Saving Fable by Scott Reintgen
Hello, Scott Reintgen! Thank you for visiting Watch. Connect. Read. to share Saving Fable’s cover. Please tell us about Indira, Maxi and Phoenix, the characters featured in Maike Plenzke's cover illustration.
Scott Reintgen: Thank you so much for having me!
Indira is my main character, which is ironic, because she spends most of her time at Protagonist Preparatory being told she’s only good enough to be a side-character. She’s determined to prove everyone wrong. She’s fiercely loyal, ready for adventure, and wields a magic hammer that’s full of secrets.
Maxi and Phoenix are her best friends. I’d describe Maxi as magnetic. She’ll draw you into all kinds of trouble, but you won’t mind, because it’s going to be a lot of fun along the way. Phoenix is the steady anchor of the group. He’s also a wizard-in-training with a talent for all things fire.
Do you have a favorite place in Fable?
Scott: I thought about saying the Librarian Hall of Fame (which is featured in the book) to earn some brownie points, but I’m going to have to go with the Sepulcher. It’s located down in the basement of Protagonist Preparatory. Imagine every book that’s ever been started, but left unfinished by the author. Those books decorate the endless labyrinths of the Sepulcher. Characters can go down and flip through the opening chapters as a warning of what could happen to them.
I’m guilty of adding many books to the Sepulcher’s walls myself!
People often ask me what I miss the most about being a full-time school librarian. I miss introducing Mercy Watson to kindergartners and chatting with fifth graders about their reading lives. The best part of my job as the Ambassador of School Libraries is visiting schools. What do you miss the most about being a public school teacher?
Scott: Oh, so many things. I miss teaching so much that I did 60 school visits last year to try and fill that void. I think the thing I miss most is being able to build semester-long relationships. Making each class a family. Getting to know those students well enough to actually teach them in meaningful ways that will echo into who they are as adults. I’ll always miss that. It is something a teacher can only earn by being there, day in and day out, with their kids.
Please finish these sentence starters:
I hope Saving Fable invites young readers into a new and worthy adventure.
Story is happening. Right now, every day, every moment. One of the big talking points I wanted to hit on with Saving Fable is that everyone can choose to be an active participant—a main character—in their own story.
Mr. Schu, you should have asked me… How did this story begin?
I promised my fiancé (now wife) that I’d write a story for every stage of our children’s lives. Saving Fable started out as a little poem for a children’s book titled The Curlee-Whurlees of Boxboro. Clearly, that title didn’t stick. Like most of my writing, the story just kept growing, and eventually I realized I was writing a full-fledged middle grade novel. Our son is only one and a half, so I guess he’ll have to wait a while before he meets Indira.
Scott Reintgen: Thank you so much for having me!
Indira is my main character, which is ironic, because she spends most of her time at Protagonist Preparatory being told she’s only good enough to be a side-character. She’s determined to prove everyone wrong. She’s fiercely loyal, ready for adventure, and wields a magic hammer that’s full of secrets.
Maxi and Phoenix are her best friends. I’d describe Maxi as magnetic. She’ll draw you into all kinds of trouble, but you won’t mind, because it’s going to be a lot of fun along the way. Phoenix is the steady anchor of the group. He’s also a wizard-in-training with a talent for all things fire.
Do you have a favorite place in Fable?
Scott: I thought about saying the Librarian Hall of Fame (which is featured in the book) to earn some brownie points, but I’m going to have to go with the Sepulcher. It’s located down in the basement of Protagonist Preparatory. Imagine every book that’s ever been started, but left unfinished by the author. Those books decorate the endless labyrinths of the Sepulcher. Characters can go down and flip through the opening chapters as a warning of what could happen to them.
I’m guilty of adding many books to the Sepulcher’s walls myself!
People often ask me what I miss the most about being a full-time school librarian. I miss introducing Mercy Watson to kindergartners and chatting with fifth graders about their reading lives. The best part of my job as the Ambassador of School Libraries is visiting schools. What do you miss the most about being a public school teacher?
Scott: Oh, so many things. I miss teaching so much that I did 60 school visits last year to try and fill that void. I think the thing I miss most is being able to build semester-long relationships. Making each class a family. Getting to know those students well enough to actually teach them in meaningful ways that will echo into who they are as adults. I’ll always miss that. It is something a teacher can only earn by being there, day in and day out, with their kids.
Please finish these sentence starters:
I hope Saving Fable invites young readers into a new and worthy adventure.
Story is happening. Right now, every day, every moment. One of the big talking points I wanted to hit on with Saving Fable is that everyone can choose to be an active participant—a main character—in their own story.
Mr. Schu, you should have asked me… How did this story begin?
I promised my fiancé (now wife) that I’d write a story for every stage of our children’s lives. Saving Fable started out as a little poem for a children’s book titled The Curlee-Whurlees of Boxboro. Clearly, that title didn’t stick. Like most of my writing, the story just kept growing, and eventually I realized I was writing a full-fledged middle grade novel. Our son is only one and a half, so I guess he’ll have to wait a while before he meets Indira.
Look for Saving Fable on September 17, 2019.
Indira has been a character-in-waiting her entire life. So she can’t believe her luck when she’s finally chosen to travel to Fable and study at the renowned Protagonist Preparatory, a school known for producing the best heroes.
But Indira’s dreams of achieving hero status don’t exactly go as planned. A failed audition lands her in the school’s side-character track, and her best efforts to prove advisors–famous characters like Alice from Wonderland and Professor Darcy–wrong are constantly sabotaged. Indira is starting to feel like an evil antagonist might be to blame.
As the danger spreads, Indira discovers all of Fable is under siege. With her friends Maxi and Phoenix by her side, she pieces together clues that will reveal who is behind the dark magic threatening them all. But the more Indira uncovers, the more doubt she feels about her place in this world of stories. After all, can a side character really save the day?
But Indira’s dreams of achieving hero status don’t exactly go as planned. A failed audition lands her in the school’s side-character track, and her best efforts to prove advisors–famous characters like Alice from Wonderland and Professor Darcy–wrong are constantly sabotaged. Indira is starting to feel like an evil antagonist might be to blame.
As the danger spreads, Indira discovers all of Fable is under siege. With her friends Maxi and Phoenix by her side, she pieces together clues that will reveal who is behind the dark magic threatening them all. But the more Indira uncovers, the more doubt she feels about her place in this world of stories. After all, can a side character really save the day?
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