The Library of Ever - Author Q&A




I read this fun adventure while on the plane heading toward my OWN adventure. You see, I'm a lifelong Pennsylvania gal who is moving to Austin, TX this summer. I'm sure I'll need to hit up my new local library to learn more about my new home, and I also had some questions for the author. Read his fun responses below!



Who longs for all the knowledge of the universe at their fingertips? Who KNOWS they would make an excellent Librarian, even if they need to start as "Fourth Assistant Apprentice"? Who loves maps and penguins and tardigrades and ... well, you get the idea.

Is that you? Is that a child you adore or a student in your classroom? If so, then The Library of Ever by Zeno Alexander is the perfect book for you!


AUTHOR Q & A


1) Do you have a special library memory? I'll share some of mine below, but I'd love to hear about yours!

I have many, as I was fortunate to live near a wonderful library when I was a young child. One of them is a memory of seeing Halley’s Comet at an evening viewing arranged by the librarians. This has nothing to do with books, or even being inside the library, but a simple memory of an experience the library provided outdoors at night, and likely another step on the road toward my lifelong love of astronomy. We become whoever we are because of moments like these. Telescopes make an appearance in The Library of Ever as a result. Most everything in the background of the story comes from one of my personal library experiences.


2) What is your favorite "world library"? Are there any you'd love to visit but haven't been to yet?
There are an infinite number I’d like to visit (as they keep making new ones, fortunately). That is impossible, but I’ll do my best. One of my favorite library visits was to the Haus Potsdamer Straße library in Berlin, which was such a memorable setting in Wim Wender’s film The Wings of Desire, with angels reading over the shoulders of patrons and listening to their thoughts. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjQ8yZDQyEw for a clip)


3) I love how maps figure prominently in the book as well. Do you have any favorite maps? Are they real world or from books?
I have many books of maps, of both real and imaginary places. Some of the books have imaginary maps of real places, because we have very little to go on as to what those places actually looked like. Many of these maps can be found on the walls of the Cartography section through which Lenora adventures in the Library.


4) What were some of your sources of inspiration for this book?

The dreamworld logic of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and the fantastic cityscapes found in Winsor McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland.


5) What snacks do you like while reading and/or writing?
Coffee, coffee, coffee. Coffee makes an appearance in Book Two of The Library of Ever series — Rebel in the Library of Ever, launching in April 2020. I never eat until after my morning’s writing is finished!



Kaylee knows SHE would make a fabulous Librarian!
As promised - here are some of my own favorite library moments..

1) Walking to my local library on weekends and many days over the summer. It wasn't a close walk - a bit over a mile - but it was worth it.
2) Summer library programs. We even did plays each year - and one year I got to be the ring leader for a Three Ring Circus themed production.
3) Visiting the Trinity College Library in Dublin. Seeing the Book of Kells wasn't as exciting as I'd hoped, due to big crowds, but walking through the rest of the library was an almost religious experience.


Check out more information, as well as some excellent quotes and reviews, on the Macmillan site..


(I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher, but it did not influence my review)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Just Harriet by Elana K Arnold -- Blog Tour

Parent Book Club - Guest Post