MATTEO by Michael Leali

Last year, I was excited to feature Michael Leali’s brilliant middle grade book, The Truth About Triangles. I also learned about his previous books, including one called MATTEO. MATTEO has an amazing low-fantasy premise centered on family and identity, and is a must for any and all library shelves!

Eleven-year-old Matteo has never felt like one of the other boys. He’s sure that will change when he joins the Blue Whales, the baseball team his dad once played for. This is his chance to grow into a son his father can be proud of.

And grow Matteo does, but not the way he expected. Instead, he starts sprouting leaves and finding bark all over his skin. Alarmed, Matteo starts digging for the truth about what’s happening to him—and finds that all clues lead back to the oak tree at the center of town, which Creeksiders have always believed is a little bit magic. As his parents start noticing something is wrong, the truth gets harder to hide—and Matteo makes some surprising discoveries about himself, his hometown, and his entire family tree.

In our last interview, you said, “We must keep fighting against the hateful minority who seem to have so much sway over our libraries, educational system, and laws. Our children depend on it, and they deserve better.” I wholeheartedly agree with this. In what ways, if any, do you think we can keep up this good fight?

There are so many ways to keep fighting! And we must keep fighting. More now than ever, we need to call our representatives. We need to attend local school board meetings. We must keep reading and telling stories, and we need to really consider how we are financially supporting the book industry.

At the intersection of commerce and art, where and how you spend your money says a lot about what you value and what you want to see more of, especially when it comes to literature. If we want to see more books by and about marginalized communities, we must purchase the ones that exist. Buy them from your local, independent bookstore. Request them at your local library and fight for them to be available in schools. This is the path to hope and the continued creation of and access to stories by and about marginalized identities. We cannot lose sight of a brighter tomorrow and a world that is filled with more acceptance, love, and belonging. Our stories are essential to get there.

Very well said! And I love that MATTEO is a contemporary story with a bit of magic. How did you know which were the essential parts of Matteo’s story, and which elements were more extemporaneous?

Matteo’s story is largely one of self-exploration, acceptance, and the lies that get in the way of us embracing our authentic selves. Matteo is trying to figure out who he is as a boy, as a son, and as a friend. He’s also navigating his newly-discovered gay identity! There’s so much he’s trying to make sense of on top of finding his place in middle school and on his baseball team.

As Matteo better understands himself, he better understands his family and his community. Those identities are interwoven and inextricably linked. The essential elements of this story are the ones that help Matteo solve the mystery of who he really is and who he is becoming.

So relatable–for both kids and adults! Now that you have three books in the world, how do you juggle multiple projects at a time?

That’s a great question! Once one of my books makes its way into the world, I try to help it find readers. I do school visits, promote on social media, and take part in fantastic interviews like this! And once I’ve published a story, it makes room for me to explore other narratives.

I’ve written a lot of books since my third novel, THE TRUTH ABOUT TRIANGLES, released in May 2024. Now, my agent and I are working to find the best publishing champion for these stories. I try to focus on a single project at a time, getting it to a place of completion before diving into something new. That might look like finishing an outline, a first draft, a revision, and sending it to critique partners. Completing each step allows me to explore a new idea!

That being said… I’m a little like a dog spotting a squirrel when it comes to story ideas. A new one will catch my eye, and it takes everything in me not to chase after it. I jot down story concepts and world-building notes all the time so I don’t lose them, but I’m working hard not to let myself work on a new manuscript until the current project is wrapped up. It’s a challenge, but, for me, that’s the only way I ever finish something.

Same here! I’m not sure if you’ve read it yet, but The Rule of Three by Heather Murphy Capps has some similar vibes to MATTEO. What are three additional books do you think your readers might enjoy?

I haven’t read The Rule of Three yet, but now it’s on my TBR! Thank you for the recommendation. I’m excited to check it out. Here are three titles fans of MATTEO might enjoy: The Insiders by Mark Oshiro, The School for Invisible Boys by Shaun David Hutchinson, and Alex Wise vs. the End of the World by Terry J. Benton-Walker. They’re all exceptional stories featuring queer characters!

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