Q&A with Beth Ferry

 

Beth Ferry is the author of the new middle grade novel Growing Home. Her many other books include Roar for Reading. She lives in New Jersey.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Growing Home, and how did you create your cast of characters?  

 

A: Writing a middle-grade novel had been on my to-do list for some time but it wasn’t easy leaving my comfort zone of 500-ish words to jump into the unknown zone of thousands and thousands of words. But then Covid hit, and it felt like the right time to try.

 

In 2018, my editor, Celia Lee, had given me an idea for a picture book called Best Fronds and I decided to use that idea as the starting point for Growing Home.  

 

I have a planter with the words “House Pet” on it and that sparked the idea of a competition between a real pet, a goldfish, and a favorite “pet,” a plant. Once I had these two “tiny” characters, it was easy to envision other small-ish characters like a spider, a bee, and a bird as the supporting cast.

Q: What do you think the Fan Brothers’ illustrations add to the story?

 

A: I think Terry and Eric’s illustrations firmly root the story in its “antique” setting while at the same time creating characters that readers cannot help but love. I mean, a goldfish in a bowler hat? Perfection!  

 

Q: As you mentioned, this is your first middle grade novel--how did the experience compare with writing your previous books?  

 

A: Well, it took a lot longer, for sure! But I found I enjoyed the freedom to explore the characters and setting more deeply. You don’t have room for that in picture books. And I loved the space I had for dialogue. I really enjoyed writing the dialogue.  

 

Q: The Booklist review of the book says, “The utterly charming tale is populated by memorable, messy characters, and it’s a pleasure to watch them grow from jealous roommates to dear friends as they each gain wisdom and empathy.” What do you think of that description?  

 

A: It’s hard to ask for better than that!  

 

Q: What are you working on now?  

 

A: I’m working on turning another picture book idea into a middle grade. We’ll see how it goes!  

 

Q: Anything else we should know?  

 

A: Not a single cheese puff was eaten during the writing of this novel (unfortunately)!  

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb