Editor’s Note: This exchange is part of a series of brief interviews with emerging writers of recent or forthcoming books. If you enjoyed it, please visit other interviews in the I’ve Got Questions feature.
- What’s the title of your book? Fiction? Nonfiction? Poetry? Who is the publisher and what’s the publication date?
Birdy is a middle-grade novel, published by Christy Ottaviano Books at Little, Brown, published 2/17/26 - In a couple of sentences, what’s the book about?
When their mother dies, Birdy and her little brother Mouse are forced to move far away from their home in New York City. Their futures are uncertain, and they must live temporarily with distant relatives they’ve never met before. They learn to value each other and see the power of ‘found family’ as they struggle to rebuild their lives. - What’s the book’s genre (for fiction and nonfiction) or primary style (for poetry)?
Literary fiction: middle grade - What’s the nicest thing anyone has said about the book so far?
Colby Sharp said he thought it would turn out to be one of the best books of 2026.
Booklist’s starred review reads, “This resonant story celebrates the healing power of connection and the hope found in chosen family.”
“Moss presents a gorgeously imperfect narrator who, after years of being a caretaker, must learn to be a kid and a member of a family with loving adults. The messiness of grief is handled with delicacy and compassion,” from The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books out of Johns Hopkins - What book or books is yours comparable to or a cross between? [Is your book like Moby Dick or maybe it’s more like Frankenstein meets Peter Pan?]
A cross between Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo and Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh - Other than writing this book, what’s the best job you’ve ever had?
I teach writing and literature at the university level and love it. The most fulfilling aspect of teaching has been working with senior citizens, veterans, and incarcerated people, helping them to shape their stories. - What do you want readers to take away from the book?
I hope that Birdy inspires some kids to start keeping a journal. It can be a wonderful, private space to organize our thoughts and emotions.
I also hope some kids will see that the families we are born into are often wonderful, but so are the families we find and create for ourselves along the way.
Lastly, I hope that kids and adults alike are reminded of the joy and healing power of the natural world. Birdy and Mouse aren’t so sure when their story begins, but by the end, they’ve found a lot of joy from playing in streams, climbing trees, planting potatoes, meeting a goat, and seeing fireflies, amongst other adventures. - What food and/or music do you associate with the book?
Because Birdy and Mouse were often worried about having enough food, they think about food a lot in this book. Birdy’s favorite food is pistachios. Aunt Mitzy likes to bake, and she makes some great cakes, but there’s a scene when their garden is overrun by zucchinis and they spend a day making a whole lot of zucchini bread, which makes me smile. - What book(s) are you reading currently?
In the middle grade world, I am reading 3 books: The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri, Alan Cole is Not a Coward by Eric Bell, and A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer
In the adult fiction realm, I am reading The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
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