Secret in the Stone (The Unicorn Quest) by Kamilla Benko
Hello, Kamilla Benko!
Welcome back to Watch. Connect. Read.! What have you been up to since the last
time you visited on April 4, 2017?
Look for Secret in the Stone on February 19, 2019.
Kamilla: Hi Mr. Schu, it’s such an
honor to be back! In the last year, I’ve lived my wildest author dreams: I
launched my debut novel, The Unicorn
Quest (which was compared to A
Wrinkle in Time and The Chronicles of
Narnia and even reviewed by the New
York Times!), learned and laughed
with students as we discussed our favorite fantastical creatures, and I tamed a wild beast
of my own creation: Secret in the Stone,
book two in the Unicorn Quest trilogy! I’m so, so
excited to share with you the beautiful, gorgeous cover by Vivienne To!
I am a HUGE fan of
Vivienne To’s illustrations. She brings so much energy to every image. What’s
your favorite thing about Vivienne’s cover illustration for Secret in
the Stone?
Kamilla: Vivienne is the absolute
best, and I am so lucky to have her images be the reader’s first introduction
into the magical world of Arden!
I don’t know how she does it, but her artwork
is always luminous, seeming to be painted with light, rather than just color. I
love that she set this cover at twilight, a time of creeping shadows and
change. One of the major themes of the Unicorn Quest trilogy is transformation:
of how pencil lines change paper into portraits; of how relationships shift within
a family; and how fearful hearts grow into courageous ones.
Vivienne’s cover captures a
shift, that nebulous moment that’s not quite day, and not yet night. It perfectly
visualizes the story within, where Claire and her sister Sophie are in the
middle of incredible, tumultuous change, both personally and how they relate
with one another.
Please
share three facts about Claire Martinson.
1. Though
Claire herself wouldn’t believe it, she is a Gryffindor— of the Neville
Longbottom variety! She’s scared of many things that other people would find
silly, but because she still chooses to face her fears rather than hide, she is
brave beyond measure.
2. Claire
Martinson has curly hair…because I have curly hair! In the books I read growing
up, characters rarely had curly hair, and if they did, it never behaved the way
curly hair does in real life, where
hair frizzes and takes on the consistency of cotton candy. Claire, like me, is
very glad Hermione Granger exists and she herself is happy to build up the
cannon of bushy-haired girls!
3.
Claire’s favorite color is a bright, sunshine yellow...the complement of
Sophie’s favorite color, purple!
Please
finish these sentence starters:
Story is a bridge between past and present, reality and dreams,
you and me.
School libraries are as necessary as oxygen— both grow young hearts and
minds.
Mr. Schu,
you should have asked me what are you most excited
about in your sequel? The twists!!! I get such a wicked delight in surprising
people, but this time, the tables turned, and my characters pulled a surprise
on me 48-hours before my deadline! I
couldn’t be more pleased and proud of how the story ultimately came together,
and I can’t wait to hear what readers think!
Look for Secret in the Stone on February 19, 2019.
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