Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Kaija Langley (The Order of Things)!
Meet the Author: Kaija Langley
Kaija Langley was born in Northern NJ and raised on a healthy diet of library books, music and theater performances, and visits to the family farm in rural North Carolina. The author of the award-winning picture book, When Langston Dances, she loves long road trips, dancing wherever music moves her, and adventures near and far with her Beloved. She splits her time between Cambridge, MA and Los Angeles, CA.
About the Book: The Order of Things
A heart-rending novel-in-verse about a girl beginning to learn it is possible to go on even after a great loss.
Eleven-year-old April Jackson loves playing the drums, almost as much as she loves her best friend, Zee, a violin prodigy. They both dream of becoming professional musicians one day. When Zee starts attending a new school that will nurture his talent, April decides it’s time for her to pursue her dreams, too, and finally take drum lessons. She knows she isn’t very good to start, but with Zee’s support, she also knows someday she can be just as good as her hero, Sheila E., and travel all around the world with a pair of drumsticks in her hand.
When the unthinkable happens and Zee suddenly passes away, April is crushed by grief. Without Zee, nothing is the way it’s supposed to be. Zee’s Dad isn’t delivering the mail for his postal route like he should. April’s Mom is suddenly dating someone new who is occupying too much space in their lives. And every time April tries to play the drums, all she can think about is Zee.
April isn’t sure how to move on from the awful feeling of being without Zee. Desperate to help Papa Zee, she decides to secretly deliver the mail he’s been neglecting. But when on her route she discovers a classmate in trouble, she doesn’t second guess what she knows is the right thing to do.
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~Author Chat~
YABC: What gave you the inspiration to write this book?
When I was six years old, I lost my best friend to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). We were neighbors, but attended different schools. One morning we left for school and only I returned home. It was shocking, heartbreaking, and confusing, but unfortunately life carried on without any real acknowledgement about how I was feeling and managing my grief. I wanted young readers today to have a safe space to read about how life events can inflict grief when they least expect it and hopefully serve as a conversation starter with the adults in their lives.
YABC: Why did you choose to write in verse?
The MC in the story is an aspiring drummer. Music is poetry in its own way and the percussive nature of drums lends itself to verse. Plus, I tried for months to write the story in prose, but it didn’t feel right. When I stepped away from the story to let it breathe, April’s voice came to me clearly and it was in verse.
YABC: What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?
I love the scene/poem of April and Zee playing music in the laundry room of their apartment building. It’s a very spontaneous moment filled with connection and joy between two best friends.
YABC: What came first, the concept, landscape, characters, or something else?
I would say the concept and the landscape. I knew it would be set in Boston, in a real neighborhood featuring real places.
YABC: How do you keep your ‘voice’ true to the age category you are writing within?
I tap into my younger self, the introverted pre-teen who was always observing, listening, and making up stories in my head. Thankfully, I was always in tune with my emotions because I started writing in a journal when I was 10 and never stopped. When you’re an outlier in any way – and I was tall for my age, skinny, introverted, very athletic, very into jazz – it’s possible to carry that feeling of otherness for life. The world has changed so much, but the emotional terrain of needing to find your voice, where you fit, how you’ll contribute, and who your people are doesn’t change.
YABC: What can readers expect to find in your books?
Authenticity. MG stories should be hopeful, but they should also not shy away from hard things and situations. We live in a complex world. There is no “single way” to be or do anything. I love writing stories with characters that defy what may be “expected” by society. A Black boy who dances ballet. A Black girl who aspires to be a professional drummer. A Black boy violin prodigy.
YABC: What is your favorite snack when writing?
I love buttered popcorn, chips, most anything salty. I’ve got a real sweet tooth and the only way I don’t let it get the best of me when I’m creating is to switch to savory and salty snacks. Otherwise it’s way too easy for me to demolish a large bag of peanut M&Ms or box of Oreos.
YABC: What research did you use for this story?
Even though I had personal experience with losing a friend to Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), I collected a lot of articles about other children who experienced SCA and read medical journal articles about the condition in youth.
YABC: What do you do when you procrastinate?
I don’t know if I’d call it procrastination, but if I get stuck while I’m writing a story I take a long walk. I detach completely from technology for a while, maybe read a book. I stop thinking about what isn’t working and let it go. Sometimes it takes a day or a week, but a solution usually arises and then I get back to the story.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I’ve got a second picture book coming out, A CENTURY FOR CAROLINE, in Fall 2024 with Denene Millner Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Young Readers. It’s the story of a young girl who travels with her Daddy from the city to the country to celebrate her great grandmother’s 100th birthday. Centenarians used to be rare, but as of 2021 it’s estimated that there are more than 89,000 in the U.S.!
Title: The Order of Things
Author: Kaija Langley
Release Date: June 6, 2023
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Genre: Poetry, Middle-Grade, Friendship, Grief, Performing Arts- Music, Community
Age Range: 10-14
