I met Lisa Frankel Riddiough at a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators gathering and when I heard the premise of ELVIS AND THE WORLD AS IT STANDS, I had to feature this delightful middle grade book with an animal protagonist. She is also releasing a picture book later this year, entitled Embarrassed Ferret.
Most shelter animals dream of going home with a forever family. But for Elvis, being chosen by Mrs. Pemberton is a nightmare. He’s been separated from his sister, Etta, and is determined to get back to the shelter to find her. In spite of himself, Elvis becomes curious about ten-year-old Georgina Pemberton, who builds LEGO skyscrapers in her bedroom while navigating her parents’ separation. The longer he’s in his new home, the more he starts recognizing new feelings: admiration for Georgina’s creations, affection for the other pets, and even empathy for the Pembertons—despite their inability to listen.
As Georgina sets out to build her most important skyscrapers yet—the Twin Towers—Elvis realizes that maybe both humans and animals can take a page from Georgina’s Big Book of American Architecture and “build a world of their own choosing,” even if the choices aren’t what they’d initially expected.
According to your bio, you have an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University. What recommendations, if any, do you have for writers looking into MFA programs?
Hi Karen! Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog. I love questions about my MFA pursuits. Getting my MFAC from Hamline was the best thing I could have done for my career. You certainly do not need an MFA to reach your writing and publishing goals, but I know for sure that I wouldn’t be where I am without the amazing program, faculty, and students of Hamline.
When I set out to get my MFA, I was particularly interested in finding a “low-residency” program. This means that at the start of each semester, you attend on-campus classes for a short period and then complete your semester work from home with the help of a faculty advisor. I wanted a program where I could experience in-person learning but not have to be away from my home and life for too long. I found a list of programs in Writer’s Digest Magazine, which I highly recommend subscribing to on general principle.
Prior to attending Hamline, I had completed a post-bac in creative writing at UC Berkeley Extension. While taking those classes (one class per semester, over three years), I became interested in writing short stories and essays, even though my initial interest was in children’s literature. So, I was also interested in standard MFA programs, though my heart was in Kidlit.
Once I did the initial research, I applied to four programs across the country. The reason I ultimately chose Hamline was for the way they focused each residency on one element of craft: character, plot, setting, theme, and POV. Also, the faculty was packed with award winning authors in children’s literature. Prior to my research, I had never heard of Hamline and didn’t know anyone who had attended. The other low-residency programs I considered were Vermont College of Fine Arts, Bennington College, and Sierra Nevada College.
A bonus to graduating from the program is that I am able to attend Alumni Weekend twice a year (January and July) to continue my education and connect with fellow students, old and new.
Sounds like a great experience! And I love how there is an animal protagonist in ELVIS AND THE WORLD AS IT STANDS. How did you know that the book needed to be told from Elvis’s point-of-view?
Ahhhh! This is such a great question, Karen. First, let me say that my favorite middle-grade book from my childhood was STUART LITTLE. To have an animal protagonist had always been my goal as I began to learn to write. The idea that I could imagine how an animal might think and behave in a human world was a magical idea to me. How would a cat feel about being adopted from a shelter and suddenly placed in a random home? This question ate away at me during the years that I volunteered with my daughter in the feline department at the East Bay SPCA. How would a cat feel about being separated from its siblings? This was something I saw every day in my volunteer job.
My ultimate decision to tell Elvis’s story from his own point of view was a no brainer, primarily because it was HIS story. The fun and interesting part of Elvis’s story is that it runs parallel to the story of the human girl, Georgina, living at his new home. Elvis would become the conduit to the reader for the other animals in the story as well because, of course, all animals can talk to one another.
I am fascinated with the notion of animal/human communication, and I wanted my animal character to be the one who tells the reader that he is frustrated that he doesn’t speak the same language as his human companions. I wanted the challenge of this communication to be expressed by Elvis. How on earth would he be able to tell Georgina that he misses his sister and must get back to the shelter? Read the book to find out how Elvis and Georgina bridge the communication gap.
On a side note, my Hamline Critical Thesis was titled, “It’s Not Just Talk: How Empathy Elevates When Talking Animals Exist in Human Contemporary Settings – Middle Grade.”
What a beautiful way to look at animal/human relationships! Your new picture book, EMBARRASSED FERRET, has an expected publication of July 2025. What part of this story do you think will resonate most with children and their families?
Yes, Ferret arrives on July 8th. This story is so true to my real life. Who knew I had so much in common with a ferret? Ha ha!
You can probably tell from the title that Ferret does a few things that embarrass her. Whether it’s singing the wrong words to the class song, spilling glitter all over everything, or getting a terrible case of the hiccups, all of us have done something embarrassing at one point of another. Poor Ferret does all those things on the same day at school. Yikes! Oh, I just feel for her.
I think that kids, especially, will feel Ferret’s pain, because doing something that is a little off, and standing out among your peers, is especially hard for kids. And parents will surely remember what it felt like back in their school days.
Thankfully, kids and parents alike will be relieved that Ferret is not alone in her blunders. Ms. Bunny is there to remind the whole class that they are only human – or, rather, rodent, marsupial, reptile, etc. Ha ha!
Ha, I’m pretty sure I’m kind of ferret-like also! What are some of your current projects?
Thank you for asking! I always have a rotation of picture book manuscripts at my fingertips. Some of them I have been working on for years and years. But I can tell you that next year, after Ferret makes her way into the world, another student from Ms. Bunny’s class will have his own story. FURIOUS TURTLE comes out in Fall of 2026.
I am also in the process of finding my way through a new middle grade project that is near and dear to my heart and is centered around my life in 4th grade. And, I am dipping my baby toe into the world of board books. Stay tuned for more news about that soon!
Order ELVIS AND THE WORLD AS IT STANDS
For more about Lisa Frenkel Riddiough and her books, go to
https://lisariddiough.com/
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