Welcome to BookView Interview, a conversation series where BookView talks to authors.

Recently, we talked to Laura Anne Bird about her writing and her soon-to-be published middle grade novel, Marvelous Jackson, a moving and uplifting tale that celebrates the strength of the human spirit and the transformative power of love, community, and self-discovery (Read the review here).

What is Marvelous Jackson about?

If you have read my debut middle grade novel, Crossing the Pressure Line, you might remember Jack Wilson. He follows main character Clare Burch and her friends around all summer, stirring up trouble and giving everyone a headache. He is an unlikeable character, for sure, but I was sure there was more to his story.

I was right!

When Marvelous Jackson begins, Jack has taken his mischief too far and is faced with the possibility of unbearable consequences—like being sent away to Davy Crockett Institute of Outdoor Learning in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He knows it’s time to make a big change, because he’ll never survive being forced to live like a pioneer.

Through an unexpected turn of events, Jack rediscovers the love of baking he shared with his mom when she was alive, and he throws himself into learning the finer points of sprinkles and scones. He decides to apply for the big-hearted, world-famous Marvelous

Midwest Kids Baking Championship television show in Chicago, even though he knows his journey there will be tough and twisty.

I fell in love with Jack while writing Marvelous Jackson, and I hope you come to adore him, too. I think his story is perfect for kids for who love to bake, who feel like they don’t fit in, or who are trying to figure out what hobbies fill them with joy.

Is it important to read Crossing the Pressure Line before tackling Marvelous Jackson?

The books are loosely connected, but they are considered stand-alone companion stories, which means you can absolutely read one without reading the other.

Why is Jack’s story important and relevant for 8-12-year-olds?

So many kids feel like they don’t belong. Whether these feelings come from not looking like everybody else, or acting like everybody else, or having what everybody else has, they are legitimate and real.

As soon as Jack lands on a hobby—one in which he excels, and one that brings him new friends and deep comfort—he develops a much stronger sense of identity and finally begins to feel at home in his world. I hope that Jack inspires readers to try new things and stretch themselves, even if it feels scary at first.

Jack’s shift in perspective occurs as he finds self-confidence in the kitchen. Do you love to bake?

I don’t love to bake at all! I prefer cooking, where I can toss in random ingredients without measuring anything. I love it when other people bake, though. It is amazing to watch how they transform the humblest of ingredients into something magnificent, creative, and delicious.

Did you choose baking deliberately to show that boys can flourish in the kitchen as much as or even more than girls?

When I was plotting out Marvelous Jackson, I thought a lot about what hobby to give Jack. I knew it needed to have nothing to do with sports or hunting, but I was stymied. Hip hop dancing? Painting? Chess?

Baking became my favorite option, because it felt both practical and entertaining, and I knew I could have lots of fun bringing in all the sprinkles, and scones, and frosting (which I did).

Yes, I do like playing around with societal expectations in my stories—shaking things up a little to show kids they are capable of anything, even if it goes against the stereotypes.

Clare loves to fish in Crossing the Pressure Line, so why can’t Jack fall in love with baking in Marvelous Jackson?

The Alwyn Public Library plays a prominent role in Marvelous Jackson. Why did you choose to set certain scenes there?

I placed Jack in the comforting and safe atmosphere of the library so that he could begin to heal from his loss and loneliness. I mean, who doesn’t love the crinkling of newspapers, the quiet voices of patrons, and the warm, woody smell of books? Jack walks inside, and it all comes back to him in a rush.

I based Miss Jean Ann, my librarian character, on a real children’s librarian by the same name who worked at the Wauwatosa Public Library (in suburban Milwaukee) when I was a little girl. Her story time sessions were epic, and she planted many seeds in me that eventually sprouted into my deep love of literature.

Why did you choose Chicago as headquarters for The Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship?

Chicago is one of the greatest food cities in the world, with a rich variety of cultures and cuisines. It is also home to some 50 James Beard Award winners and 22 Michelin-starred restaurants, so it felt natural to me that Jack would end up there.

