Jeffrey Ebbeler is the author and illustrator of the new middle grade novel Jerry, Let Me See the Moon. His many other books include Kraken Me Up.
Q: What inspired you to write Jerry, Let Me See the Moon, and how did you create your character Jerry?
A: The idea for Jerry, Let Me See the Moon started with a game about werewolves that I remembered playing with my older brother when we were little. I keep a notebook of memories from my childhood as well as funny observations of my kids that I often draw on for inspiration.
Jerry has spent his life traveling to remote, far-flung places for his father’s scientific research. He is underwhelmed when his father moves them to the gated, cookie-cutter community of Fort Phylum, Ohio.
He gradually begins to realize that the people in this town are all were-creatures; people who transform into a wide variety of animals on full moon nights. Not only that, but they are also refugees who have been gathered to this sanctuary city because of threats from the outside world.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for the town and its inhabitants?
A: Half of the fun of writing this story, was imagining how the characters’ personalities are affected by the animals that they transform into.
Like a librarian who compulsively eats his books because he is a were-moth, a family of were-squirrels who bury all their possessions in the back yard, or a trio consisting of a were-turtle, were-sloth, and were-snail who spend the entire book traversing a single neighborhood block.
Q: The Booklist review of the book says, “[Ebbeler] dishes up a young protagonist who, having been around the world with his roving, widowed dad, brings both a deep well of resourcefulness and a cosmopolitan acceptance of people with differences to this irreverent, breathlessly paced romp.” What do you think of that description?
A: It is so gratifying when something you make is received the way you were hoping it would. I love when someone notices a tiny detail in an illustration or enjoys a joke that I didn’t know if anyone else would think was funny. That one sentence captures a lot of what I was trying to achieve. I wanted to make this book as fast-paced as I could and pack it with funny, expected twists.
Because of Jerry’s upbringing, constantly moving from one remote place to another, he is both lonely and socially awkward, but also has a wide knowledge about nature and a variety of cultures. This makes him uniquely equipped for the challenges and perils of being one of the only humans in a chaotic town full of were-creatures from around the world.
For the first time in his life Jerry is able make real friends, Pearl (a were-squirrel), Avery (a were-magpie), and Shep (a were-dog), and settle down in a place that is anything but settled.
Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?
A: This book went through so many versions. I have been writing and illustrating picture books and graphic novels for 20 years. This is my first middle grade novel, and it was a completely different experience.
Jerry, Let Me See the Moon started off as a rhyming picture book. I sent the picture book manuscript out to publishers, but it wasn’t ever picked up. Meanwhile my daughters were getting older. We started reading early chapter books together.
I had been thinking for a while that Jerry’s story could be longer and more involved. I had never written anything longer than a picture book, but I decided to take the plunge and give it a try.
Author Michelle Houts graciously read my first few drafts and gave me some invaluable advice. Primarily, that the subject matter and tone of the story was more suited for a middle grade novel. That meant writing more words. A lot more words. Like, 40,000 more words!
So I did. Over the course of a year, I wrote and rewrote. That little nugget of an idea about a town full of were-people turned into a whole cast of quirky characters.
When I finally thought everything was just right, I printed the story out, and packed the inch thick stack of paper in my suitcase. I handed my editor, Mary Cash at Holiday House, the giant stack of paper, and said something like, “I have no idea if this is any good, but would you be willing to take a look at it.”
It turns out that she thought it was pretty good, but it took another year or so of completely rewriting most of the story to get everything right. I’ve learned to love the complex puzzle of weaving plot points and characters together in exciting ways.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: For the last few years I have been writing an illustrating a series of early reader graphic novels. They are funny, action-packed stories, each involving a kid with a problem and a monster that mirrors their dilemma.
All the ideas for these books started with pun titles that evolved into outlandish stories. I have found that starting with an evocative title has been a great way of overcoming writer’s block.
The first three books are A Giant Mess, Kracken Me Up , and I’m Ogre It. I just finished Wait a Minotaur, which will be out in September 2024, and I am currently working on the next book in that series.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I didn’t mention the illustrations. This book has a lot of them. About 150. I couldn’t help myself. Illustration is my first love, and I have been picturing all of these scenes in my head for so long. I had to draw them all.
If you would like a preview, please check out the Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-SAOti1zUg and the First Chapter Read-Aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSKNhn1iFvs
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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