Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Ben Guterson (The Shadow of the World-Famous Nine)!
Meet the Author: Ben Guterson
Ben Guterson is the New York Times bestselling author of The World-Famous Nine, which was a Barnes & Noble Young Reader Pick of the Month, as well as The Einsteins of Vista Point and the popular Winterhouse trilogy. Winterhouse was an Edgar Award and an Agatha Award finalist and an Indie Next List Pick. His books have been translated into eleven languages worldwide. Ben lives in the Pacific Northwest.
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About the Book: The Shadow of the World-Famous Nine
Summer is in full swing at The Number Nine Plaza, the world’s largest and most fabulous department store, and best friends Zander and Natasha are looking forward to weeks of discovery after thwarting the vengeful Darkbloom’s attempt to destroy The Nine. But has the danger truly passed? Store employees begin acting oddly, a long-lost clue to an ancient store mystery is uncovered, and Zander and Natasha themselves become targets for attack. When a devastating magic spell places The Nine under new peril, the two friends find themselves in a race against the clock to solve the store’s ever-deepening riddles and preserve the world-famous Number Nine Plaza from destruction. Featuring word puzzles, clues, and lavish illustrations, this enchanting, out-of-this-world mystery delivers an unforgettable read full of magic and adventure.
~Author Chat~
YABC: How was this book different from the first book in the series?
I tried to include more puzzles and codes in The Shadow of the World-Famous Nine, although I had plenty in The World-Famous Nine, too! In the new book, my main character, Zander Olinga, and his new best friend, Natasha Novikov, find themselves delving into a bunch of puzzles created decades before in a newsletter that once circulated in The Number Nine Plaza, the department store in which the overall story takes place. As the two friends study these old puzzles, some of the current mysteries in the store start to come to light. I also included some “visual puzzles,” some old-fashioned ciphers, and a cool number-memorization system (I didn’t make it up, but I enjoyed discovering it!) in my story. I hope readers who like word-play and puzzles will enjoy the book! Plot-wise, I brought the villain to the fore much more in this novel. In The World-Famous Nine, the spirit Darkbloom was kind of behind the scenes as he orchestrated much of the mayhem. In the new book, Darkbloom is front-and-center, and Zander must confront him directly.
YABC: What can readers expect to find in your books?
I’ve always loved stories that feature mysterious locales and secret objects and strange or magical occurrences, so books with these elements—particularly when the main characters in the books are young people learning about themselves and the world around them—are often very satisfying to me. There’s something naturally engaging, I believe, in tales where someone is thrust into a disorienting situation and has to make sense of the uncertainty he or she faces. The books I’ve written for young readers all tend in this direction.
YABC: What is your favorite snack when writing?
Oh, gosh, I drink a lot of tea when I’m writing, but I doubt that qualifies as a “snack.” I really don’t eat at my computer, but when I take a break from drafting, I love to have some tortilla chips with super-hot salsa sauce. I’m nuts for that stuff.
YABC: If you could time travel, what would you want to see?
I wasn’t at the Kingdome on October 8, 1995, when Edgar Martinez hit “The Double,” that immortal knock that won the fifth and final game of the American League Divisional Series for the Seattle Mariners over the New York Yankees, so I think it’s something of a no-brainer that my first option for time travel would be a trip back to that place and that moment. Second choice would maybe be Plato’s Academy in Athens in about 360 B.C. I seriously think it would be beyond fascinating to have a front row seat while Plato and Aristotle duked it out philosophically. One major obstacle, however: I don’t know Ancient Greek.
YABC: What daily thing do you see that brings you joy?
I love to see the books I own sitting on my desk or on a table. I think anyone who enjoys books finds the sight of one a little bit thrilling, and I’m definitely in that boat. Whenever I see a book I’ve read, I generally have good memories of a pleasant few hours spent getting to know it, learning its secrets; and when I see a book I haven’t yet read, I tend to dream about the pleasure I might encounter once I open it—there’s a hidden world just waiting for me inside. I’m hopeless when it comes to books. I encountered the following sentence once in Portrait of a Romantic, a novel by Steven Millhauser (a writer I admire), and it kind of sums things up for me even though it was offered kind of cheekily: “(T)o tell the truth, Nature is nice, but books are better.”
YABC: What do you do when you procrastinate?
I just wait around and do nothing for a spell and keep hoping a bit of motivation will hit me. That’s a joke. So, there are two possible answers here. One responds to “How do I combat or work past procrastination?” and my answer to that is: I put together a pretty full daily schedule and keep myself on-track across the hours so that I rarely while away my time. The other response is in answer to the question “How do I occupy my time while, inevitably, I’m mired in a little stretch of procrastination?” and to that one I say: I generally check baseball highlights or watch a funny clip on YouTube—after ten or fifteen minutes, it’s back to business.
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
I just re-read The Thief Lord, a book I’ve read perhaps ten times because I adore it. I enjoyed my re-read so thoroughly, I emailed the author, Cornelia Funke, to let her know how much pleasure her story has brought me over the years. I received a lovely response from Ms. Funke’s sister, believe it or not, offered here in full: “Thank YOU, Ben, for this beautiful message to Cornelia. There will be some news coming up on the Thief Lord this year, by the way 😉 We’ll keep you all posted on Cornelia’s website. Warmest wishes from Germany, Insa (Cornelia’s sister, who takes care of her website and fan mail).” That made my day.
YABC: What is your favorite writing space or routine?
I can write most anywhere if the space is quiet enough or if I’m wearing earphones, but for the past year or so I’ve done most of my writing at the kitchen table in the house I’m in. It’s a very nice spot, with plenty of outside light, and I can open the door right near me in case I want to have some fresh air. I like it a lot. I typically write for a couple of hours in the morning and then again in the evening at the same spot. I’m a real creature of habit and like to write daily. If I miss a day of writing I feel a little lost and cranky, actually. Two days off and I begin to question my place in the world.
YABC: What’s up next for you?
I’m working right now on my next middle-grade novel, The Time Corridor. It’s about a twelve-year-old boy named Riki Kanno who is a whiz at solving mazes and hopes, someday, to find his long-missing father. Riki becomes fascinated by a wing of the museum near his apartment in which are found hundreds of exotic timepieces from around the world. When Riki finds himself drawn to the museum after-hours and discovers some magical creatures inside it, he comes to understand he may have to call upon his prowess with mazes to locate his father and help preserve the museum from decline. The only problem is: Riki will have to travel through time itself to save the day! This novel has a bit more science-fiction in it than my previous books, but I still incorporate codes and puzzles and plenty of mystery and magic—all the elements I enjoy including in my stories!
Title: The Shadow of the World-Famous Nine
Author: Ben Guterson
Illustrator: Kristina Kister (interior illustrations); Chloe Bristol (cover); Ben Guterson (mandala designs)
Release Date: May 13, 2025
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Genre: Mystery/Urban Fantasy
Age Range: 8-12
