1. What draws you to write and create for young readers?
I write for young readers in large part because of the ten years I spent teaching middle schoolers. I’ve always loved books, but I didn’t attempt to write fiction until after my first year of teaching middle school. There was something about working with 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and reading new middle grade and young adult novels with them that brought me back to my own adolescence and unlocked my creativity. I’ve been out of the classroom for a few years now, but I’m still passionate about writing books for 6th-8th grade readers who sometimes feel a little too old for some traditional, age 8-12 middle grade and a little too young for some young adult. I love writing for that age group because they’re so thoughtful, passionate, and ready to engage with big ideas. Plus, that life stage is full of so many complex transitions and emotions that feel really rich to explore.
2. What message(s) do you want to share with your readers?
Each of my books has its own unique themes, but there are some ideas I always seem to be exploring and trying to convey in every story I write. On some level, all of my books are about the need for self-compassion, the fact that we all have complicated, messy emotions sometimes; and the many different, equally valid ways to be strong, smart, and brave. I always want readers to see inside flawed, lovable, resilient characters who mess up and bounce back and find a way to forgive themselves and move forward, because I hope that rooting for and loving those characters will ultimately help readers love themselves and give themselves the benefit of the doubt. That’s what my favorite novels have always done for me!
3. Please tell us about Saint Ivy: Kind at All Costs and any other titles you'd like to share about.
Saint Ivy is the story of thirteen-year-old Ivy Campbell, who prides herself on being kind to other people but struggles to be kind to herself. There’s are some big changes happening in Ivy’s family and friendships at the beginning of eighth grade and she wants to be her usual supportive, generous self—but she’s ashamed to realize she’s having some very ungenerous, un-Ivy feelings. She’s desperate to prove to herself that she’s as unselfish as she’s always believed, and she gets the chance to do that when she starts receiving emails from someone who seems to need her help. But the more Ivy dives into helping this anonymous person, the further she gets from the people she loves—and from the person she wants to be. Saint Ivy includes lots of baking, a mystery, a nuanced examination of what it truly means to be kind, and plenty of big feelings and complicated family and friendship dynamics. It just came out in paperback this spring, and I hope it will reach more readers in this new format.
I also have a new book that just came out at the end of June called Coming Up Short. It’s about a star shortstop named Bea who loves softball more than anything else in the world—but after her dad makes a big mistake that costs him his job and his reputation, Bea can’t think straight on or off the field, and she makes error after error in the championship game. Determined to get back to her confident, in-control self, Bea escapes on a summer trip to stay with an aunt she barely knows and attend a softball camp led by her idol. Coming Up Short is about sports, performance anxiety, what it means to be a team and a family, and what happens when we feel like we’ve come up short. Readers of my previous novel Up for Air will recognize the setting will likely spot a few cameos.
4. Where can we find more information about your work?
My website, lauriemorrisonwrites.com, has lots of information, including a “for educators” page with curriculum guides, videos, and other resources. You can also follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @LaurieLMorrison or subscribe to my newsletter at https://lauriemorrison.substack.com/.
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