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Author Interviews · June 7, 2021

Debbie Rigaud Interview (+INTL Giveaway!)

Debbie Rigaud is one of my favorite young adult authors. I thoroughly enjoyed her debut, Truly Madly Royally and was excited to read Simone Breaks All the Rules, especially after seeing that cover! Today, Debbie and I talk about having a dark-skinned girl on the cover of her book, her ideal YA love interest, and loving Haitian culture. Debbie is also giving away a copy of her newest YA! Enjoy!


Debbie Rigaud - Simone Break All The Rules - Author Interview

Hi Debbie, what a pleasure to be chatting with you about Simone Breaks All the Rules! I really liked this story. You know how to write fun stories about Black girls finding their way in the world. YES to a dark-skinned Black girl on the cover! Was it important to you to have that representation?

YES! I join you in that celebration of dark-skinned Black girls, because most definitely, it was important to me to have that representation. I remember the shameful era of the blatant whitewashing of characters on book covers when it was called out in publishing maybe a decade ago. It’s a callout that’s been made before then, and one that will continue to be made as long as that erasure keeps occurring. But it feels amazing that this right here is not one of those instances.

Simone looks shea-butter glowy on this cover, and her glorious dark skin is poppin’! Now, in part, it’s up to the readers to continue to prove that whitewashing is a practice that won’t haunt a future generation of dark-skinned book characters and the readers who love them.

Simone and her friends (who all have overprotective parents) make a senior year bucket list of “rebellious” things to do. What inspired you to write this story? I have to ask: did you also have overprotective immigrant parents? Did you ever consider doing what Simone and the HomeGirls did?

Haha. Yes, like Simone, I’m from a loving, joyful, but overprotective household. My immigrant parents not only left the familiarity of Haiti for Brooklyn, but a decade in, left their close-knit community in Brooklyn for New Jersey. I think being away from their network of support made them extra cautious and a bit fearful, which manifested itself in the type of rules Simone wants to break from so badly.

Just like with Simone’s big sister, my eldest sister actually had her prom date arranged by my mom! I faintly remember the arranged prom discussion, and I held onto that memory for years. It sparked so many What If scenarios in my mind! What if there was a girl who was absolutely against the idea of having an arranged prom? That “What If” girl became Simone, and her story explores her quest to gain some type of agency over her life before graduation.

Sure, I had some HomeGirls moments in my life where friends and I would get our lies straight enough to back each other up. But I was never as clever or as organized as Simone to make that an official function of my friend group or to come up with a joint bucket list. Teen me would find Simone very inspirational! Haha.

Haitian culture plays a major role in this book. I loved seeing the Creole and learning about Haitian art, Haitian immigration, and even Haitian food. Why did you want to share more of that in this book?

I’m a firm believer that more people should know about Haiti’s singular legacy, especially all Black people who strive to learn more about our historical contributions. Haiti is a place that’s been so vilified and caricaturized, but Haiti has a fascinating origin story. Simone is a history buff who is learning about heroic teen figures in history, so naturally she’s also jazzed about the revolutionary aspect of Haitian history and culture. 

For readers I say, experience Simone Breaks All the Rules as you would a summer street festival. Come, sample the culture, sample the food, groove to the music, appreciate the art. Everyone is invited to partake and enjoy, and when you get to The End, you’ll leave a little bit Haitian. 🙂

I loved Gabby’s and Simone’s relationship, as well as their differences. Family plays such a huge role in both their lives. Did you have a family member who inspired their relationship?

Based on reader reaction, I’m realizing now that a lot of other people have that one cousin like Gabby in the family. I was particularly hearing this from Caribbean people. And yes, I too have a cousin like Gabby. Several of them. Some of my cousins are firecrackers, and their dynamic personalities definitely influenced the way I developed Gabby’s character.

Everyone needs someone close to them who tells it like it is. They hold up the cold hard truth like a mirror in your face, until you have no choice but to reckon with it. Sometimes all you want is to see the filtered version of yourself, but there’s little personal growth to gain if that’s the only reflection you choose to focus on. We owe a great debt to the Gabby’s of the world. They help expand our thinking. 

Gavin was such an interesting character, especially as we got to learn more about him. It was also amazing to see how much Simone projected her feelings on him. What did you hope to highlight using that narrative arc?

