Newbery Honor Author Lisa Yee
I asked Amina Luqman-Dawson, Andrea Beatriz Arango, Christina Soontornvat, and Lisa Yee to answer two questions and finish two sentence starters.
Lisa Yee: Thank you, John. I’m still trying to process this!
I love hearing about the CALL. What was running through your heart when the committee was clapping and cheering for you?
Lisa Yee: A couple of days before the announcements, my editor, Shana Corey, said I should keep my phone on “just in case.” Normally I’m not great about following directions, but I did this time, which meant I answered a lot of spam calls!
When the phone rang on Sunday at about 3 pm, I braced for another telemarketer. But IT WAS THE NEWBERY COMMITTEE, and when I figured that out, I started babbling and crying, and recall saying, “What am I supposed to do?” It was all so overwhelming.
Later, I asked Shana and my agent, Jodi Reamer, “What if it WASN’T really the committee?! What if it was a prank call???” And they calmed me down and told me it was for real.
What does a Newbery Honor for Maizy Chen’s Last Chance mean to you?
Lisa Yee: This was the hardest, most personal book I’ve ever written. When I was working on Maizy, there was so much anti-Asian hate happening that at one point I was paralyzed and just couldn’t write. So, to have not only finished it but to have garnered the recognition of a Newbery Honor means the world to me. This is truly a dream come true.
When the phone rang on Sunday at about 3 pm, I braced for another telemarketer. But IT WAS THE NEWBERY COMMITTEE, and when I figured that out, I started babbling and crying, and recall saying, “What am I supposed to do?” It was all so overwhelming.
Later, I asked Shana and my agent, Jodi Reamer, “What if it WASN’T really the committee?! What if it was a prank call???” And they calmed me down and told me it was for real.
Lisa Yee: This was the hardest, most personal book I’ve ever written. When I was working on Maizy, there was so much anti-Asian hate happening that at one point I was paralyzed and just couldn’t write. So, to have not only finished it but to have garnered the recognition of a Newbery Honor means the world to me. This is truly a dream come true.
Please finish the following sentence starters:
Story is life.
Libraries are home.
Story is life.
Libraries are home.
Thank you, Lisa!
Borrow Maizy Chen's Last Chance from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.
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