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Interview with Tony Johnston, author of The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall |
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Biography |
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Tony Johnston's many acclaimed picture books include The Worm Family. Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio, her first novel for young readers, was voted Children's Book of the Year by the Southern California Booksellers Association. She lives in San Marino, California.
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Synopsis |
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Things have taken a bizarre turn at Bloggins School: misbehaving dragons, dastardly principals, dancing eggs (with shoes—and attitude). Then there's the giant glowing tongue (or could it possibly be a … spoon?) that appears one day, stuck in the wall of the bathroom. What could a spoon (or is it a … tongue?) in the bathroom wall mean?
Splat in the middle of the hullabaloo is Martha Snapdragon, the boiler room–dwelling, bacon-eating, bully-tolerating daughter of the loopy but lovable janitor. Not that Martha has a clue of what to do about the all-around weirdness. She can't even get that rotten bully to stop calling her—ugh—Marthur. Surely she has no chance of thwarting the disaster that is bounding toward Bloggins.
Or does she?
In this funny, funky story of destiny run amok, Tony Johnston serves up some poignant and magical truths with a sparkling spoon and a sizzling side of bacon.
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Interview |
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Q: The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall spoofs the legend of The Sword in the Stone. For added fun, the characters' names include Ferlin, Marthur, and X-Cauliflower. What encouraged you to retell this famous fable?
A: The real Arthur is hidden in the shadows of the years. He was a Briton, who fought the invading Saxons around the year 500. Arthur (from arth, Celtic for "bear") was probably not his name. Over time, stories were made up about him, until he became a symbol for the lost Golden Age of Britain. Legend says that one day Arthur will return and save Britain again.
I have loved Arthur since I was a child and have read many versions of the story. My favorites are by T. H. White. His writing is so true; I feel that I am there—that I am Arthur. (And talk about WOW vocabulary!) To honor T. H. White, I wrote The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall, which takes place at my grammar school. In my story Bloggins School needs a hero, and, like Arthur returning, a hero appears. But there's a twist on who becomes king—and it's about time.
Q: Ferlin, Marthur's much-respected science teacher, gives Marthur her first lesson about the craft of teaching: "Don't talk down." And in this book, you honor that advice, peppering vocabulary-building words throughout the story. At what point did you discover this important aspect of teaching—and writing?
A: From my parents, my grandparents, and from teachers, I learned early on that children are people who should be treated with respect like anybody else. To withhold words because they're "hard" is a cheat—and it shows no respect. I'm crazy about words. My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Coon, had us keep journals—of words we came across and loved, or hated. Ever since, I've been keeping lists of "fabulosities" (you can make words up, too), the wonderful words I bump into. Whenever I can, I toss them out like flowers, hoping that others will catch them and love them and hold onto them—and USE them.
Q: How does your former experience as fourth-grade teacher help you write books for young children and tweens?
A: Teaching doesn't help you write books. What helps is somehow holding on to the child part of yourself. That happens by accident. Although I am a grown-up, at my center is a child.
Q: In The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall, the saying "Read Your Brains Loose" appears on a brick wall, and it's been quoted in online interviews. What's the story behind this maxim?
A: When author cards (like baseball cards) were being made, I was asked to come up with a personal slogan for mine. "Read your brains loose!" popped into my head. Reading helps everything.
Q: The Worm Family (Harcourt, 2004) speaks to confidence and self-esteem, Day of the Dead (Harcourt, 1997) honors a Mexican tradition, and Very Scary (Harcourt, 1999) celebrates Halloween. What helps you explore diverse subjects in your books?
A: I am curious about everything. Since grammar school, I've been collecting newspaper articles about archaeology, legendary beings (Bigfoot, the Hodag, Yeti), bugs, history, dinosaurs, coelacanths, people ("small heroes")—you name it. Maybe curiosity killed the cat, but it sure sustains this writer.
Q: How many books have you written?
A: I've published more than one hundred.
Q: Which Harcourt book most typifies your style?
A: I have no typical style. If you read a bunch of my books, you'd probably think they were written by a bunch of different people. Every story is different. It starts as something that needs to get out from inside of you; it shows you the best way to say it.
Q: What's the most gratifying aspect of writing for children?
A: Hearing from a young person that you have made him (or her) laugh or cry or think or try to write his own story or to follow some other dream (Hold fast!)—in short, that you have connected.
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