As a teen I had a really hard time seeing past my favorites. No amount of reasoning from loved ones could sway me. I would be like, Nope, I still want it. It was very much THIS is the boy for me and no one can tell me different, or this is the ONLY college I can see myself going to, and that’s final. And sometimes that IS the boy you’ll end up with or the college you’ll attend, but what if it’s not? How do you prepare your heart for that disappointment? And how do you come to recognize your fuzzy projections on that object of desire is clouding your true view of it? These are some of the questions I posed through that narrative arc. 

Ben was the sweetest! I loved his gentleness, kindness, and how full of depth he was — my kinda guy. What are the characteristics of your ideal love interest when you’re creating a YA romance? 

Thank you! I’m so glad to hear you express that about Ben. My ideal love interest is ultimately someone for whom Black girls are not an afterthought. Someone who values Black girls, checks for them, and enjoys being in their company is my ideal LI. And you’ll pick up this value in the way he looks at her, the things he says to her, and the way he reacts to her when she walks in a room. And for readers who have love for the Black girls who show up in their lives as sisters, cousins, friends, friend of friends, classmates, neighbors, whatever—this Black girl appreciation will delight your heart, because…why wouldn’t it? 

Simone and her mother have a very realistic mom-teen daughter relationship. I loved the humor, disagreements, similarities, and all-round love between them. What do you enjoy about writing mother-daughter relationships?

So many of us can attest that our relationships with the mothers or mother figures of our lives are among the most soulful yet the most layered or the most complicated. There’s a rawness to it. I love examining how we show up for each other, and the baggage we bring when we do. It’s pretty fascinating. These foundational relationships shape us in ways sometimes we don’t fully understand until we’re confronted with the evidence. Are we really worlds apart from each other, or is there much more overlap than we realize?

New York comes alive in this story! I’ve visited once and I enjoyed visiting again on the page with the girls. Do you live in New York? What is your favorite thing about the city?

I don’t live in New York anymore, but I was born there and I like to imagine that you absorb the essence of the place you’re born. Even after my family moved across the river to Jersey, NYC is where we commuted to on a regular basis. It’s homebase because, for a time, my grandparents and extended family all lived in Brooklyn and my parents both worked in Manhattan until they retired. My favorite thing about the City is maybe that essence I mentioned. It conditions the air with possibility, innovation, ingenuity, culture and drive. 

Which great YA or middle grade books have you enjoyed recently?

Truly Madly Royally

Like you, I love MG and I started reading more MG books these past years. When Life Gives You Mangoes by Kereen Getten is one book I enjoyed recently. And at the moment I’m enjoying Cece Rios and the Dessert Souls by Kaela Rivera. Depending on what I’m working on, I’ll go and read not so new YA books. When it comes to reads, I always feel I have so much catching up to do. To put me in a Brooklyn state of mind for my WIP, I read Tiffany Jackson’s Let Me Hear a Rhyme, and as a rep for a late bloomer teen who has not yet kissed a boy, I read The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. And I still think of Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali because the characters in that book have lingered on my mind for a while. 

Can you share anything about your next project(s)?

I’m currently working on revisions for my next Scholastic YA that’s releasing next summer. And speaking of NYC, this book is set at Brooklyn’s Caribbean carnival—the lively West Indian Parade held on Labor Day each year. Prior to that, I have an early MG project releasing this fall from the digital reading platform Epic!. It’s an illustrated chapter book titled SOUND OF MAGIC, and I believe it’ll also be available in book form under the Epic Originals banner. I’m super excited about this friendship story that celebrates the magic of music and culture, and I hope readers will enjoy it.

Thank you so much, Debbie!

Thank YOU, Afoma. I am a fan of your work and it is an honor to be invited to chat with you. This is really exciting for me.


Enter to win a copy of Debbie Rigaud’s Simone Breaks All the Rules! This giveaway is open internationally.

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Simone Breaks All the Rules

Meet Debbie Rigaud

Dibbie Rigaud - Author Interview

Debbie Rigaud is the co-author of Alyssa Milano’s New York Times bestselling Hope series and the author of Truly Madly Royally and Simone Breaks All The Rules. Debbie grew up in East Orange, New Jersey, and started her career writing for entertainment and teen magazines. She now lives with her husband and children in Columbus, Ohio. Find out more at debbierigaud.com and check her out on her Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.


