Guest:
Kevin Sylvester
http://kevinsylvesterbooks.com/
Twitter: @Kevinarts
Instagram: @sylvesterartwork

Kevin Sylvester joins host Beth Lyons to talk all about his work as a kids lit author/illustrator and the challenges of writing such a variety of genres and styles. Kevin shares his love of visual texts such as Spiderman Comics and graphic novels and discusses why it’s such an important genre for kids (and adults!) to explore. The conversation takes its first (of many) tangents to explore the idea of what actually is “middle grade” fiction and should books be sorted for readers using these arbitrary categories? Beth invited Kevin mostly to talk about his newest book, Apartment 713, which is a love story to community and stories that are held within the structures of a community. Beth and Kevin discuss the inspiration for the Regency (the main building that acts as a character within the story), time travel and historical fiction as a tricky genre for kids, and the cast of eccentric secondary/tertiary characters. WARNING! The conversation meanders for a bit as Kevin and Beth follow a tangent about sports stories and sports fandoms in general! Grab a copy of Apartment 713 and take time to check out the dedication at the beginning of Apartment 713…Who helped make you the reader you are today?

Texts mentioned in this episode:
Ghost Light by Kenneth Oppel
Bloom by Kenneth Oppel
Black Thorn Series by Kevin Sands
The Good Fight by Ted Staunton
The Almost Epic Squad Series by Kevin Sylvester, Ted Staunton, Richard Scrimger and Britt Wilson
I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott
My Baba’s Garden by Jordan Scott
Small in the City by Sydney Smith
How to Draw the Marvel Way by John Buscema and Stan Lee
Butt Sandwich and Tree by Wesley King
PS Tell No One by Vikki VanSickle
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Spiderman #151
The Barnabas Project by the Fan Brothers
Ten Little Dumplings by Larissa Fan
Airborn by Kenneth Oppe
lA Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
The Misewa Series by David Robertson
Larf by Ashley Spires
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires


Links:
Britt Wilson (ceramics) http://www.brittwilson.com/ceramics

• https://quillandquire.com/review/apartment-713/
• https://canlitforlittlecanadians.blogspot.com/2022/09/apartment-713.html?m=1