November 4, 2024 • 21 mins
Episode Summary:
In this episode of Writers with Wrinkles, Beth and Lisa chat with teenage literacy advocate and podcast host, E-Train, who founded E-Train Talks Inc. to combat "book deserts" and promote literacy among underrepresented communities. E-Train discusses his journey into reading advocacy, the books that inspire young readers, and the importance of diverse representation in middle-grade literature.
Guest Bio:
E-Train is a teenage literacy advocate, reading ambassador, and founder of E-Train Talks Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to promoting literacy and access to books for kids in underprivileged areas. He also hosts the E-Train Talks podcast, where he interviews authors and discusses books, aiming to spread “book joy” and support young readers.
Key Discussion Points:
- Origin Story: E-Train shares how his love of books began with family reading time, virtual library book clubs, and a 4th-grade book review project. This passion grew into a broader mission to bring books to underserved communities.
- Current Projects: E-Train is excited about speaking at the California School Library Association Conference, discussing how books can shape kids’ empathy and character.
- Trends in KidLit: E-Train highlights popular genres among young readers, including fantasy, realistic fiction, and mythology. He notes the importance of relevant themes, like social media's impact on friendships and modern bullying dynamics.
- Challenges in Middle-Grade Reading: The influence of adults in book selections can sometimes miss the mark on what truly resonates with kids. E-Train suggests that children often want more books with themes they can relate to, like friendships, crushes, and complex social interactions.
- Book Discovery: He discusses how kids find books, from school libraries to e-readers, emphasizing that teachers, librarians, and independent bookstores play crucial roles.
Conclusion:
E-Train inspires listeners to value literacy as a tool for social change and empathy building. His advocacy efforts are a call to action for aspiring authors to create books that authentically represent young readers’ lives.
Links Mentioned:
- E-Train Talks Inc.
- California School Library Association Conference
- Bookshop.org for supporting indie bookstores and finding middle-grade books.
Visit the Website
Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Beth McMullen (00:00):
Hi friends, I'm Beth McMullen and I'm Lisa
Schmid, and we're the co-hostsof Writers with Wrinkles.
This is season three, episode38.
Today we're talking to E-Train,a teenage literacy advocate,
podcaster and reading ambassador.
He's the founder of E-TrainTalks Inc.
A non-profit dedicated toending book deserts and changing
(00:21):
the world one story at a time.
He advocates for literacy inunderrepresented communities,
promotes kindness and spreadsbook joy.
So thanks for coming on theshow, e-train.
We are super excited to haveyou here today.
ETrain (00:34):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having me.
Lisa Schmid (00:36):
I'm really excited.
So I met you in person finallya few weeks ago.
You and I sat down for a quicklittle interview and it was such
a joy to meet you.
I mean, I think everyonealready in the kidlit world
loves you, but in person it'sjust, it's nice to really get a
(00:57):
one-on-one and get to know moreabout you, and one of the things
I loved hearing so much aboutwas your origin story, like how
you got started in this.
So can you just talk to us alittle bit about how this all
began?
Absolutely.
ETrain (01:07):
So well.
First of all, I wanted to saythat I really loved meeting you
in person as well, lisa, and itwas a real treat.
I love your new story, heartand Souls.
Everybody who's listening youhave to read it.
So I'm wearing a CampHalf-Blood shirt right now, so
I've got to go into my mythologyorigin story, all right.
So I started reading when I wastwo and a half.
My parents had instilled a hugelove of reading in me from the
(01:30):
day I came home from thehospital and that's no joke.
They read so many books to meimmediately when I came home and
I don't think I've really livedin a world without books.
I mean, I know this is an audio, but just sort of picturing in
your head.
Behind me I have a huge, hugebookshelf full of my favorite
stories and a lot of these bookshave never left me.
They've always been by my side,whether it's picture books or
middle grade and, from an actualkid lit perspective, how I
(01:54):
really began reviewing books,talking to authors.
It started out during COVID.
I took part in virtual librarybook clubs, which are run by
librarians across the country.
Took part in virtual librarybook clubs which are run by
librarians across the country.
And, first of all, librariansyou are amazing, I love you.
You are the heroes, unsungheroes, in the book world.
And I had these virtual librarybook clubs.
I talked with other kids, talkedwith librarians and I had been
(02:17):
writing book reviews about allthe books that I've been reading
.
It was part of a school projectthat we had taken part in in
fourth grade.
We had a huge bookworm.
Every time you reviewed a bookthat you read, the bookworm
would get a little bit longerdepending on how long the book
that you read was, and we triedto wrap it around the whole
entire classroom.
I don't think we succeeded, butit just really inspired me to
continue reading, to keep onreading and also talk more about
(02:39):
the books that I read.
And through these library bookclubs, the book reviews are
actually sent to authors, andthe first book that an first
book review rather than author,actually saw that I had written
was Starfish by Lisa Phipps.
Lisa Phipps, if you're watchingthis or listening, you're
amazing.
I love your books, I love.
And Then Boom, which just cameout, and that was the moment
that I realized this couldreally be something special.
