Morning guys!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for the new Questioneers book by Andrea Beaty. I am ABSOLUTELY OVER THE MOON to be sharing with you a Q&A. I bloody love asking questions to authors and learning more about their process/books makes me so happy! I hope you enjoy!

“Iggy Peck is an architect at his very core: When he’s not making houses out of food, his head is up in the clouds, dreaming of design. So he’s totally blown away when Ada Twist’s Aunt Bernice inherits an old house from ice-cream mogul Herbert Sherbert that is filled with countless rooms from all his favorite architectural periods. But something’s not quite right . . . Everyone says the house is haunted, and it seems that a number of priceless antiques—which were supposed to help Aunt Bernice pay for the house’s upkeep—have gone missing. If they can’t find those antiques, Aunt Bernice might lose the house forever. It will take all of Iggy’s knowledge of architecture and the help of the other Questioneers—Rosie Revere, Ada Twist, and Sofia Valdez—to solve the mystery and find the treasure!”

Tell us about Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion in no more than 10 words.

Mystery in ice cream mogul Herbert Sherbert’s haunted mansion!

One word to spare!?!  I choose:  FUN!

What inspired you to write a STEM inspired series?

While these books fall squarely in the STEM realm, I didn’t set out to write STEM books. I try to explore various themes that interest me and see where they go. So, IGGY PECK, ARCHITECT is about passion. ROSIE REVERE, ENGINEER is about perseverance. ADA TWIST, SCIENTIST is about curiosity. And SOFIA VALDEZ, FUTURE PREZ is about bravery.

For the chapter books, I’ve had the chance to explore these themes more, but also to explore whatever topics interest me at the moment.  In IGGY PECK AND THE MYSTERIOUS MANSION, the characters go on a fun adventure exploring a haunted house. But along the way, we encounter some architecture, history, a poem, and a lot of other things including a recipe for making ice cream! Mostly, it’s fun.

Which book in the series have you had the most fun writing? Have you had a favourite character to write?

That is harder than answering which dessert is my favourite!  I love all the characters differently. I really love that Iggy is so passionate about architecture. He is oblivious to so much of what goes on around him because he’s focused on creating things. I know a lot of people like that. In a way, they have a hard time because people can misinterpret their behaviour as antisocial. But there is a great joy in people who love something with all their hearts. And a buoyancy that comes with that, too.

Writing the picture books is very different from writing the chapter books. One is like writing a song and the other is like trying to crack myself up with an extended joke!

If you had to describe each of the Questioneers in a couple of words, what would they be?

Iggy is passionate, kind, and a little oblivious. He is driven by beauty.

Rosie is shy, tenacious and sincere. She is driven by figuring out how things work.

Ada is eager, energetic, and hopeful. She is driven by curiosity.

Sofia is kind and brave and genuine. She is driven by a sense of fairness.

What can you tell us about the future of the Questioneers?

They will continue to have lots of fun adventures. There’s so much to know about Blue River Creek and the people who live there. They are all quirky, smart, passionate and adventurous like the Questioneers. In the fall, Sofia Valdez will lead an adventure in SOFIA VALDEZ AND THE VANISHING VOTE when Miss Greer’s class decides to elect a class pet but things go terribly wrong!  There will also be more project books and who knows what else! People can keep up with the adventures over at Questioneers.com.

What’s been the best bit of being an author so far?

The best part is getting to meet little kids at book signings who know and love these characters. They possess all the traits of the Questioneers. They are funny and smart and kind and true. And bold! They are self-possessed in a way I don’t think kids used to be. And it’s a good thing. Especially for the young girls. They are ready to get things done and it gives me great hope for the future.  To them, the Questioneers are trusted and deeply loved friends and meeting these kids reminds me of the obligation I have to always write something true. And if it can be true and fun, that’s even better.

We always love a recommendation here! Is there a book you can recommend for kids and teachers alike?

I highly recommend SUFFRAGETTE written and illustrated by David Roberts!

 The Questioneers: Iggy Peck and the Mysterious Mansion by Andrea Beaty and David Roberts (Abrams – Amulet Books, £8.99) available now.

A massive thank you to the publishers for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. and to Andrea for answering my questions! Why don’t you check out the rest of the stops on the blog tour? I’m off to finish this brilliant story! My review will be up in the next few days! 

S x