Review + Interview / Mari in the Margins

Book: Mari in the Margins (2024)
Author: Rebecca J. Gomez
Publisher: Bandersnatch Books
Genre: MG, Contemporary, Novel in Verse

Opening Lines of the Book…
Middle child of nine
lost in a sea of offspring
I am Marivel

MY THOUGHTS…

This is a novel in verse with adorable little doodles throughout. I love how Mari comes from a big family, something you don’t often see in books. She’s the middle child and feels left out of many of their family activities. She also gets stuck with watching some of the younger kids. I think my favorite character in her family is Mari’s Abuelo. And even though there’s always a lot going on (and even birthdays that are forgotten), I could feel the love in this big family!

I love how they’re learning about haikus in school. In many ways, the book acts like a little instruction manual on how to do poetry. Mr. Knowles, the teacher, is always trying to get Mari to try a few new things. He’s definitely the type of teacher we writers need. As I was reading the book, it suddenly dawned on me: How cool that a book about poetry is a novel in verse!

BONUS INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR…

Q: What or who inspired you to write this book?
A: In 2013 I jotted down an idea for a picture book about a little girl who felt lost in the middle of her big family. That picture book idea eventually became MARI IN THE MARGINS. I’m not sure what prompted the idea now, but much of the story was inspired by my own upbringing as the third child of seven.

Q: Tell about your writing journey so far?
A: It has been a long, uphill climb! I started working toward publication in earnest in the early 2000s. In 2005, I started writing with my critique partner, Corey Rosen Schwartz, and our first book was published in 2015. I’ve had four books published since, three of which were written with Corey. MARI IN THE MARGINS has been a big project for me. I started writing it in 2014 and, after 9 years, fourteen drafts, and lots of submissions later, I finally sold it to Bandersnatch Books!

Q: Authors often put themselves into the story. Are you most like Mari or another character?
A: There is a lot of myself in Mari. We both get a little overwhelmed by the chaos, doodle in the margins, write poetry (obviously), and like to find quiet places to escape for a little while.

Q: I’m always curious about character’s names. How did you come up with Mari’s name? What about her family?
A: My husband has a cousin named Marivel, and I’ve always thought it was a lovely name. When I considered it for my main character, it just seemed to fit. It was basically the same for her family members.

Q: You mentioned earlier that you come from a big family like Mari. What were some of the challenges writing about Mari and her family?
A: I am the third of seven kids. It was pretty rowdy at home when I was young! One of the challenges of writing about Mari and her family was similar to one of her challenges as a character–finding a way for Mari to be alone. It’s hard to be alone when you share a room with two sisters and there always seems to be someone in every room in the house! Another challenge was making sure Mari’s family feels believable for those who don’t relate to growing up in a large family.

Q: Part of the story is about Mari and her class learning about poetry. What is your favorite type of poem to write?
A: I love to write in rhyme, and many of my favorite poems are written in quatrains, which is a stanza with four lines, usually with an alternating rhyme pattern. Here’s an example from a poem I wrote about bird songs:

Blue jay, bold and noisy
Joins the chorus with his call
A sharp and piercing chay-chay
That resounds above them all

These are fun to write, but it’s hard to say if they are my favorite because I love to experiment with different forms. Rhyme is my first love, but it can take a lot of time to write a polished rhyming poem, so I write a lot of free verse when I don’t have as much writing time.

Q: What about the teacher, Mr. Knowles? He’s always pushing Mari to keep writing poetry. Did you have a Mr. Knowles in your life?
A: My “Mr. Knowles” would have to be my high school art teacher, Mrs. Patterson. She was always encouraging me to try new things and get out of my comfort zone as an artist. But the person that encouraged me the most as a writer was my mom, especially after I won a poetry contest in middle school!

Q: You mentioned earlier that you like to rhyme. But in the story, Mari doesn’t! Tell me a little more about that.
A: Mari and I are the opposite when it comes to poetry. When I was young I always wanted to write rhyming poetry. I guess I thought free verse (or any poetry that didn’t rhyme) was a little boring after all the years listening to my mom read Robert Service, Dr. Seuss, and Shel Silverstein! It took me a while to grow a love for free verse.

Q: What is your favorite piece of advice to give to someone who wants to write poetry?
A: If you want to write it, you should be reading it! Reading—and processing—poetry exposes you to a variety of voices, techniques, imagery, vocabulary, and more, all of which you can draw from when you write your own poems. It’s like making little deposits into the poetry bank in your brain!

Q: What are some of the challenges of writing a novel in verse?
A: I think one of the biggest challenges is how slow the process can be. With verse, each line is written with purpose, even in draft form. So it might take me longer to write a 20-line free verse poem than it would to write a 1000-word scene or chapter. Also, it can be tricky to make each poem stand on its own as well as contribute to the overall narrative of the book.

Q: Did you do the doodles yourself? Which one is your favorite?
Yes! I did all of the art for the book, including the cover. I think my favorite doodle is the one of the dandelions because, to me, it captures Mari’s feelings so well in that moment. But there’s another one that’s kind of an “easter egg” that I love a lot too! I don’t want to give it away, but if you read the book, make sure you read the back matter too!

Q: Where can people find out more about you and your books?
A: My website is www.rebeccajgomez.com, and I also have a weekly newsletter titled Snippets and Sketches that you can find at gomezwrites.substack.com.

 

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YOUR TURN…

This book is being released TOMORROW! But you can order your copy today. I highly recommend it. Read it and fall in love with Mari and her family!

Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…