(03:01):
And now, granted, even at thattime, I had no idea what E-Train
Talks had become.
It started out just a podcaston Spotify, like Writers with
Wrinkles is, and it reallyblossomed into something that
I'm really proud of.
Now I'm giving books to kids,going out and talking about
stories with kids in need,underprivileged communities, and
also just online and sharing mylove of stories with the kidlit
world.
Lisa Schmid (03:22):
So yeah, you know, I just love that story so much.
I mean it just really isamazing and how you started, how
you, what you've turned it into, because it has really
snowballed into somethingmagnificent.
Like I just see everything thatyou do and I'm I was just
saying to Beth before we came onthe air I'm like so does he
find the time, Like he's so muchand he's actually going to
(03:45):
school and he's doing all thisstuff, and I'm just, you know,
my hat's off to you because youare doing a fabulous job and you
really are making a differencein the world.
And so, from all of us in thekid that world, thank you so
much.
Beth McMullen (03:59):
What is something new that you are doing in the
organization right now, thatyou're super excited about Any
new projects on the horizon orsomething that you're, like I'm
super jazzed about this?
Is there anything that you canshare with us that's coming down
the pipeline?
ETrain (04:14):
Absolutely.
And also I wanted to say Icurrently still don't know how I
have time to do all this youwere just talking about.
How does he do this?
I don't know how I do this, butI manage.
And we're here today and aproject that I'm really excited
about.
I'm going to be speaking at theCalifornia School Library
Association Conference in SanJose, which is coming up in a
couple of months, in January,and I'm going to be talking
(04:36):
about my project, butspecifically how books really
change the world and inspirekids to be better people,
because books are windows andmirrors.
That's a phrase that I reallylove sharing, and books just
make us better people.
They teach empathy, they teachcompassion and in a world like
we live in today, where theinternet can really influence
kids' decision making and kids'beliefs, books are really that
(04:58):
gateway to become kinder peopleand more accepting of others,
and without stories, I mean, Ialways like to say readers make
leaders, and so I'm hoping thatthrough this conference, I'll be
able to go to more schools withmore connections with school
librarians, who are also, I mean, all librarians in just general
.
They're all unsung heroes andschool librarians.
(05:18):
I'm hoping to connect with moreschools and so I can give more
books to kids who really needthem and more inspiration.
Lisa Schmid (05:25):
So where do you see this?
Because you're 13 now, right,right, okay.
Where do you see this going?
Like you, you're already on ahuge path.
Like, do you have some kind ofidea, like where you want this
to keep moving to?
ETrain (05:43):
That's a really great question and that's something
that I ask myself all the time.
And you know, with schoolcurrently there isn't a huge
homework load at the moment, sothat gives me a lot more free
time after school.
But you know, as I get older,as I traverse into the crazy
world that is high school, it'sgoing to be a challenge to keep
everything going at the fullspeed that we're going right now
(06:03):
.
But I just want to continuethis as long as I can.
I want to continue bringing joyin whatever aspect I can.
Maybe, if I can't review booksas often as I previously have, I
can maybe utilize some moretime to go to schools and
actually directly give to kidsand I mean in any way possible
if I can impact kids and adults'lives and inspire more people
(06:23):
to read and inspire people tobecome kinder people.
That's really what it's allabout and I hope that, as an
adult, I don't stop what I'mdoing.
Future me, if you're watchingthis, hope that you're still
keeping on and keeping justbeing the kind person that you
are at the moment.
Hopefully you're still a kindperson.
I know you are, I know you eatyour in and I'm really hoping to
(06:43):
just spread more positivity,spread more joy, whether it's
through books, whether it'sthrough giving in general, maybe
not just related to stories.
That's what it's all about, andI'm hoping to continue in the
near future and hopefully thefar future as well.
Beth McMullen (06:58):
I like that answer.
I mean, the world definitelyneeds more readers, right?
Absolutely so we support you.
That's amazing.
We have a few questions for youthat we want to, you know, kind
of drill down to the weeds here.
Lisa, you want to go?
Lisa Schmid (07:16):
Yes, okay, but first, before we jump in,
readers make leaders.
I love that, and that's gettingposted on Writers with Wrinkles
later on today.
I love that so much.
So there's been this hugekerfuffle about middle grade,
and so when Beth and I weretalking about it, because we're
both middle grade writers Beth'slike now in adult fiction, but
(07:38):
I'm sure she'll circle backaround someday.
As I keep saying, make ithappen.
But we are both middle gradewriters and we're seeing a huge
shift that you know, people aresaying you know kids aren't
reading as much.
So you know, and not knowing,like, what do kids want?
And so when we were having thisdiscussion, I'm like I just
happen to know somebody, so wekind of want to pick your
(08:00):
brilliant brain to see what'sgoing on out there with kids.
Because it's so often it's likeadults are making the decision
what kids are going to bereading.
And even if, once a book's beenpublished, then there's another
layer of adults saying, well,do we want kids reading these?
You know, are these the booksthat we're going to choose?
And so there's all these layersthat all these adults are
(08:22):
picking books for kids, but bythe time it gets to them, it's
like well, wait a minute.
