo
I was a bit uncertain of what I thought of Jonathan’s work from listening to this podcast, but I checked out one of his books, The Night Gardener, from our library. It is a William Allen White award winning book. The back cover recommends it for ages 9-14. My positive comment is that Jonathan is a skillful author. Unfortunately that is the only positive comment I can offer this book. It is not wholesome for any age, and certainly not for readers that young. When main characters lie repeatedly, graves are found (and one uncovered) in the front yard, and people are killed with an axe I just don’t think it is something I want to hand my kids to read. Allowing children to read things like this only makes for smarter morbid people than those who feed their minds off of the popular movies and video games. Be careful parents. There are much better options for our dear kids.
Jamie, I am curious whether you finished the book? I only ask because the lying was dealt with, I personally thought it was wonderfully handled, in a way that would cause children to actually think about it. I felt similarly about some of the dark elements in the story; I think it was the sort of story to help you face darkness with courage, not the sort to make you morbid. And I think both Jonathan Auxier and N.D. Wilson handled this question of “creepy” stories so well on the podcast.
Now, of course you get to decide what sort of books come into your home! :) I mostly responded just for another perspective for other listeners who might see the comments.
Danielle, yes I did finish the book….though I did speed read through the middle some. I sure didn’t feel that the value of honesty was upheld. And I don’t understand creating the creepy setting of this story. Reading about people who faced realistic darkness and overcame seems so much more valuable than haunted tree monsters. Of course, we are entitled to our own choices of what we and our children read. I just wanted to warn others who might take Sarah’s word for what is good, but have the values my family holds. I can certainly tell from the last two podcasts that, though we are both book-loving homeschoolers, we are headed in different directions.
I was thinking of this line that Molly says–“A story helps folks face the world, even when it frightens ’em. And a lie does the opposite. It helps you hide.”
As far as “creepy” stories vs more “realistic” struggles, I keep thinking of this from Ephesians–“for our struggle is not against flesh and blood,” etc. The reality is that the darkness in our world goes beyond the physical senses. I believe that fantasy stories in particular can help children understand deeper realities, both the light and the darkness.
Again, I certainly respect your choice for your family…I’m just also personally glad that Sarah brought this author to my attention. :)
I appreciate fantasy also, Danielle. But I prefer the Narnia version, where the characters have to exhibit bravery, but they are not left to their own cleverness or courage to overcome. Aslan is the source of their abilities, as Christ is for us.
My kids and I are currently memorizing that passage in Ephesians. I am really glad Scripture doesn’t portray our enemies standing over us while we are sleeping or leaving muddy footprints in our bedroom! Thankfully our we can stand firm against all the spiritual forces of evil through our protecting Savior!
I promise this is my last comment! :)
I did not mean to imply some sort of direct analogy, as though any character in this story was *exactly* like our enemies mentioned in Ephesians! I only meant that Reality goes beyond what we can physically see, and stories help us think in that dimension.
We love Narnia as well. :)
At least we do agree on something. It is time to quit riding this dead horse! Your kids will be reading Mr. Auxier’s books. Mine won’t. But there is so much more to read, we won’t be lacking. Two of our absolute favorite read alouds (apart from Narnia!) are Little Britches by Ralph Moody and The Cay by Theodore Taylor. Maybe your family would like them too!
I keep replaying the “Let the kids speak” to hear the title of two back to back books, It’s either “The little Bear” or “The LIttle Pear”–I would love to know what it is! We have THe Litte Bear and it wasn’t it. I found a book called “Little Pear” but I’m not sure it’s the same thing. It sounds delightful.
This was such a delightful episode…to the point that I’d already ordered all three of Jonathan’s books before the podcast was over. ;) I can’t wait to read them and share them with my kids. There was just so much inspiration in this one for me–from new books for my voracious reader and encouragement for my reluctant reader to the little push I needed both to read a little more and get back to work on my own children’s novel after the holidays. Oh, and I really enjoyed hearing from Allison!
The mother of my favorite internet toddler interviewed the father of my favorite toddler from my church? What world is this?!
Sarah!
You mentioned some quotes from you and your daughter common place journal. I have heard you talk it and haven’t looked into in great detail. Am interested in learning about it more. Can you point me to some resources? Thank you!!
wow- my 9 year old is like him as a boy! No vampires, zombies, etc- he is fine with ‘real’ bad guys in Hobbit…
I listened numerous times and cannot figure it out! What was the first book recommended by a child? The one about a baker? Thanks!
Yes, I’m wondering too. My daughter would love that book!
I so enjoy all of the RAR podcasts. You are my #1 ressource for all things books. I wrote an essay about my love of books which you might like it. (I tweeted you the link as well but wasn’t sure if you were on Twitter often) Thank you for what you do.
http://www.sarahbadatrichardson.com/an-army-to-keep-her-safe/
I loved this podcast! But I had a huge laugh at the end – I am very familiar with the word “scop”. My first week of classes during my first semester of my freshman year at college, I had to read Beowulf. My friend and I struggled through it, and when we got to class the professor started talking about a “shope”. We were utterly lost…until we realized that she was referring to what we were calling “skop”. We burst into laughter – an inauspicious beginning to a college lit career – and have called each other “scop” ever since. :) But it is, from what I understand, actually pronounced “shope”. But no matter how you pronounce it, a storyteller is a great thing to be. Thanks for adding your voice! Off to buy Peter Nimble now…
My 15yo informed me of this after the podcast went up. Jonathan was rather gracious not to correct me, lol.
