Margaret Haddix - About the Author
In a world where everyone is clamoring for fifteen minutes of personal fame it may seem passé to acknowledge that some people stay in the shadows. Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series has given a voice to those who feel marginalized. "The kids who feel like 'shadow children' in our own society include deaf kids, illegal immigrants, kids who are in juvenile facilities, and kids who have to hide their true identities because they are gay and living in a homophobic environment," she notes. "It saddens me to know how many kids spend their lives feeling that they don't belong, but I'm also gratified when someone tells me, "Your books helped.'"
Though she says that she just "lucked" into writing for tweens and teens, the author acknowledges that "it makes sense that I write primarily for this audience, because that was a phase in my own life when books were incredibly important to me. It's a crucial time period in most people's lives, and I firmly believe that it's a time when the right book really can make a difference."
The ability to not only see the big picture but to create a microcosm that works narratively also serves the author well in her Missing series. While you might think she picks a time period and peoples it to suit her needs, the process is actually reversed. "I've been completely guided by the historical characters, rather than the time period they live in." She recalls that "When I was working on Sent, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to make it a very interesting book, because I thought of the 1400s as being very dull. Then I got into the political intrigue and the double-crossing and the seemingly powerless characters finding ways to stand up for themselves... and I started thinking that the history I had to work with was juicier than the most extreme soap opera." Again, the power of a book, or a library, in this case: "That just shows what a difference a little knowledge can make." Haddix has already expanded the series to seven books. Sabotaged is just out and Torn will be available in August 2011.
Probably Haddix's most high-profile project is the conclusion of The 39 Clues series begun by Rick Riordan with The Maze of Bones. Haddix has the responsibility for tying the myriad plot strands together in Into the Gauntlet. "As it turned out, I ended up feeling very connected even to the characters I had very little in common with. I'm a terrible singer, but I loved writing from Jonah Wizard's perspective; my athletic skills are practically nil, but I could totally understand the Holts."
Consider the logistics of a series with ten different authors and multiple books in process at different stages at the same time. Margaret Haddix found the necessity to confer with book nine author Linda Sue Park: "This particular issue needs to be resolved before the series ends. Do you want to deal with it, or do you want me to deal with it?" Margaret adds that "Linda Sue Park was delightful to work with and Rachel Griffiths, the editor at Scholastic who coordinated the whole project, was always available to provide guidance on staying consistent with the other books."
Fans of Margaret Peterson Haddix's books hungry for new stories can turn to the conclusion of The 39 Clues: Into the Gauntlet, or roam through time with Sabotaged this month. Best of all, even more readers will be motivated to write the author to let her know that her books helped.
-- Interviewed by Ellen Myrick, June 2010