Is that even something thatkids want to read?
I think there should be thiswhole level where kids are
involved in the decision-makingprocess.
So, first of all, what are youreading right now?
What do you like to?
ETrain (08:41):
read.
That's a great question andyeah, I agree with you.
Adults are really dictatingwhat kids should read, whether
it's parents telling their kidswhat they can read, and also
just the government in a sense.
Books are being banned and kidsthey don't get the chance to
see themselves in the books thatthey read in a lot of states,
which is heartbreaking.
But now shifting to the questionof what I'm reading I'm reading
(09:03):
a lot.
I mean, I always do.
But the specific genres thatI'm really enjoying, I love
realistic fiction.
That's always one that reallystays in my heart.
That's what got me into books.
I used to only read nonfictionfor a long time, but realistic
fiction and fantasy, which isanother one of my favorites
those really helped me kind ofmake the change from only
(09:24):
nonfiction to fiction.
Now I have that happy medium,still love nonfiction, so if
you're a nonfiction writer outthere, reach out.
So other books that I'm readingI love graphic novels.
Graphic novels are always afavorite of mine.
Just right next to me, I cameprepared.
I have one of my favoritegraphic novels of all time New
Kid.
I had the chance to interviewJerry Craft.
(09:45):
He is a legend but yeah, I readpretty much everything.
I used to not read many spookybooks, but books like Lisa
Schmid's right here, like Heartand Souls, and they're books
like sort of spooky but nothorror.
Those are also some books thatI'm getting into.
I mean, at the time ofrecording it's almost halloween.
(10:07):
One week less than one weekuntil halloween.
So what am I supposed to do?
Not read spooky books.
I have to get myself in themood.
But yeah, I pretty much readanything.
If you just put a book outthere, I'm gonna dive in, read
it in one sitting, hopefully,and I read everything, so you
can't really find a genre that Idon't enjoy.
And if you do, thencongratulations, because you
stumped even me.
So you should be proud ofyourself.
Beth McMullen (10:28):
So when you are talking to your peers and your
friends and it sounds like youenjoy all the genres and all the
stuff which is great, becausethen you never run out, you
never have that panicky momentof oh no, what am I going to
read next.
When you're talking to yourfriends and kids in your classes
and the reader community, whatare they liking?
Are they also, like you,totally into everything?
(10:50):
Do they prefer, you know,fantasy or are they into graphic
novels?
What do you feel like is thepredominant genre that kids are
interested in these days?
ETrain (11:01):
That's a great question and I mean it has to be noted
that there are a lot of kidsthat sadly aren't reading as
much and they haven't reallyfound the perfect books that are
right for them.
But just from a standpoint ofwhat kids are reading at least
that I've seen I know there areclassics.
I mean they might notnecessarily be deemed as
classics, like Oliver Twist, butI mean I guess contemporary
classics twist, but I mean Iguess contemporary classics.
(11:25):
There's books like percyjackson, camp half-blood
represent we have a way.
I mean.
There's wings of fire.
I mean when I go to and visitschools everybody asks me do you
read wings of fire?
Have you read wings of fire?
And I used to always say nobecause I hadn't, but now I've
gotten into it and I see whatthe appeal is.
And also harry potter I mean Iwant to share like a really cool
story.
I went to elementary school acouple weeks ago and they had a
(11:45):
harry potter like.
They had two dueling book clubs, one that was all about harry
potter, the other one that waspercy jackson, and they had like
competitions.
It was so much fun, so cool tolearn about and I mean it's
really cool to see this nextgeneration of readers being
lifted up and checking out thesenew classics.
And also Keeper of the LostCities it's another favorite of
kids.
Chris Colfer he wrote Land ofStories.
(12:07):
I'm always asked about that.
Also sort of Sacramento native,lisa McMahon you know her, you
love her.
Her Forgotten Five, herUnwanted series those are both
favorites of kids Also.
I mean, I have a lot of booksthat I could share, but I can
sort of wrap it up.
When I go to second and thirdgrade classrooms I always see my
Weird School Books by DanGutman, and Dan Gutman is one of
the nicest people I've ever met, so check out his books.
(12:30):
I love Dan Gutman.
And also finally, last but notleast, we have Spy School by
Stuart Gibbs.
All the books they're kids'favorites.
Beth McMullen (12:43):
Well, folks, excuse the interruption, but in
a plot twist none of us sawcoming, my internet decided to
make a dramatic exit right inthe middle of our interview.
So while I was off battling theWi-Fi dragons, Lisa was left to
heroically finish the episodesolo.
I think she nailed it.
Now back to the second half ofour conversation with E-Train.
Lisa Schmid (13:02):
For our listeners at home.
We just had.
This is the real world ofpodcasting.
We just lost Beth McMullen.
She's in the woods someplace inConnecticut, I think, right now
.
So it is now, and I just toldE-Train it's just you and me,
kid, we're doing this.
ETrain (13:22):
She did not die, sure, her internet died.
Lisa Schmid (13:24):
She did not die.
Sure, her internet died.
Where do?
ETrain (13:42):
you think kids are discovering new books?
