This episode is brought to you by our guest, award-winning writer and filmmaker Chris Wieland. He's here to talk about his first book in the Kat Dylan Mysteries, The Crabtree Monsters. Chris is the father of two fierce children, including a tough, smart tween who helped him find the voice of his protagonist, Kat Dylan. He lives in Southern California with his family.

Order copies of The Crabtree Monsters on Amazon.

Transcription:

You can read the transcription on The Children's Book Review.

Resources:

For more information on the series, visit https://www.thesmartaleckpress.com.

Discussion Topics:

About The Crabtree Monsters
A look at the character development of siblings Kat and Alec Dylan
A talk through the funny moments in the book from pre-baby to parent
The importance of having strong female characters for kids to identify with
Rewriting a screenplay to become a middle-grade novel
Inspiration from the family-adventure movies of the 80s
Kat's resemblance to Ruth Langmore from Ozark
How reading inspires and influences Chris Wieland's writing
Great mystery writers
Why kids love reading mystery books
What's next for the Kat Dylan Mysteries

Bianca with Chris Wieland on The Crabtree Monster: A Kat Dylan Mystery