5 Questions with Mira Bartók author of The Wonderling

"Be brave! And don't forget: Never lose hope!"

Number 13 is a one-eared fox groundling--part animal, part human--who has been living a life of serving and suffering at Miss Carbunkle's Home for Misbegotten Creatures for longer than he can remember. Despite having only one ear, he can hear beyond walls and begins to understand creatures others cannot. A new friend, a flightless bird groundling named Trinket, gives him a proper name--Arthur. Together they escape and embark on an epic adventure in the world beyond Miss Carbunkle's.

Bartók's richly imagined fantasy is a delight to read aloud, and her soft, sepia colored illustrations throughout add a classic feel to Arthur's captivating story filled with music, mystery, magic and wonder.

Today author Mira Bartók stopped by to answer my 5 questions. 
Be sure to keep scrolling after the interview to enter a giveaway for a copy of The Wonderling!

Welcome, Mira Bartók, thank you so much for visiting LibLaura5!

1. Where did the rich and unique world of The Wonderling get its start?

Like most everything I do, it began with a drawing. I drew a quick sketch of a one-eared creature about two and a half years ago. And at the time I was also re-reading a lot of Dickens. So those two things sort of merged in my brain I suppose.

2. Music... is the highest art form of all. It crosses all boundaries, all cultures, all ages.

3. What surprised you while writing/creating The Wonderling?

How much easier it was to write a novel than to illustrate one! Not that it was EASY, but illustrating it was a lot more difficult, that’s for sure!

4. I hope readers of The Wonderling... will not be able to put it down!

5. Sharing the books we love is a way we share about ourselves and connect with each other. What is one book that has been important in your life?

One book that has been so important in my life has been Shaun Tan’s wordless graphic novel, The Arrival. I think it is one of the most profoundly beautiful books of our time. Without words, Shaun has managed to create a story about immigration that is intensely moving, harrowing, but ultimately uplifting. It’s a work of pure genius, and I keep it on my nightstand because I can’t bear to have it far away.

Thank you, Mira Bartók!

Visit Mira Bartók's Webpage: mirabartok.com

Read an excerpt of The Wonderling:

(Click here to open the reader in new window)

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About Mira Bartók:

Mira Bartók is an artist and writer, and the creator of The Wonderling: Songcatcher, the first book in an illustrated middle-grade fantasy series. As luck would have it, The Wonderling will also be a movie, directed by award-winning British director, Stephen Daldry (The Crown, Billy Elliot, The Reader,etc.), and produced by Working Title Films and Fox2000. (You can read more about the crazy book to movie deal HERE and HERE). She is also the author of The Memory Palace, a New York Times bestselling memoir and winner of theNational Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography. She has written numerous books on ancient and indigenous cultures for children (The Ancient and Living Stencil Series), and her writing for adults has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, noted in The Best American Essays series and has appeared in many literary journals, magazines and anthologies. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her musician/producer husband Doug Plavin and their little bat-eared dog Sadie.