Anika Fajardo, author of Meet Me in the Middle
Middle Grade Literature Category, sponsored by Education Minnesota
Each week leading up to the 35th annual Minnesota Book Awards, we are featuring exclusive interviews with our finalists. You can also watch the authors in conversation with their fellow category finalists here.
Would you tell us one or two things about your finalist book that you are particularly proud of, and why?
My first middle-grade novel, What If a Fish, is a serious book and kind of sad. When I set out to write Meet Me Halfway, I wanted to write a fun book with an adventure. I was inspired by The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, the children’s literature classic by EL Konigsburg about two siblings who run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I am proud of (and thoroughly enjoyed writing) the twists and turns of Mattie’s and Mercedes’s adventure/journey on a college campus as they try to find their dad.
What advice would you give to an aspiring writer with an interest in your category?
Anyone interested in writing for children needs to read as much current literature as possible. Although I was inspired by an older title, writers need to keep up with current trends and interests.
Tell us about a favorite book. Why did you find it moving, influential, or otherwise memorable?
Obviously Konigsburg’s Mixed-Up Files has always been a favorite of mine. As a child, I had a lot of anxiety but I also loved adventure, and I love the way that book features a runaway who plans obsessively. I find any book that puts a character that feels like you (relatable) in an unusual situation so satisfying.
Tell us something about yourself that is not widely known.
I’ve never been very athletic (I’m more of a Mattie than a Mercedes), but when I was in sixth grade, I won first place in hurdles in my district track meet. It was my first–and only–blue ribbon.
The Minnesota Book Awards is a celebration of writers, readers – and libraries. We’d love if you would share thoughts about the role and value of libraries.
I love libraries so much, I worked in them! After spending a couple years as a fifth-grade teacher, I went on to get my masters in library science and spent nearly 15 years as a librarian in both public libraries and at the college level. Being a librarian is an incredible and rewarding job. One of my favorite things about helping patrons is that we treat every single person with the exact same respect, dignity, and curiosity, whether they’re the mayor, a Ph D student, or a five year old. In fact, a very cool librarian makes an appearance in Meet Me Halfway as an homage to the modern librarian (who is nothing like Marion!).
Anika Fajardo the author of Magical Realism for Non-Believers: A Memoir of Finding Family and the middle grade novel, What If a Fish, winner of a Minnesota Book Award.