One hot September Saturday, my friend Carolyn Johnson emailed me and asked if by any chance, I could be a last-minute substitute speaker at a luncheon for librarians she was hosting that Wednesday. I said, “Sure!” I’ll do anything for Carolyn: She’s the kind of librarian friend who suggests books for you to read and you read them and LOVE them. I had a wonderful time at the luncheon, where I met a very nice young woman named Becky Baines. A month went by, and then Becky Baines emailed me and wrote that she was the executive editor at Nat Geo Kids Books. Would I be interested in writing a fiction series?
Would I? I thought it would only be a total dream come true!
And I was right. Working with Becky and Kate Hale and Erica Green on Izzy’s stories has been fantastic. I’m also grateful to book designer Julide Dengel, photo editor Sarah Mock, and production editor Molly Reid. When the sketches came in from Geneva Bowers, I was thrilled. Geneva brought Izzy and her friends to life. Her illustrations expressed the whimsical, joyful spirit of Izzy’s stories perfectly, just perfectly. I am grateful to Geneva and everyone at National Geographic Kids: They’re a grown-up S.M.A.R.T. Squad. And thank you, Carolyn, for inviting me to that luncheon!
Stories must be authentic, so before I began writing I met with my thoughtful and articulate friend Maggie Welsh, a student at Silver Spring International Middle School, who told me what middle school is like right now, today, for students like her. Maggie helped me get my stories off on the right foot. My dear friend Anne Sprout arranged for me to speak to a lovely, lively group of sixth-grade girls at the school where she is the librarian. We had a blast. I couldn’t scribble fast enough to capture all the great ideas the girls had, popping like popcorn! And talk about fun: My bright, beguiling Lunch Bunch girls at St. John the Evangelist School in Silver Spring, Maryland, inspired, encouraged, informed, and delighted me every time we met. I’d bring animal crackers and questions, and they’d bring enthusiasm, insights, and answers. I am forever grateful to their teacher, Maureen Rossi. And oh, I can never thank you enough my Lunch Bunch girls—Arsema, Kika, Nora, Madelyn, Baeza, Caroline, Emily, and Colleen—but here’s a start: THANK YOU!
—Valerie Tripp