U is for Unexpected bonuses #AtoZChallenge

Operation Awesome's #AtoZChallenge theme for 2018 is... 

OA to Z! We'll be correlating our usual posts with the challenge letters.

I was able to anticipate some of the benefits of blogging with Operation Awesome before I started. Others were Unexpected. One of those unexpected benefits has been sharing my love of books with my oldest child. Because of Operation Awesome, I was sent an ARC of Adrienne Kress' book The Explorers: The Door in the Alley last year, which I read out loud to my son. The sequel, The Reckless Rescue, comes out today, and we were sent another ARC. 

This time, my son read most of the book to himself. He's really grown as a reader over the past year, and we were both thrilled that he could read this book by himself. He's eight, in third grade, if that gives you an idea of his reading level. Here's his review:

Did you like the second Explorers book?

Yes! It was a great book.

Who would you recommend it to?

I already recommended it to (his teacher)! He said he'll have to read it.

Do you want to read the next one?

There's another one? Can I read it now?

What was your favorite part?

Escaping the bad guys with The Lost Boys.

Was there a part you didn't like?

No, I loved all of it.

Was it too hard to read by yourself?

It was a little hard, but not too hard. I liked it.

**********

About the Book

  *  The bad news: The boy (Sebastian) has been kidnapped by a trio of troublesome thugs.
  *  The good news: His new friend Evie has promised to rescue him!
  *  The bad news: Sebastian has been taken halfway around the world.
  *  The good news: Evie has famous explorer and former Filipendulous Five member Catherine Lind at her side!
  *  The bad news: There's still the whole matter of Evie's grandfather (and the leader of the Filipendulous Five) somewhere out there in grave danger.
  *  The good news: Pursuing Sebastian will lead Evie and Catherine to another member of the Filipendulous Five, who might be able to help!

This missive is a call to action and an invitation to join in mystery, bravery, and danger. There will be new people to meet, new places to see, and some dancing along the way. And one amazingly reckless rescue.

About the Author

Adrienne Kress is a writer and an actress born and raised in Toronto. She is the daughter of two high school English teachers, and credits them with inspiring her love of both writing and performing. She also has a cat named Atticus, who unfortunately despises teeny hats. She is the author of The Explorers: The Door in the Alley, The Explorers: The Reckless Rescue, and The Explorers: The Quest for the Kid. To find out more about Adrienne, visit AdrienneKress.com and follow @AdrienneKress on Twitter and Instagram.

Meet Adrienne Kress in this Debut Author Spotlight

THE EXPLORERS: THE DOOR IN THE ALLEY

1- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader, and is there a particular scene you hope will resonate with readers?

I hope that people will feel the entire rainbow of feelings. I hope they feel excited, and that they laugh a lot. I hope they feel a bit nervous too, perhaps, at the thrilling bits (at the zoo, for instance), and some sadness, especially with Evie's lack of friends and family. I hope most of all that they relate to her and Sebastian, feel a sense of camaraderie and empathy.

As for an especially resonant scene, I don't really have one in particular. (It’s a little like asking a parent, “Which of your children is your favorite?”) But I suppose I do hope that I manage to strike a chord with the scenes between Sebastian and Evie where they are getting to know each other and their friendship starts to grow. Friendship to me is very important, and sometimes I feel it isn't given its due, especially compared with, say, romance. I want to elevate the importance of friendship. It's been very important to me in my life.

2-What is the most memorable trait or visual oddity of one of your characters?

Catherine Lind's short red hair is very distinct, I think. But I do feel that my villains have the most peculiar and arresting looks. One of them has a face that's half-melted and he's missing an ear, the other has his jaw wired shut with bits of metal that poke out through his skin. So that's pretty . . . memorable, I'd say :) .

3-Is there any diversity in THE EXPLORERS?

As a feminist I endeavor to get as many female characters and female voices as I can into my work. In this book, I made sure the president of the Explorers Society was not only a woman, but an older woman. And the first explorer we meet from the Filipendulous Five is also female: Catherine. With her I wanted to create someone tall and imposingly built, to celebrate a different type of female form. It was also important to me that Evie was a problem-solver, both smart and capable, but also someone who does make mistakes. The ideal strong female character to me is a three dimensional one.

As for Sebastian, he has anxiety and suffers from panic attacks. This is something I've been dealing with myself since high school and like to address in my writing wherever possible. I think it’s important to read about characters who have these kinds of challenges to overcome and bravely work to succeed in spite of them.

We don't meet the rest of the Filipendulous Five exploring team in this first book, because each book introduces us to one more. But the team is briefly described in this book and they will become lead characters as they appear in later books. Two of them are African American, one is Chinese American. And one is also LGBTQ.

4-Which character has your favorite Personality Contradiction?

Right now I think that would be Catherine. She is so remarkably empathic with animals that it seems she can practically speak with them. And yet she is completely clueless about how to empathize with and understand humans. I enjoy that.

5-As a reader, what most motivates you to buy a new book to read?

Humour is the first thing I tend to look for. I also enjoy books with complex and somewhat unusual characters.

6-What cause or charity do you most often lend your voice to?

There are several that I donate to, but I'd like to highlight Interval House. It's a local centre here in Ontario for abused women and children. http://www.intervalhouse.ca

7-If you could co-star in a movie with anyone, who would be your pick?

Oh my goodness, that's a nearly impossible question. There are so many actors I respect and revere so much. I think right now if I had to choose, I’d love to meet and work with Meryl Streep and Viola Davis. They are so accomplished, at the top of their game, and it seems, at least from interviews and speeches, that they are good friends with each other, so maybe I could round out the trio and then we could go fight crime together . . . or have tea or something . . .

adriennekress.com/author
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THE EXPLORERS: THE DOOR IN THE ALLEY