Is it at the library?
Because I know it's not on.
You know, I don't think kidsare going on Goodreads or Amazon
or I mean it's a really bigmixed bag, and I think that kids
are finding books in all sortsof places, which is really
exciting.
Like you said, kids are notfinding books on Goodreads.
Most likely, I mean there couldbe some cool kids out there who
are doing that and maybe some ofyou might be inspired to do
this after this interview, butfor the majority, I feel like a
(14:06):
lot of teachers give greatrecommendations.
Teachers have a really greatsense of seeing what their
students enjoy, reading, whattheir students really like, and
I mean they have a lot of booksin their back pocket that they
can turn to to give to theirkids, which I really love and
also school librarians andlibrarians.
They have massive catalogs andeven if they don't have the
books in their specific library,they really give great
(14:28):
directions as to where you canfind the story.
You can maybe go to your ownpublic library, maybe you can
scour around the school libraryand might find it here as well.
So the library, of course,great place, public libraries
and I think Amazon is.
It's interesting.
I mean, that's sort of like theA, where we don't talk about
Amazon, because independentbookstores are great places that
(14:49):
kids should be going to as well.
Hopefully more parents will beadvocating for kids to go to
independent bookstores.
But Amazon I think that Amazonis interesting.
I think that they do have good.
If you like this book, then youmight like this book, and plus
plus it can be a little bit moreconvenient for people, which I
totally understand.
So I think Amazon is a placewhere kids can find books, but
(15:12):
that's more from a parent'sdirection.
It's more of a parent's idealway of finding books rather than
what kids typically do.
So kids find stories all overthe place and it's just really
exciting All the ways that youcan see where kids are checking
out new books, checking out newways to dive into stories.
Also, ebooks and Kindles thoseare great ways that kids can
enjoy reading on the go, whetherthey're at home or they can be
(15:34):
in an airplane reading.
And I know books can bephysical.
Books can be very heavy on anairplane and you know you got to
stay under that 50 pound limitfor your kid.
So eBooks can also be great.
I'm personally not the biggeste-reader, but I know there are a
lot of kids who are and that'sgreat.
It's great that people arefinding new ways to read.
Lisa Schmid (15:52):
So you think kids are, generally their resource is
school libraries and libraries.
Amazon's a bad word, but at thesame time you have like access.
There's also bookshoporg,because and I I love indie
(16:12):
bookstores and I love Barnes andNoble but they're also very
limited in their space.
They can only carry so manymiddle grade books and I always
think you know there's all thesemiddle grade books that are so
wonderful that aren't, you know,a bestseller, so they don't
make it into that, into thatbookstore.
So hopefully kids are finding away to really explore other
options and for listeners outthere, bookshoporg is a great
(16:37):
place for you to go and look formore books.
The other thing what do youthink is there anything like
that?
You feel like kids are drawn to, that, they want more of that's
kind of missing out there,because, again, adults are
making the decision and whenyou're talking to kids, are they
(16:58):
like oh my God, do you know abook series that's more like
this book series?
You know what I mean.
ETrain (17:03):
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean and I'm sort of
being the voice for the kidshere.
I think that kids they reallywant to see more specific genres
, that I feel like kids arereally drawn to Fantasy.
That's a really big one in thisday and age.
I think kids love fantasy.
They love the idea of escapinginto a new world.
(17:25):
I personally love that as well.
I think mythology with thesuccess of the Percy Jackson
stories, they're always going tobe in my heart.
I love them.
I think kids are looking formore mythology, which I hope to
see more of, and my personalexperience, I'm looking for more
.
I guess a lot of middleschoolers kind of go like ew.
But you know, crushes, thoseare real, they're very real
(17:47):
things, middle schoolers.
It's not weird, it's a not okay, anyway.
But I think that there needs tobe more accurate representation
of those because, I mean,sometimes parents might be like,
oh, just a little crush, that'sno big deal, but to kids it is
a big deal.
It's literally our socialaspects of school and life.
They're like huge.
Sometimes people care moreabout clothes than homework.
(18:09):
I mean, nobody really enjoyshomework but you know, I think
that more accuraterepresentation when it comes to
crushes and those sort ofaspects also, friendships and
bullies because bullying can bereally complicated nowadays.
It's not just in personsomebody saying, oh, you're bad
at basketball or something.
(18:30):
They can go online.
They can be anonymous.
Sometimes you might not evenknow who is bullying you and
that means you can't reallyreport them.
You can't really do anythingabout it.
So the complexities of bullyingand the complexities of
friendship, with social mediabeing really prevalent in our
lives, they really need to betalked more about in middle
grade, in my opinion.
I think that kids willdefinitely agree with that.
More accurate representationand relevant themes and topics
(18:53):
portrayed in books that's whatkids are looking for.
So, authors out there, ifyou're an aspiring author or one
who's currently writing booksthat are being sold already,
maybe try that, Because I thinkthat you'll get a lot of kids
who are like how, how, how dothey read my mind?
And I think that's going to besomething great that kids are
going to love.
