by Mark H. Parsons

The California Library Association awarded this year’s prestigious John and Patricia Beatty Awards (“The Beatty”) to two CenCal SCBWI members.

Founded in 1989, the Beatty annually honors the creator of “a distinguished book for children or young adults that best promotes an awareness of California and its people.” The winners are selected by a committee of children’s librarians from throughout California.

The winning book in the Children’s category was Wake, Sleepy One (West Margin Press/Turner Publishing), written by Lisa Kerr and illustrated by Lisa Powell Braun. Wake follows the life cycle of the California poppy, from seedling to “super bloom,” a rare phenomenon which occurs when the desert landscape gets abundant rain after a period of drought.

The Young Adult winner was The Peach Rebellion (Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House), by Wendelin Van Draanen. Set in California’s Central Valley during 1947, this novel follows three girls from different backgrounds (Dust Bowl survivor, peach farmer’s daughter, and banker’s daughter) who have to overcome their differences and join forces in a risky adventure as they attempt to heal a family and a community.

We caught up with Kerr and Van Draanen at the awards ceremony on June 3 at CLA’s annual convention in Sacramento to ask a few questions about their award-winning titles.

Mark Parsons: Was there a specific experience that prompted you to write the book?

Lisa Kerr: I love nature, and one day my family and I planned a short hiking trip at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. What I thought would be a normal afternoon outing turned into one of the most fascinating experiences I had ever had—viewing 2019’s super bloom. It was one of the most spectacular things I had ever seen—hill after rolling hill covered in orange poppies.

Wendelin Van Draanen: It’s funny where “a little research” will take you! My mother-in-law spent summers as a girl working the cutting sheds in California’s Central Valley, and I thought it would be nice to hear her stories from that time. So I did a little research so I could ask her meaningful questions. By the time I finally got the picture that my mother-in-law had no desire to revisit those years, a story was already coming to life in my mind.

MP: What’s the primary takeaway you want the reader to glean from your book?

LK: Some readers have said the book gives them a sense of calm, but I hope the reader gleans how magical the desert truly is. It’s one of the most complex ecosystems out there.

WVD: I hope the main underlying theme of The Peach Rebellion—that we should listen to one another and come together with our differences to create a sweeter society—shines through. The story may be set in 1947, but all the themes in it are relevant to today.

MP: Both of these projects required a lot of research prior to writing. Can you talk about your research process?

LK: My first draft of the primary lyrical text took a few days to initially pen, followed by months to edit, but the research was ongoing from start to finish. This included visits to the location during the event I was writing about and interviews with park experts, botanists, and scientists. Everything was expert vetted—including the illustrations—during various stages of the making of the book. The illustrator (Lisa Powell Braun) conducted her own research along the way as well. Michelle McCann, the book’s editor, also spent time informing herself on the topic so she could edit with specificity.

WVD: Oh gosh…so much. Since the book is set in 1947, getting all the historic details right was a big job. Also, one character’s family fled the Dust Bowl, which turned out to be a huge and fascinating research rabbit hole. And the story required knowledge of farming and canning practices during that era, so that involved hands-on learning, including the Tractor Incident…which is an embarrassing tale best left for another time!

MP: How did you hear you’d won the Beatty Award, and what was your initial response to the news?

LK: I received an email from the committee and was thrilled! This is my debut book and of course I felt like it was a really special book, especially for California, but to have an entire committee of librarians choose this book was very humbling. I was raised in my local library—going to visit constantly to check out new books and dreaming of becoming an author, so this honor is especially close to my heart.

WVD: I was in my car, on my way to an Author Day at a middle school in the Central Valley when my editor called from New York. I’m very familiar with CLA and its awards, so I was ecstatic…and so was my editor! The Peach Rebellion took a solid three years to research and write, so news of the prize was very…well, let’s just say there were happy tears.

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Lisa Kerr grew up hiking and exploring the Western United States. She is a children’s book author, playwright, educator, and essayist whose work has been featured in magazines and publications including Huffington Post, New York Magazine, Bustle, and more. After a recent visit to the California super bloom, Lisa was inspired to research and then write Wake, Sleepy One. She lives in Central California. Learn more about her work at www.lisakerrbooks.com

Wendelin Van Draanen is an international-award-winning, bestselling author of more than thirty novels, all published by Knopf/Random House. Her titles include the 18-book Sammy Keyes mysteries and Flipped, which became a Warner Brothers feature film. A former classroom teacher, her book on writing, Hope in the Mail, is part memoir, part craft guide, and part publishing insight, designed to inspire writers to keep pursuing their dream. Find Wendelin on social platforms at @WendelinVanD or at www.wendelinvandraanen.com

Mark H. Parsons has written primarily non-fiction for several years, penning over two hundred articles for national publications as well as a pair of non-fiction books before turning to fiction. His newest YA novel, The 9:09 Project (Delacorte/Random House) was named to Bank Street College’s “Best Children’s Books of the Year” list. In a starred review, Kirkus calls it “A brilliant literary portrait…wryly funny, extremely intelligent, and sweetly romantic.” Find Mark at markhparsons.com

Photos courtesy of Mark H. Parsons.