Whoopee! An Interview with Mac Barnett!

Yes, siree, Mac Barnett, author of the terrific The Brixton Brothers: The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity, has been good enough to grant us an interview. Listen up, guys--he's a lot of fun!

Why is it cool for boys to read?

The way I see it, it’s not my job to tell kids why they should be reading. It’s my job to write books that make kids want to read. Reading should never be something you feel like you have to do, like putting on sun block or taking a multivitamin. You should go to books because they’re enjoyable. I hope that’s why kids read my books, anyway.

Good point. I think you've got one here that's enjoyable. Well,then, is it cool for boys to write? Why?

Sure. Here’s one reason: People who write well get what they want more often. That’s a good thing.

Steve Brixton is a big fan of the Bailey Brothers mysteries, which seems like an obvious reference to the Hardy Boys mysteries? Were you a fan of those books as a kid? Or not?
I was a huge fan of the Hardy Boys. I loved everything about those books, except the fact that Joe was considered the less handsome brother. The only difference between him and Frank was that Joe was blond, and I was blond, and I never really got over that.

Were you a fan of any other book series?
Definitely. I read a lot of series. Henry and Ramona. Fudge. Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Shannara, and Xanth. The Hitchhikers Guide.

There were 59 Bailey Brothers books. Will you write 59 Brixton Brothers books? (maybe you could clone yourself?)

That sounds like a lot. My jokes would probably start to get old around book fifty-eight. I can promise you that there will be at least three Brixton Brothers books, though.

What do you like to do for fun? (as if writing the Brixton Brothers isn’t enough fun!)
I’ve recently taken up photography. All my pictures are of a bunch of wild turkeys that visit my house, and I took them all on my cell phone, and none of them are very good. But today I saw the lead turkey and he was huge. His head was red and he was twice as big as any other turkey around. I ran over and took his picture with my cell phone. It’s not very good.

Which do you like better--cheeseburgers or pizza? What do you like on them?

I like pizza. And I like to keep it simple. You could put a ton of toppings on a piece of boot leather and it would probably taste all right. But a good cheese pizza—that’s hard to make.

Thanks, Mr. Barnett! I really enjoyed this book and am glad there will be at least two more! Go get this one, guys!!

Carl

PS--one of the first books I reviewed was The Missing Chums, one of the Hardy Boys series. Check out the review here. (BTW, one of the chapters in The Brixton Brothers is called "The Missing Chum." Mr. Barnett really is a fan!)