Lisa Schmid (19:11):
Oh, my God, that is the perfect answer and that is
exactly why we had you on thepodcast.
Thank you so much, thank you so?
Much for all your time today.
You are a kid, that rock star.
ETrain (19:21):
Thank you, and I'm really excited to be in the
presence of kidly Rockstars andKidly Heroes, like both of you,
and I'm sorry that internet wasa really big problem.
So I mean, if, beth, if you'rewatching this in the future or
listening to this in the future.
Thank you so much for being agreat host.
Of course, lisa, thank you somuch for having me, and I'm
really grateful.
Lisa Schmid (19:40):
Thank you so much, and, listeners, we encourage you
to check out the details aboutE-Transmission and we will put
the link in our podcast notesand the blog at
writerswithwrinklesnet.
And Beth and I are back onNovember 25th where we are
talking to Creative Media Agencyliterary agent Vicki Weber, and
(20:03):
we're excited about theconversation.
So please join us for that ifyou can, and then, until then,
happy reading, writing andlistening.
Hi friends, I'm Beth McMullen and I'm Lisa
Schmid, and we're the co-hostsof Writers with Wrinkles.
This is season three, episode38.
Today we're talking to E-Train,a teenage literacy advocate,
podcaster and reading ambassador.
He's the founder of E-TrainTalks Inc.
A non-profit dedicated toending book deserts and changing
(00:21):
the world one story at a time.
He advocates for literacy inunderrepresented communities,
promotes kindness and spreadsbook joy.
So thanks for coming on theshow, e-train.
We are super excited to haveyou here today.
ETrain (00:34):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for having me.
Lisa Schmid (00:36):
I'm really excited.
So I met you in person finallya few weeks ago.
You and I sat down for a quicklittle interview and it was such
a joy to meet you.
I mean, I think everyonealready in the kidlit world
loves you, but in person it'sjust, it's nice to really get a
(00:57):
one-on-one and get to know moreabout you, and one of the things
I loved hearing so much aboutwas your origin story, like how
you got started in this.
So can you just talk to us alittle bit about how this all
began?
Absolutely.
ETrain (01:07):
So well.
First of all, I wanted to saythat I really loved meeting you
in person as well, lisa, and itwas a real treat.
I love your new story, heartand Souls.
Everybody who's listening youhave to read it.
So I'm wearing a CampHalf-Blood shirt right now, so
I've got to go into my mythologyorigin story, all right.
So I started reading when I wastwo and a half.
My parents had instilled a hugelove of reading in me from the
(01:30):
day I came home from thehospital and that's no joke.
They read so many books to meimmediately when I came home and
I don't think I've really livedin a world without books.
I mean, I know this is an audio, but just sort of picturing in
your head.
Behind me I have a huge, hugebookshelf full of my favorite
stories and a lot of these bookshave never left me.
They've always been by my side,whether it's picture books or
middle grade and, from an actualkid lit perspective, how I
(01:54):
really began reviewing books,talking to authors.
It started out during COVID.
I took part in virtual librarybook clubs, which are run by
librarians across the country.
Took part in virtual librarybook clubs which are run by
librarians across the country.
And, first of all, librariansyou are amazing, I love you.
You are the heroes, unsungheroes, in the book world.
And I had these virtual librarybook clubs.
I talked with other kids, talkedwith librarians and I had been
(02:17):
writing book reviews about allthe books that I've been reading
.
It was part of a school projectthat we had taken part in in
fourth grade.
We had a huge bookworm.
Every time you reviewed a bookthat you read, the bookworm
would get a little bit longerdepending on how long the book
that you read was, and we triedto wrap it around the whole
entire classroom.
I don't think we succeeded, butit just really inspired me to
continue reading, to keep onreading and also talk more about
(02:39):
the books that I read.
And through these library bookclubs, the book reviews are
actually sent to authors, andthe first book that an first
book review rather than author,actually saw that I had written
was Starfish by Lisa Phipps.
Lisa Phipps, if you're watchingthis or listening, you're
amazing.
I love your books, I love.
And Then Boom, which just cameout, and that was the moment
that I realized this couldreally be something special.
(03:01):
And now, granted, even at thattime, I had no idea what E-Train
Talks had become.
It started out just a podcaston Spotify, like Writers with
Wrinkles is, and it reallyblossomed into something that
I'm really proud of.
Now I'm giving books to kids,going out and talking about
stories with kids in need,underprivileged communities, and
also just online and sharing mylove of stories with the kidlit
world.
Lisa Schmid (03:22):
So yeah, you know, I just love that story so much.
I mean it just really isamazing and how you started, how
you, what you've turned it into, because it has really
snowballed into somethingmagnificent.
Like I just see everything thatyou do and I'm I was just
saying to Beth before we came onthe air I'm like so does he
find the time, Like he's so muchand he's actually going to
(03:45):
school and he's doing all thisstuff, and I'm just, you know,
my hat's off to you because youare doing a fabulous job and you
really are making a differencein the world.
And so, from all of us in thekid that world, thank you so
much.