I had a blast imagining how a kid from a small rural town would be both impressed and intimidated by Chicago, which of course is the biggest city in the Midwest. Indeed, Jack grows increasingly nervous the closer he gets to downtown, but he finds that everyone at the Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship studio is just as nice as the people back in Alwyn.

Interestingly, my debut novel, Crossing the Pressure Line, is about a girl from Chicago who leaves the city to spend a summer in northern Wisconsin. I love that Jack’s story is the inverse: he is a boy from the Northwoods who is desperate to get to Chicago.

What about the role that Wisconsin food plays in Marvelous Jackson?

My state has a fabulous culinary tradition, too! In fact, it was on full display in spring when Bravo TV produced Top Chef Wisconsin. Think pies and turnovers made with Door County cherries, fried fish, cheese, specialty sausages, and other mouthwatering tavern food.

I wanted to celebrate dishes and ingredients like these, so I wove numerous food references into my book. “Nuggies,” however, are not necessarily a Wisconsin thing. My cousin, who is a cook in St. Louis, introduced me to the concept. They are fried lumps of chicken that are bigger and wider than typical chicken fingers, nuggets, or drummies.

It was fun for me to imagine Jack’s small town rallying around a dish that’s so simple but so tasty. Norm throws himself into perfecting his spice blend to take his nuggies to the next level—and hopefully win the first-ever Northwoods nuggie competition.

There seems to be a strong sense of community in Marvelous Jackson. Why?

Marvelous Jackson shows the importance of showing up for the people in your life: apologize to somebody when you have shattered their jar of preserved sea creatures; eat the cookies they have so lovingly made for you; hold a baking bootcamp when they need to practice their skills.

Kids are the agents of action and change in Marvelous Jackson, but there are incredible adults who hover around the periphery of the story, too. This was intentional on my part, because as grown-ups, we are all responsible for not letting young people fall between the cracks. As one of my favorite writers says, “There’s no such thing as other people’s children.” I wanted Marvelous Jackson to illustrate a community coming together to support and nurture a kid on the brink of despair.

Is there a universal message in Marvelous Jackson that will resonate with readers, no matter their age or where they live?

When Marvelous Jackson begins, Jack is a mess. He knows he needs to make some big changes, or he’ll be in deep trouble. His ensuing journey is about taking risks, making mistakes, and figuring out what brings him a sense of hope and meaning. Ultimately, he learns that anything is possible, thanks to practice, persistence, and good friends. As he says, “They’re the most important ingredients you’ll ever need.”

Whether readers are from a suburb in Minneapolis, Bucktown in Chicago, or a country road in the Upper Peninsula, I hope Marvelous Jackson inspires them to think about their own lifeboats and how they can use them to stay afloat during challenging times. Maybe they can even find joy along the way.

It is obvious that you harbor a deep love for the Midwest. Why is it important to you to base your stories in this region?

Many authors portray the Midwest as flyover country, which is very frustrating for me. We can do so much better. There are real people, kids, and families living here who want and deserve to see themselves reflected in the pages of a book.

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, which is where I live to this day—very happily, I might add. I will always celebrate the Midwest as the gorgeous, diverse, and delightful place it is. In 2023, I co-founded the Great Midwest Book Group as a way of doing just this.

Why is middle grade fiction your sweet spot?

I love middle grade novels because they get to the heart of a tender, pivotal time, when kids are starting to figure out who, what, and how they want to be in the world. They long for independence, but they still want reassurance from family. They want to stand out from the crowd, but they still want to fit in. These competing values can collide like furious little atoms, which is tough in real life but fantastic for fiction.

Middle-grade novels might be written for kids, but their themes are universal and eternal, such as what it means to belong, why it is crucial to speak up against injustice, and how we become our own best cheerleaders.

Middle-grade novels encourage tolerance, acceptance, and compassion. They remind us that everybody struggles in different ways, so it’s good to be kind—always.

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