It’s a sweet celebration of Ann Dee Ellis’ new middle grade, THIS COOKIE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE, a recent release from Peachtree. I’m a big fan of books about community and unlikely friendships and this book combines both, with imperfectly likeable characters on a quest full of obstacles.
About the Author:
Ann Dee Ellis is the daughter of a librarian who read to her and her eight siblings every night. She teaches creative writing at Brigham Young University and has written over 500+ writing prompts for writers of all ages. (Just ask her and she’ll write one for you.) When she’s not writing or teaching, you can find her hiking in the foothills with her family.
About the book:
A Junior Library Guild selection
“VERDICT A delicious read from the first bite; Ellis has whipped up a true goody. This is a solid purchase for all libraries where tweens desire a relatable delight.“
—School Library Journal
“Ellis realistically explores tween anxieties, and readers will yearn to find a community of support and true friendship like these young people have created.
The warm positives of friendship and mutual support shine through.”
—Kirkus
Let’s ask some questions!
Q 1. What inspired this heartwarming story—a summer “business” run by one of your own kids? A childhood entrepreneurial memory?
Ann Dee Ellis: Both! Growing up, summer was for treats and business. As kids, our lives revolved around getting money so we could walk to MInute Man gas station and buy Gopstoppers, Laffy Taffy, Atomic Fireballs, Rainbow Stripe Gum and Frozen Lemonades. Our favorite way to raise funds was small businesses: Kool-aid stands, ice water stands, spray-off-with-the-hose stands.
My own kids have continued the tradition. They’ve hosted toy sales (not lucrative), lemonade stands (suprisingly lucrative if the right person drives by), otter pop sales (huge hit) and one summer they did a kid-run newsletter that they sold for a dollar an issue (they only did one issue).
Kids are powerful, creative and brave. Starting a business is no joke but you got to get your treats somehow.
Q 2. They say each of our books is a tiny bit biographical. Which character would you say is most like you:
a. Eloise
b. Tilly
c. Mateo
d. Jada
e. Herschel
f. ________________ (One of the moms or neighbors? The librarian?)
Ann Dee Ellis: There’s a little bit of all of them in me. I’m a free spirit like Tilly. I’m a homework doer and people pleaser like Eloise. I played soccer like Mateo and my mom had Alzheimer’s. I love to sit still and watch people like Jada. I tend to worry like Herschel. My mom and grandma were both librarians and I spent many many days at the local library reading, crafting, secret eating, and listening to stories. I love the library.
Q 3. It’s not easy to write a story with five different perspectives. Can you tell us about your process here? Did you start with one main character and the others wanted to be heard? Did you outline the scenes and realize there were multiple perspectives?
Ann Dee Ellis: I’m the kind of writer that goes for it. There’s no outlining. I write a first chapter or scene and see if it takes me anywhere. For this novel, Tilly started the show. She wants to run away. She also wants a slurpee. On her way, she runs into Mateo.
Within a few paragraphs, I had two main characters and some conflict. Mateo is headed to the library and Tilly joins him. I like to play around so after that interaction, I wondered what it would be like to see these two go to the library. I imagined a new kid their age watching from the bus and Eloise appeared. One by one the kids came into the story. I was curious about all of them.
Points of View
Ann Dee Ellis: This is my first novel in third person limited POV and I guess I went big with the five points of view but it’s how the story presented itself. I love thinking about how our lives intersect, how we have so much going on, so much we don’t know about each other.
Fiction allows us in–it allows us the opportunity to think about how difficult and complex and interesting everyone is and how so often we miss each other, we judge each other, we don’t give each other the grace we all deserve. As I wrote about all these kids, I came to love them. I love them individually: their struggles, their hopes, their dreams.
I also love them collectively: what magic they can create together, how they show up for each other, the joy there is in just hanging out, being seen, having people you can count on.
Q 4. And since we’re on the subject, is it coincidental that there are five main characters in This Cookie Will Save Your Life, and there are five children in your family?