Beth McMullen (03:59):
What is something new that you are doing in the
organization right now, thatyou're super excited about Any
new projects on the horizon orsomething that you're, like I'm
super jazzed about this?
Is there anything that you canshare with us that's coming down
the pipeline?
ETrain (04:14):
Absolutely.
And also I wanted to say Icurrently still don't know how I
have time to do all this youwere just talking about.
How does he do this?
I don't know how I do this, butI manage.
And we're here today and aproject that I'm really excited
about.
I'm going to be speaking at theCalifornia School Library
Association Conference in SanJose, which is coming up in a
couple of months, in January,and I'm going to be talking
(04:36):
about my project, butspecifically how books really
change the world and inspirekids to be better people,
because books are windows andmirrors.
That's a phrase that I reallylove sharing, and books just
make us better people.
They teach empathy, they teachcompassion and in a world like
we live in today, where theinternet can really influence
kids' decision making and kids'beliefs, books are really that
(04:58):
gateway to become kinder peopleand more accepting of others,
and without stories, I mean, Ialways like to say readers make
leaders, and so I'm hoping thatthrough this conference, I'll be
able to go to more schools withmore connections with school
librarians, who are also, I mean, all librarians in just general
.
They're all unsung heroes andschool librarians.
(05:18):
I'm hoping to connect with moreschools and so I can give more
books to kids who really needthem and more inspiration.
Lisa Schmid (05:25):
So where do you see this?
Because you're 13 now, right,right, okay.
Where do you see this going?
Like you, you're already on ahuge path.
Like, do you have some kind ofidea, like where you want this
to keep moving to?
ETrain (05:43):
That's a really great question and that's something
that I ask myself all the time.
And you know, with schoolcurrently there isn't a huge
homework load at the moment, sothat gives me a lot more free
time after school.
But you know, as I get older,as I traverse into the crazy
world that is high school, it'sgoing to be a challenge to keep
everything going at the fullspeed that we're going right now
(06:03):
.
But I just want to continuethis as long as I can.
I want to continue bringing joyin whatever aspect I can.
Maybe, if I can't review booksas often as I previously have, I
can maybe utilize some moretime to go to schools and
actually directly give to kidsand I mean in any way possible
if I can impact kids and adults'lives and inspire more people
(06:23):
to read and inspire people tobecome kinder people.
That's really what it's allabout and I hope that, as an
adult, I don't stop what I'mdoing.
Future me, if you're watchingthis, hope that you're still
keeping on and keeping justbeing the kind person that you
are at the moment.
Hopefully you're still a kindperson.
I know you are, I know you eatyour in and I'm really hoping to
(06:43):
just spread more positivity,spread more joy, whether it's
through books, whether it'sthrough giving in general, maybe
not just related to stories.
That's what it's all about, andI'm hoping to continue in the
near future and hopefully thefar future as well.
Beth McMullen (06:58):
I like that answer.
I mean, the world definitelyneeds more readers, right?
Absolutely so we support you.
That's amazing.
We have a few questions for youthat we want to, you know, kind
of drill down to the weeds here.
Lisa, you want to go?
Lisa Schmid (07:16):
Yes, okay, but first, before we jump in,
readers make leaders.
I love that, and that's gettingposted on Writers with Wrinkles
later on today.
I love that so much.
So there's been this hugekerfuffle about middle grade,
and so when Beth and I weretalking about it, because we're
both middle grade writers Beth'slike now in adult fiction, but
(07:38):
I'm sure she'll circle backaround someday.
As I keep saying, make ithappen.
But we are both middle gradewriters and we're seeing a huge
shift that you know, people aresaying you know kids aren't
reading as much.
So you know, and not knowing,like, what do kids want?
And so when we were having thisdiscussion, I'm like I just
happen to know somebody, so wekind of want to pick your
(08:00):
brilliant brain to see what'sgoing on out there with kids.
Because it's so often it's likeadults are making the decision
what kids are going to bereading.
And even if, once a book's beenpublished, then there's another
layer of adults saying, well,do we want kids reading these?
You know, are these the booksthat we're going to choose?
And so there's all these layersthat all these adults are
(08:22):
picking books for kids, but bythe time it gets to them, it's
like well, wait a minute.
Is that even something thatkids want to read?
I think there should be thiswhole level where kids are
involved in the decision-makingprocess.
So, first of all, what are youreading right now?
What do you like to?
ETrain (08:41):
read.
That's a great question andyeah, I agree with you.
Adults are really dictatingwhat kids should read, whether
it's parents telling their kidswhat they can read, and also
just the government in a sense.
Books are being banned and kidsthey don't get the chance to
see themselves in the books thatthey read in a lot of states,
which is heartbreaking.
But now shifting to the questionof what I'm reading I'm reading
(09:03):
a lot.
I mean, I always do.
But the specific genres thatI'm really enjoying, I love
realistic fiction.
That's always one that reallystays in my heart.
That's what got me into books.
I used to only read nonfictionfor a long time, but realistic
fiction and fantasy, which isanother one of my favorites
those really helped me kind ofmake the change from only
(09:24):
nonfiction to fiction.