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About the Author

Afoma Umesi is the founder and blogger at Reading Middle Grade. She's a writer and editor with a deep love for children's literature. Her favorite genre is contemporary realistic fiction, but she'll never say no to a graphic novel. Read More…

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👯‍♀️ TWINS in middle grade literature 💕 

I love seeing more twins in middle grade books. For a long time, the only twins I knew in middle grade lit were the Sweet Valley High girlies. Then, I got a glimpse of twin life with Issa and Jessie in @karinaisreadingandwriting’s THE VANDERBEEKERS. 

Since then, we’ve seen more depictions of twins, including Varian Johnson’s TWINS (a graphic novel about twin sisters Francine and Maureen entering 6th grade), MIRROR TO MIRROR by Rajani LaRocca, and Hope and Gordon in THE WINTERTON DECEPTION (review to come)!

And of course, these two books, TWIN CITIES and SAVING SUNSHINE (which I just started and am loving)! While these stories will appeal to twins, I think everyone who’s ever been curious about twins will love getting a glimpse into what life feels like as one half of a whole. 

Which middle grade twin stories have you read and loved? 😍 

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📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the 📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the truth 

This stunning graphic novel follows Cinzia, Avvisi writer’s apprentice living in sunny Sianerra. Cinzia and her mestra write news stories/pamphlets to the city, but not everyone likes when they tell the truth. 

After an edition exposing the ruling family for extortion, cinzia and her mestra are arrested at night and she has to join forces with the princess to fight back against censorship. 

Besides the wonderfully imaginative and powerful storyline, loved the visuals and the diversity representation in this graphic novel. The main character has a bad leg and gets around with a walking stick, which is something rarely depicted in graphic novels (and it’s barely even discussed—it just is!).

Although, this book is closer to fantasy (but without magical elements), it’s set in a Renaissance-style Italian village, so it could work for lovers of realistic fiction too.

Look out for it in November! Have you read this graphic novel? Thoughts? Is it on your radar already?

#graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites 🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites

Looking for an upper middle grade book about ballet, friendships, and body image? Meet TURNING POINT. 

This book focuses on Monique (Mo) and Rasheeda (Sheeda)’s friendship and how it changes over a summer when both girls are drawn into different pursuits. Mo is off at a ballet intensive with Mila, while Sheeda is stuck at church (with her church “friends”) feeling like she has no life.

At the ballet intensive, Mo comes face to face with her competitive attitude which is fueled by feelings of not “fitting in” with the mostly white, skinny ballet dancers. Even though she makes a couple of friends (who basically lovingly force her to befriend them), she’s insecure at times, afraid to be vulnerable because everything feels so different. On the other hand, Sheeda is desperate for something new. Unfortunately, she falls into a risky situation with Mo’s brother whom she happens to have a crush on.

Paula Chase is one of my favorite writers for this audience and this may be my favorite of hers so far. It’s in the same universe as two of her previous books, DOUGH BOYS and SO DONE but you don’t need to read them in order. 

I’d say her books are great for kids ages 12+
Have you read any books by this author? Which ones are your favorites?

#booksbooksbooks #mglit #bookstagram
🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides I’d seen this b 🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides

I’d seen this book floating around for ages but was never drawn to it (the cover maybe?) until I saw a review somewhere I can’t remember 🤪 I was pleasantly surprised!

Twins Luisa and Fernando find their paths diverging as they’re entering sixth grade. Luisa will be attending middle school in the US just across the border from Fernando’s school in Mexico. There, they come to face to face with different, but equally pressing challenges that threaten to tear them apart.

I really enjoyed this book. The side by side depictions of both kids parallel lives, the way the illustrations celebrate Mexican culture, living, and traditions, and the heartwarming way the twins find their way back to each other. 

I’d recommend this one to 6th graders and up (heads up for content warning: text mentions and depicts illicit drug use by a minor, although portrayed in a negative light) as a fascinating look into Mexican culture, life as a twin, and finding your own identity.

#kidlit #graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man An ♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man

Ant isn’t your average 10 year old. He loves a good game of spades and he and his best friend are planning to revamp their reputation after losing badly at the last spades tournament. But things are changing in Ant’s life. His dad is acting weird, asking him to hide things from his mom. There’s a new girl in class who Ant maybe likes and who plays spades better than many boys he knows. 

