Bonus Q&A: Betsy Bird Interviews Susan Muaddi Darraj

On this bonus episode, host Betsy Bird chats with Susan Muaddi Darraj (author of the debut middle grade series Farah Rocks) about her collaboration on a mystery story seed with 12 year old Sulaf in last week’s episode, “A Girl Who Looks Like Me.” They talk about why representing Arab-American girls like Sulaf matters in children's books and about being inspired by the works of Agatha Christie and Edgar Allen Poe. Plus, Susan shares her tip for getting through writer’s block—reading! *Spoiler Alert* Susan also reveals who’s behind the disappearing objects in her story, "Mystery at the Theatre."

Om Podcasten

Our Webby Award-nominated show matches kids ages 6-12 and their story ideas with diverse, beloved children's authors. Each episode chronicles the magic that grows through author-child collaboration and features an immersive story time read aloud by the author. Bonus episodes feature author interviews with our host Betsy Bird! As a Common Sense Media Seal Selection, our show is recognized as a great choice for kids and families for its engaging stories, valuable content, and diverse voices, characters, and messages and has received an A+ for educational value. Our show has also been featured in Wired, Time for Kids, Parents, The New York Times, and CBC and wasThe Week Junior magazine's 2020 Podcast of the Year. Our theme song and music is composed and performed by Andrew VanWyngarden, the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/musician and co-founder of MGMT. Our companion activity book "Imagination Lab: Experiments in Creativity" is a New York Times/Wirecutter "Best Gift for 10 Year Olds" pick. This podcast is a Literary Safari Production.