Now I have that happy medium,still love nonfiction, so if
you're a nonfiction writer outthere, reach out.
So other books that I'm readingI love graphic novels.
Graphic novels are always afavorite of mine.
Just right next to me, I cameprepared.
I have one of my favoritegraphic novels of all time New
Kid.
I had the chance to interviewJerry Craft.
(09:45):
He is a legend but yeah, I readpretty much everything.
I used to not read many spookybooks, but books like Lisa
Schmid's right here, like Heartand Souls, and they're books
like sort of spooky but nothorror.
Those are also some books thatI'm getting into.
I mean, at the time ofrecording it's almost halloween.
(10:07):
One week less than one weekuntil halloween.
So what am I supposed to do?
Not read spooky books.
I have to get myself in themood.
But yeah, I pretty much readanything.
If you just put a book outthere, I'm gonna dive in, read
it in one sitting, hopefully,and I read everything, so you
can't really find a genre that Idon't enjoy.
And if you do, thencongratulations, because you
stumped even me.
So you should be proud ofyourself.
Beth McMullen (10:28):
So when you are talking to your peers and your
friends and it sounds like youenjoy all the genres and all the
stuff which is great, becausethen you never run out, you
never have that panicky momentof oh no, what am I going to
read next.
When you're talking to yourfriends and kids in your classes
and the reader community, whatare they liking?
Are they also, like you,totally into everything?
(10:50):
Do they prefer, you know,fantasy or are they into graphic
novels?
What do you feel like is thepredominant genre that kids are
interested in these days?
ETrain (11:01):
That's a great question and I mean it has to be noted
that there are a lot of kidsthat sadly aren't reading as
much and they haven't reallyfound the perfect books that are
right for them.
But just from a standpoint ofwhat kids are reading at least
that I've seen I know there areclassics.
I mean they might notnecessarily be deemed as
classics, like Oliver Twist, butI mean I guess contemporary
classics twist, but I mean Iguess contemporary classics.
(11:25):
There's books like percyjackson, camp half-blood
represent we have a way.
I mean.
There's wings of fire.
I mean when I go to and visitschools everybody asks me do you
read wings of fire?
Have you read wings of fire?
And I used to always say nobecause I hadn't, but now I've
gotten into it and I see whatthe appeal is.
And also harry potter I mean Iwant to share like a really cool
story.
I went to elementary school acouple weeks ago and they had a
(11:45):
harry potter like.
They had two dueling book clubs, one that was all about harry
potter, the other one that waspercy jackson, and they had like
competitions.
It was so much fun, so cool tolearn about and I mean it's
really cool to see this nextgeneration of readers being
lifted up and checking out thesenew classics.
And also Keeper of the LostCities it's another favorite of
kids.
Chris Colfer he wrote Land ofStories.
(12:07):
I'm always asked about that.
Also sort of Sacramento native,lisa McMahon you know her, you
love her.
Her Forgotten Five, herUnwanted series those are both
favorites of kids Also.
I mean, I have a lot of booksthat I could share, but I can
sort of wrap it up.
When I go to second and thirdgrade classrooms I always see my
Weird School Books by DanGutman, and Dan Gutman is one of
the nicest people I've ever met, so check out his books.
(12:30):
I love Dan Gutman.
And also finally, last but notleast, we have Spy School by
Stuart Gibbs.
All the books they're kids'favorites.
Beth McMullen (12:43):
Well, folks, excuse the interruption, but in
a plot twist none of us sawcoming, my internet decided to
make a dramatic exit right inthe middle of our interview.
So while I was off battling theWi-Fi dragons, Lisa was left to
heroically finish the episodesolo.
I think she nailed it.
Now back to the second half ofour conversation with E-Train.
Lisa Schmid (13:02):
For our listeners at home.
We just had.
This is the real world ofpodcasting.
We just lost Beth McMullen.
She's in the woods someplace inConnecticut, I think, right now
.
So it is now, and I just toldE-Train it's just you and me,
kid, we're doing this.
ETrain (13:22):
She did not die, sure, her internet died.
Lisa Schmid (13:24):
She did not die.
Sure, her internet died.
Where do?
ETrain (13:42):
you think kids are discovering new books?
Is it at the library?
Because I know it's not on.
You know, I don't think kidsare going on Goodreads or Amazon
or I mean it's a really bigmixed bag, and I think that kids
are finding books in all sortsof places, which is really
exciting.
Like you said, kids are notfinding books on Goodreads.
Most likely, I mean there couldbe some cool kids out there who
are doing that and maybe some ofyou might be inspired to do
this after this interview, butfor the majority, I feel like a
(14:06):
lot of teachers give greatrecommendations.
Teachers have a really greatsense of seeing what their
students enjoy, reading, whattheir students really like, and
I mean they have a lot of booksin their back pocket that they
can turn to to give to theirkids, which I really love and
also school librarians andlibrarians.
They have massive catalogs andeven if they don't have the
books in their specific library,they really give great
(14:28):
directions as to where you canfind the story.
You can maybe go to your ownpublic library, maybe you can
scour around the school libraryand might find it here as well.
So the library, of course,great place, public libraries
and I think Amazon is.
