The Question Kids Always Ask

I stand in front of an auditorium chock-full of wide-eyed fourth, fifth, and sixth graders. We’re discussing my Newbery Honor book Three Times Lucky and I’ve come to the dangerous part of the presentation: Questions & Answers.

Already, we’ve covered a lot of ground. We’ve talked about Miss Moses LoBeau, rising sixth grader, ace detective, and possible orphan. We know she longs to find the Upstream Mother who lost her in a hurricane, the day she was born. We know she’s started the Desperado Detective Agency with her best friend, Dale.

We’ve covered the book’s action and suspense. We’ve talked about writing, and creativity. I smile around the room. “Your turn. Ask me anything.”

Hands shoot into the air. “What’s your inspiration? Are the characters real? Are you writing another book? Have you ever had writer’s block? Can I have your husband’s autograph, how much money do you make, how old are you?” (Q&A is not for the faint of heart.)

Then it happens. A girl asks the question kids always ask: “Will Mo ever find her Upstream Mother?”

The room goes quiet as snowfall.

“That’s the biggest question of Mo’s life,” I say. “And I don’t know the answer. We’ll have to see how the story unfolds.”

The room sighs.

We move on to discuss the Newbery Honor, but the question lingers in the back of my mind, tapping its foot and waiting.

—

Winning a Newbery Honor is a career highlight, of course. But interacting with the kids who read my books? Visiting schools, receiving emails, letters and art? That’s the icing on the literary cake.

Readers’ emails and questions make me laugh, cry … and think.

They also prove we have some great writers coming along: “I am a huge fan of Three Times Lucky … I told all of my friends about it and it’s being passed around like gossip in a beauty shop.”

Sometimes they make me laugh. “It has been an honor to email you. I do this as a hobby … and when you respond I feel so happy and to me it is like a famous celebrity is emailing me even though you are!”

Their insight amazes me. Like the tiny girl who raised her hand at an outdoor presentation. “How can Mo be a good person when so many bad things have happened to her?”

I love the way kids let me know my work matters: “I never really enjoyed reading until I read Three Times Lucky … I hope you will write more Mo and Dale stories. If it wasn’t for you I probably still would not like reading.”

Or the girl who wrote to say, “Mo kept on trying even when it was hard … Whenever she fell down she got up again. When she failed she tried again. When I fall down I try to get up but sometimes it’s hard … Thank you for showing me that if you have confidence you can do anything you want, just like Mo who never gives up. I will try to never give up.”

Occasionally, the questions break my heart. Like the group of readers who asked me over and over again if Mo would find her mother, leaving me baffled — until their teacher explained over half of them didn’t know where their own mothers were.

But as I’ve visited schools and answered emails and written other Mo & Dale Mysteries, that one question has tapped at the back of my mind. “Will Mo ever find her mother?”

And I’ve wondered: Should she even look?

Three Times Lucky’s ending satisfied me, my editor, and the Newbery Committee. But young readers keep telling me it isn’t enough for them. And with the series drawing to a close, I realize it isn’t enough for Mo either. Which means it’s no longer enough for me.

So, on a recent school visit, Q&A took a new turn. “Will Mo ever find her Upstream Mother?” a boy asked.

I grabbed an advance copy of The Law of Finders Keepers, and held it high. “I won’t tell you, but I can tell you she’s going to look. New clues have surfaced, and the Desperado Detectives are on the case — and looking for Blackbeard’s treasure at the same time.”

The room went electric.

Later, a fifth grader quietly offered me 50 dollars for my advance copy as he headed for the door, and sagged when I declined.

So, here’s what I know for sure: The Law of Finders Keepers is funny. It’s action-packed. It’s tense and tender and it ties into history.

I hope my readers love the book as much as I do. But when it comes to Mo’s lost mother, will they find an answer that satisfies both their curiosity and their hearts?

Shoot me an email at Sheila@SheilaTurnage.com, and I’ll let you know.

The Law of Finders Keepers comes out September 11, 2018.