When his best friend is grounded, Ant teams up with Shirley, hoping to impress his father and finally be tough like Joplin men should be. But instead, he learns what it really means to be a man—and it’s not about never crying.

There’s SO MUCH going on in this story, but the author does a stunning job of keeping all the threads in place. I was very surprised by all the protagonist has to manage at his age and the fact that it all remains believable. The story is told by Ant’s ancestor, lending a touch of magic realism. There are also many details about playing a game of spades and I loved, loved the audiobook narrator.

If you’re looking for a meatier middle grade book perfect for kids ages 9-12 (and older, really—love the cover!) looking for books that balance levity and relatability with real issues like toxic masculinity, parental addiction, friendship issues, and crushes.

#mglit #middlegrade #middlegradebookies #kidlit #booksforkids
❤️ a protagonist for the times Willow (Lolo) ❤️ a protagonist for the times

Willow (Lolo) Weaver’s summer is not going well. Her grandfather has recently died, her grandma isn’t herself and she’s given away her grandfather’s foster dog, Hank. Lolo’s mother is heavily pregnant and Lolo is in summer school because she didn’t do too well in her last exams. On top of that their lake town isn’t a lake town anymore because the lake’s been drained and smells awful now. 

Lolo wants to help her grandmother feel better and she’s convinced that getting back her grandfather’s dog will do the trick. The only problem is that the dog now belongs to someone else. So Lolo gets on Pop’s boat to steal Hank back—only to run into her summer school classmate, Noah (who’s the new dog owner).

I really enjoyed Lolo’s story. It’s strongly reminiscent of classics like Ramona and Lolo’s voice leaps off the pages. The setting is also an unmistakable part of this story and the story feels drenched in summer. My heart went out to Lolo who always feels like she’s the reason why everything’s gone awry. I also laughed plenty at her way of seeing the world. 

This book is perfect for family readalouds especially for kids in grades 3-5. Dog lovers and kids who like a good adventure with a sprinkle of mischief will love it too.

#mglit #summerbooks #booksforelementaryschoolkids #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram
🎸 believe the hype I was very nervous about re 🎸 believe the hype

I was very nervous about reading a book about a kid with cancer, but there’s no better author than Rob Harrell to do this. 

When Ross is diagnosed with a rare lacrimal gland cancer (in his eye), it’s like a new trial for his seventh grade existence. Add to that the fact that his mom died from cancer years before, he’s going blind in one eye, his best friend is moving away soon, and mean kids at school are making terrible memes about his illness and you have a dumpster fire of a year waiting to happen. Or is it?

As heavy as everything I’ve mentioned above sounds, this book is more hopeful than anything else. We follow Ross through radiotherapy and the painful, sad side effects of cancer medications, but also through learning to play the guitar, an unlikely friendship with a school bully, and a closer relationship with his dad.

I especially loved the audiobook version which has fun interdissions featuring Will’s comic alter-ego BatPig (with a different narrator, background jingles and everything). 

I would recommend this book to 6th graders and up looking for funny books with male protagonists. It’s also a great one to hand to kids coping with cancer or chronic illnesses. 

If you’re in the WINK fan club, you just got a new member 😉

#mglit #books #bookstagram
🧽 an engaging, compelling story about addiction 🧽 an engaging, compelling story about addiction recovery

After years of dealing with opioid addiction, Franny’s mom is finally sober and on the right track with a cleaning job and a cozy apartment upstairs from a laundromat. But then she gets in an accident and has to be prescribed opioids again, sending Franny into a frenzy. 

Franny starts doing her mom’s cleaning jobs behind her back — even blackmailing a school rival into working with her — to ensure they don’t run out of money. But she soon learns that worrying about adult problems isn’t her job.

I read this book in one sitting and loved it—as I do everything Sumner writes. Maid for It is an informative, gripping, and accessible middle grade book about living with a parent recovering from addiction. This one is a page-turner.

Sumner does a great job tackling important issues like poverty, classism, and drug misuse and presenting everything in an age-appropriate fashion for middle schoolers. If you’re looking for books about parents with addiction, this is a great pick.

Have you read any books by this author? Which one is your favorite? I think this might be mine 🥰

#bookstagram #kidlit #mglit #bookworm #amreader
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