It's interesting.
I mean, that's sort of like theA, where we don't talk about
Amazon, because independentbookstores are great places that
(14:49):
kids should be going to as well.
Hopefully more parents will beadvocating for kids to go to
independent bookstores.
But Amazon I think that Amazonis interesting.
I think that they do have good.
If you like this book, then youmight like this book, and plus
plus it can be a little bit moreconvenient for people, which I
totally understand.
So I think Amazon is a placewhere kids can find books, but
(15:12):
that's more from a parent'sdirection.
It's more of a parent's idealway of finding books rather than
what kids typically do.
So kids find stories all overthe place and it's just really
exciting All the ways that youcan see where kids are checking
out new books, checking out newways to dive into stories.
Also, ebooks and Kindles thoseare great ways that kids can
enjoy reading on the go, whetherthey're at home or they can be
(15:34):
in an airplane reading.
And I know books can bephysical.
Books can be very heavy on anairplane and you know you got to
stay under that 50 pound limitfor your kid.
So eBooks can also be great.
I'm personally not the biggeste-reader, but I know there are a
lot of kids who are and that'sgreat.
It's great that people arefinding new ways to read.
Lisa Schmid (15:52):
So you think kids are, generally their resource is
school libraries and libraries.
Amazon's a bad word, but at thesame time you have like access.
There's also bookshoporg,because and I I love indie
(16:12):
bookstores and I love Barnes andNoble but they're also very
limited in their space.
They can only carry so manymiddle grade books and I always
think you know there's all thesemiddle grade books that are so
wonderful that aren't, you know,a bestseller, so they don't
make it into that, into thatbookstore.
So hopefully kids are finding away to really explore other
options and for listeners outthere, bookshoporg is a great
(16:37):
place for you to go and look formore books.
The other thing what do youthink is there anything like
that?
You feel like kids are drawn to, that, they want more of that's
kind of missing out there,because, again, adults are
making the decision and whenyou're talking to kids, are they
(16:58):
like oh my God, do you know abook series that's more like
this book series?
You know what I mean.
ETrain (17:03):
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean and I'm sort of
being the voice for the kidshere.
I think that kids they reallywant to see more specific genres
, that I feel like kids arereally drawn to Fantasy.
That's a really big one in thisday and age.
I think kids love fantasy.
They love the idea of escapinginto a new world.
(17:25):
I personally love that as well.
I think mythology with thesuccess of the Percy Jackson
stories, they're always going tobe in my heart.
I love them.
I think kids are looking formore mythology, which I hope to
see more of, and my personalexperience, I'm looking for more
.
I guess a lot of middleschoolers kind of go like ew.
But you know, crushes, thoseare real, they're very real
(17:47):
things, middle schoolers.
It's not weird, it's a not okay, anyway.
But I think that there needs tobe more accurate representation
of those because, I mean,sometimes parents might be like,
oh, just a little crush, that'sno big deal, but to kids it is
a big deal.
It's literally our socialaspects of school and life.
They're like huge.
Sometimes people care moreabout clothes than homework.
(18:09):
I mean, nobody really enjoyshomework but you know, I think
that more accuraterepresentation when it comes to
crushes and those sort ofaspects also, friendships and
bullies because bullying can bereally complicated nowadays.
It's not just in personsomebody saying, oh, you're bad
at basketball or something.
(18:30):
They can go online.
They can be anonymous.
Sometimes you might not evenknow who is bullying you and
that means you can't reallyreport them.
You can't really do anythingabout it.
So the complexities of bullyingand the complexities of
friendship, with social mediabeing really prevalent in our
lives, they really need to betalked more about in middle
grade, in my opinion.
I think that kids willdefinitely agree with that.
More accurate representationand relevant themes and topics
(18:53):
portrayed in books that's whatkids are looking for.
So, authors out there, ifyou're an aspiring author or one
who's currently writing booksthat are being sold already,
maybe try that, Because I thinkthat you'll get a lot of kids
who are like how, how, how dothey read my mind?
And I think that's going to besomething great that kids are
going to love.
Lisa Schmid (19:11):
Oh, my God, that is the perfect answer and that is
exactly why we had you on thepodcast.
Thank you so much, thank you so?
Much for all your time today.
You are a kid, that rock star.
ETrain (19:21):
Thank you, and I'm really excited to be in the
presence of kidly Rockstars andKidly Heroes, like both of you,
and I'm sorry that internet wasa really big problem.
So I mean, if, beth, if you'rewatching this in the future or
listening to this in the future.
Thank you so much for being agreat host.
Of course, lisa, thank you somuch for having me, and I'm
really grateful.
Lisa Schmid (19:40):
Thank you so much, and, listeners, we encourage you
to check out the details aboutE-Transmission and we will put
the link in our podcast notesand the blog at
writerswithwrinklesnet.
And Beth and I are back onNovember 25th where we are
talking to Creative Media Agencyliterary agent Vicki Weber, and
(20:03):
we're excited about theconversation.
So please join us for that ifyou can, and then, until then,
happy reading, writing andlistening.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.