Ann Dee Ellis: That is coincidental but I love this connection. My editor and I struggled over the title of this book and one of the top options was Five Kinds of Cookies. My five kids are all their own kind of cookie, for sure. They’re also pretty great together.
BONUS: Writing Prompts
Q 5. We noticed you like to create Writing Prompts. Can you share a writing prompt based on This Cookie Will Change Your Life?
I’ll go first:
Writing Prompt 1 –from Erin Dealey
This _______________ will change your life.
What would you put in the blank? What would your book be about? Write the first page.
Writing Prompt 2 –from Ann Dee Ellis
Make a list of ten cookie memories. You can write just a word or two. Something like this:
- Snickerdoodle sugar rolling
- Special K Treat–crystal hot springs
- Burned brownies–Christmas
- Peanut Butter Cookies at Jill’s house
- Dropping the pan of cookies right out of the oven
- Etc.
Once you’ve made your list, pick one of the memories and try to remember the scene. Close your eyes and picture it–the time of day, the season outside, the room you’re in, the smell, who is with you, what you’re wearing, what is happening, who is talking, etc. Once you’ve done that, write the scene. Be as detailed as you can.
Example
One summer I went with my older sister and her family to Crystal Hot Springs for a family camping trip. My sister made three pans of our favorite family cookie bar–Special K Treats. My niece and I ate so many bars that we got sick. I can picture us sitting on the grass in our swimsuits. I’m wearing my rainbow one piece. Holly is wearing a hot pink one piece. We’re sunburned and tired. The waterpark and hot springs are in the background; kids are screaming and laughing. The two of us are cross legged hiding in the shade of the van, digging out one cookie bar after another and laughing our heads off.
Location, Location…
Q 6. This California writer noticed references to towns like Roseville, Folsom, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara –”blahblahblah.” (Ha– No spoilers!) Did you live in northern California at one point or was this a random location selection?
Ann Dee Ellis: I come from a big family so half of us grew up in the Bay Area. I was at the tail end–the youngest–so while I lived one year in Livermore, California, most of my growing up years were in Utah. I love Utah. I love our mountains, our deserts, the lakes, the National Parks, etc. but I have nostalgia for California, a place I got to visit multiple times but never felt like my own.
My husband spent years in the Roseville area and I had a roommate from Humboldt county who had the most wonderful tales of canoeing on the ocean in the early morning hours. When my mom passed away, a friend shared a story about the Redwood Forest that carried me through many low times of grief. When I got to visit the forest recently, I felt renewed and cared for by the towering trees.
Plus my family had just finished listening to one of Brandon Mull’s Dragon Watch series in the car and we had the time of our lives screaming a character’s name, Ronodin, into the forest. California feels like a wild, whimsical place.
Q 7. What’s next? Any projects underway that you can share?
Ann Dee Ellis: I have some fun book projects on the horizon that aren’t quite ready to be introduced to the world. What I can share is a new children’s magazine that we’ve started with the students at Brigham Young University. It’s called Whirligig and our first issue is coming out in June!
Whirligig
We publish short stories, poetry, nonfiction, puzzles and games for kids. We are open for submissions and we LOVE kids submissions. We also are looking for illustrators. Our goal is to publish beautiful and whimsical literature and art for kids and to give kids the opportunity to get published.
Happy Book Birthday to THIS COOKIE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!
To learn more about Ann Dee Ellis, visit her website anndeeelllis.com
And follow her on instagram at @anndeeellis13
(Her former insta @anndeecandy that had over 500 writing prompts got hacked &d she lost the account!)
And on Facebook at Ann Dee Ellis.
For information on Whirligig, go to whirligigmagazine.com or @whirligigmagazine on instagram or Whirligig Magazine on Facebook.
Next up on the blog:
We chat with author Katelyn Aronsen and Illustrator Dow Phumiruk
about their new picture book:
ORPHELINE
(Candlewick)
I love the idea of a group of kids kneading to work together. I am operating on no sleep so I threw a pun in to see if you’re awake. Not kidding, I read the title of this book to a friend and we both said, that’s a great name for a bakery! We both wish you and your book much success!