ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
March 31, 2008
Meg Cabot Introduces Readers to Allie Finkle
Kid Reporter Jennifer Foliaco chats with the author about her new books
If you enjoyed The Princess Diaries books or movies, then Meg Cabot's latest creation is right up your alley. Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls is the best-selling author's first-ever book series for middle-school readers. In Book One: Moving Day, we meet Allie Finkle. She's an ordinary 9-year-old with the usual fourth-grade problems, which include having a whiny best friend and annoying little brothers. So, Allie writes down rules in her diary to help her remember how to be a good person. Rule No. 1: Don't stick a spatula down your best friend's throat. Okay, so maybe Allie isn't entirely ordinary!
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Allie stumbles upon her biggest problem when her parents break the news that they are moving from their nice suburban home to a big, creepy old house in town. Will Allie be able to adjust to a new house, a new school, and a new life? You'll have to read the book to find out!
Moving Day is in stores now, and the second book, The New Girl, will be out in August. TFK had an engaging conversation with Cabot about Allie and about being an author.
TFK:This is the first book you've written for readers my age. Was it challenging?
CABOT:It was. I had never done it before and wasn't sure if I could. I'm most known for The Princess Diaries books, which are more for teenagers. But the movies are geared toward younger viewers, so I would get younger people coming up to me at book signings saying, "Hey, why don't you write a book that I can read?" So I (tried it), and it ended up being really fun.
TFK:Allie is such a charismatic, funny and smart character. How did you come up with her?
CABOT:Allie is based a lot on me when I was 9, so I thought back to how I was at that age. I remember that I loved animals and really wanted to be a veterinarian. And I had a lot of problems with my friends. I had a terrible one, just like Allie's friend Mary Kay.
TFK:Do you follow the rules that Allie follows? Which are your three favorites?
CABOT:I wish I could. One problem with Allie is that she makes up the rules and then doesn't actually follow them. She tries. I think the hardest to follow is the one Allie has the hardest time with - treating other people the way you want to be treated. That's my favorite. My second favorite is to never eat anything red. I hate red food. I hate tomatoes and don't really like strawberries either. My third, "Never move into a haunted house," is a good one because it's creepy.
TFK:What do you think is the most important rule to Allie? Why?
CABOT:Probably to treat others the way you want to be treated. When the people in her class stop talking to her and start treating her badly and call her Allie Stinkle, she realizes that these are probably horrible people, and she's kind of glad she's moving away. She starts realizing how important that rule really is.
TFK:Allie steals a turtle, has two little brothers, and is a kitten lover. How did you come up with these ideas?
CABOT:Well, I have two little brothers who drove me crazy growing up. And I wanted a kitten so badly, but my parents said I couldn't have one unless I showed that I could be mature, like Allie's parents said to her. The turtle thing was made up. We did used to go to a Chinese restaurant that had a turtle. I used to be scared that someone would make it into turtle soup! I was never brave enough to steal the turtle the way Allie did. Sometimes I make characters do things I wish I had done.
TFK:How did you create all of the imaginative games in the story, such as "Lions" and "Space Shuttle"?
CABOT:"Lions" was one that my friend, who I based Mary Kay on, liked to play. I hated it because I did always have to be the boy lion. I would crawl around on her carpet and get really bad rug burns on my knees. My brothers played "Space Shuttle." They were crazy, talking back and forth through the heater. My parents were pretty strict, and we didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up. If we wanted to play, we had to use our imagination.
TFK:How many Allie Finkle books do you plan to write?
CABOT:I've written two more, and they asked me for another three after that, so six, so far. Hopefully, we'll keep doing more if people like them. I have a lot of stories about fourth grade to tell. It's a traumatic time. It's when girls start getting into cliques and some of your friends start getting weird. We might even get into fifth grade. Who knows?
TFK:What inspired you to become an author?
CABOT:Good question. I have really liked telling stories my whole life. As soon as I could make words, I started writing and couldn't stop. I just can't imagine not doing it.
TFK:What is the best part about your job?
CABOT:It's probably when I get letters from readers who say, "I used to hate reading until I read your book, and now I can't stop." That's the best thing ever - to make someone who can't stand reading suddenly like it. Being able to do what I love is fantastic! It's like getting to have your cake and eat it, too.
TFK:What do you do when you get stuck in the middle of writing a book?
CABOT:The best thing is to put the book down and take a walk or a bike ride, sometimes even clean the house or do the dishes - something totally not related to writing. And suddenly, when I'm not thinking about the book, an idea will hit me.
TFK:When you were a child, who was your favorite author?
CABOT:I loved A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. I love science fiction and fantasy books. If I were 9, I would probably be into Harry Potter. I liked Lloyd Alexander, who wrote The Prydain Chronicles. Anything with a princess in it, I loved.
TFK:What adventures will Allie experience in your next book, The New Girl?
CABOT:She starts her new school and encounters a bully who wants to beat her up. This is based on what happened to me. The bully doesn't actually beat her up; she just tells Allie everyday, "I'm gonna find you, and I'm gonna beat you up." So Allie has to figure out how to deal with this bully. She also, maybe, gets her kittens. A lot of exciting things happen.