This was definitely a delightful episode, but I have to say that what made it so delightful for me was hearing Allison’s laughter!! (But I’m a little biased since I taught 8th grade for 8 years before I quit to be a SAHM… I always enjoyed those moments when I was able to laugh and joke around with my students. 😉) I loved the way Jonathan interacted with her, and it just made me want to read his books that much more! Sarah, thank you for occasionally sharing your precious children with us. It’s those personal touches that make me want to keep listening to your podcast! (And that call from the mother who had a child with autism at the end…😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️ You should consider doing an episode about kids who are nonverbal and/or have severe learning disabilities.)
Now *that* is a fabulous idea. Thank you, Sarah!
I haven’t listened to the show YET, but I’m so glad you said those mugs are from Minnesota, because I thought so! Some of my favorite places/shows have used this mug maker: The Original Pancake House in MN, Prairie Home Companion, the Minnesota State Fair, and now you :) They are great mugs, and it’s the first time I’ve seen them outside of MN.
I Love the compilation of books mentioned that add up through an episode….as a list. Could they be listed as a text list in addition to the pictures of the books as a list? If I print the current book list (which is pictures of books) it takes pages and pages. Just want to print a list of the books from the episode…..or maybe I’m missing out on HOW to do that. Forgive me if I am. Thanks! LOVE the podcasts!!
We do have printable lists for each episode of the podcast, but they’re in RAR Membership. We’ll be opening that up again in the spring. :)
Love love love …a million loves. This one absolutely my favorite. From the anecdotes about homeschooling to your absolutely engaging and charming daughter, it was just a perfect way to end the season! I feel like after all these years of reading your blog, I just learned so many things I didn’t know;). So so fun. Getting these books immediately.
It was so fun to have her with me! I think she needs to help me more often. :)
This was one of my favorite episodes to listen to, and couldn’t have been better timing for choosing a few holiday reads for my 11 y.o. & almost 8 year old! It was one of those instances that I was going back and forth from my amazon app while listening, haha. Thanks for the great ideas!
Awesome. It was (easily) one of my favorite interviews ever. :)
What a great personality and sense of humor Jonathon has! I’m so glad I took the time to listen to this one. I will definitely be checking out a lot of the books referenced in this podcast! Loved hearing Allison ask her questions, too!
This was so, so good! I stayed up way too late last night listening. I had not heard of Jonathan and his books before, but I’m ready to grab one of his titles and dig in! 📚
Thank you for this! We loved Peter Nimble very much but struggled with aspects of Sophie Quire. It is a very well written book but the character of Madame Eldritch is very creepy. We didn’t like her advice to Sophie(re. Clothes Sophie was supposed to wear) and did not like her darkness. In the end we did not finish it. I wonder, did anyone shared our concerns?
Hi Alina,
I don’t usually respond to things I see online, but I thought I’d hop in to say that–while it’s perfectly fine for you to determine what books you want to read with your child–I do hope at some point you give Sophie Quire another chance! Madame Eldritch is a villain, and her actions and advice are indeed meant to make readers uncomfortable (just as they make Sophie uncomfortable). If you do ever finish the book, I think you will be pleasantly surprised by what becomes of Madame Eldritch–and the impact that Sophie has on her life. Thanks for listening to the podcast, and thanks for being a parent who considers carefully what they read with their child!
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks so much for clarifying this. Perhaps I started reading Sophie to early to my children, my eldest son is only 12 and I have 6 children:) Anyway, I got a lot of confused looks from them when we were reading about Madamne Eldritch. Maybe I will wait a couple of years and revisit with my older children. On the positive note, Peter Nimble was read and re-read several times and by many children!! Thank you for knowing how to tell a story. And thank you so much for your reply. I’m glad there is an end to Madamme Eldritch’s wickedness:). Best wishes!
One last thing. If your kids liked Peter Nimble, but aren’t quite ready to dive into Sophie Quire, here are a few other books they might enjoy:
“The Goblin’s Puzzle” by Andrew Chilton – a clever and delightful fable packed full of wordplay and riddles
“Magic Marks the Spot” by Caroline Carlson – a hilarious swashbuckling pirate book … with a touch of magic
Cheers,
Jonathan
Thank you kindly sir for the recommendations!!! The Goblin’s Puzzle is coming out in England in January and I know a boy who might enjoy this kind of book for his birthday:))
There you go again, recommending other people’s books. ;)
I *love* this episode…so many good books that are new to me, but that my 9 yr old son will LOVE. He’s getting better at taking my advice….! I can’t wait to show him the comic series and introduce him to Peter Nimble. He’s a huge fan of Origami Yoda-read all of them twice, at least.
Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions, and your work Jonathan + Sarah!
Absolutely delightful!! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sharron!