So besides being a good story – which is always an author’s first priority – I hope that Here in the Real World feels like an encouragement that everyone has a role to play in solving problems, no matter your age. When they learn about problems, a lot of them want to help. I hope Here in the Real World…Today, kids aren’t as shielded from the tough stuff going on in the world as they were in other generations.

Please finish the following sentence starters: And here’s a thought for other kids who might also be like this: Being a writer is a really, really good job for people who are quiet and like to think things through, people who enjoy spending some time alone, and people who can imagine things! Because of all the characters I’ve ever written, Ware is the closest to how I was as a child – and still am. Ok, maybe it’s not so much Ware wanting you to know these things as me. Second - people who enjoy spending some time alone each day are NOT anti-social – they just enjoy spending some time alone each day!įinally - people who imagine things the way they could are often accused of ‘Not living in the real world,’ or being ‘a Dreamer.’ But another way to think about that habit/ability could be ‘visualizing an end result.’ And someone has to be able to do that, or we’d never improve the world! Some of us just like to think things through for a while before responding. Sara Pennypacker: First - just because someone is quiet doesn’t mean she or he is not engaged with what’s going on, or doesn’t care. What are three things Ware would want us to know about him?

So I wrote a book where three kids see problems and all of them struggle to figure out what to do about them, and then ultimately do something. Everywhere I went, over and over and over, I was struck by this: no matter what the issue, the kids all responded the same way: “What can we do to fix it?” Now, often when adults encounter big, difficult problems they respond with “That’s too big to fix,” or “I’m powerless to do anything about it,” or “It’s someone else’s problem.” In comparison, the kids saying “What can we do to fix it?” seemed heroic to me. Here’s what happened: After Pax came out, I traveled around talking to kids about the subjects in the book, which were big, difficult problems: the things that happen to kids and animals as a result of wars.

It’s often that way – creation is a river that flows in a loop. Sara Pennypacker: What brought me to write it was Pax, actually. What planted the seed for Here in the Real World? I haven’t stopped thinking about Ware and Jolene since I finished reading their story. Speaking of Here in the Real World, I am excited and honored you dropped by to chat with me about it. I have a feeling we will have an opportunity to catch up when you go on tour for Here in the Real World.

Here in the real world pennypacker