INTERVIEW

February 2010

Jim Benton is an artist and the author of numerous books for children, including the It's Happy Bunny and Franny K. Stein series. His most recent book, THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS AREN'T FOR, is the ninth installment of Dear Dumb Diary, which follows Jamie Kelly as she chronicles her middle-school exploits through her private journal. In this interview with Kidsreads.com's Sarah Rachel Egelman, Benton discusses how he accurately captures his protagonist's witty but honest and realistic voice, and explains the inspiration behind "automatic friendships," a concept he tackles in this latest work. He also describes how Jamie's character has developed over the course of the series and gives us a hint about what we can expect from her next adventure in THE WORST THINGS IN LIFE ARE ALSO FREE.

Kidsreads.com: THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS AREN’T FOR is concerned with “automatic friendship” --- friends who are made because of situation rather than choice. What made you want to write about this type of friendship?

Jim Benton: I remember finding myself in this situation as a kid. I felt like I had to be friends with the kids of my parents’ friends --- like I didn't have a choice.

KRC: Adults sometimes find themselves in automatic friendships as well. Who do you think this kind of relationship is harder for --- adults or kids?

JB: Probably adults. Adults have an illusion that they have control over their lives. Kids know that they don't.

KRC: Jamie Kelly, the narrator of the story, is quite clever and talented but remains an “every kid.” How do you maintain this balance in writing in her voice?

JB: I try to make Jamie always tell the truth about how she feels. She's speaking only to her diary, and there's no reason for her to lie. When we tell the truth, I think we find we're all pretty similar in many ways.

KRC: How has Jamie developed over the course of the first nine books?

JB: She's smarter. She has learned things about herself and Angeline, and she is becoming a better person. As bad as Jamie can sound sometimes, she has a great heart and is capable of great discovery.

KRC: You seem to be able to really capture the voice of young girls without resorting to a forced sort of vernacular or focusing on petty or superficial issues. Do you research preteen culture to prepare for writing these books?

JB: I did all my preteen research when I was a preteen. Jamie just speaks what she thinks, and makes up words whenever she feels like it.

KRC: There’s a lot of humor that adults can appreciate in this book. Is that intentional?

JB: Adults and kids often laugh at exactly the same things. I think humor is a universal language. The only difference is that kids find farts funny and adults pretend that they don't.

KRC: Jamie wants to be in the talent show but is especially excited to be in the school Art Show. Which would you prefer to be in --- a talent show or an art show?

JB: An art show! If you heard me singing next door, you would call an ambulance and a dog catcher, assuming that somebody was choking on a small terrier.

KRC: What comes first as you work --- the illustrations or the narrative? How important are the illustrations in this series?

JB: The narrative mostly, but as I write the story, I make notes about the illustrations. The illustrations are critical. The drawings add a lot of laughs, I hope, and in some ways, these are almost graphic novels.

KRC: This book is truly laugh-out-loud funny. Do you crack yourself up as you write or read what you have written?

JB: I do. That's weird, right? And I can pick up an old one and laugh. I really love these characters, and I love to read about them, even though I'm the one who wrote the books.

KRC: This is the ninth book in the Dear Dumb Diary series. Did you ever want to experiment with any part of the formula, or do you like sticking with what has worked so well previously?

JB: I'm always experimenting, and I like to push it a little. Readers can see the characters growing --- but I don't change things so much that the readers feel like I messed with their series.

KRC: The 10th Dear Dumb Diary book, THE WORST THINGS IN LIFE ARE ALSO FREE, is up next. What is in store for Jamie, her family and her friends?

JB: The school year ends, and the girls are on summer vacation. Without spoiling the fun, you'll see some of the characters in a way you probably never thought you would....

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