Synopsis of "Adventure in the City of Stories" by Emma Otheguy:
When mysterious artifacts connected to pioneering Puerto Rican librarian and storyteller Pura Belpré suddenly appear in their aunt's closet, cousins Jorge, Camila, and Siggy are whisked back to 1930s New York City on a race against time. To protect history and clear their aunt's name, they must return Belpré's treasured puppets and a signed first edition of her book before the past is changed forever.
As they navigate the challenges of the Great Depression, the cousins face a determined thief, an inquisitive neighbor, and unexpected dangers around every corner. Along the way, they befriend Antonia, a courageous Puerto Rican girl standing up for her community, who helps them discover the power of friendship, bravery, and doing what's right.
Filled with adventure, history, and heart, this companion to Cousins in the Time of Magic celebrates the enduring legacy of Pura Belpré while delivering an exciting time-travel story for middle-grade readers.
Emma Otheguy is an acclaimed author of books for young readers. Her works include the picture books A Sled for Gabo and Martina Has Too Many Tías, the bilingual picture book Martí’s Song for Freedom, and the middle-grade novels Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene, Cousins in the Time of Magic, and Silver Meadows Summer. She also co-authored The Madre de Aguas of Cuba with Adam Gidwitz as part of the popular Unicorn Rescue Society series.
When mysterious artifacts connected to pioneering Puerto Rican librarian and storyteller Pura Belpré suddenly appear in their aunt's closet, cousins Jorge, Camila, and Siggy are whisked back to 1930s New York City on a race against time. To protect history and clear their aunt's name, they must return Belpré's treasured puppets and a signed first edition of her book before the past is changed forever.
As they navigate the challenges of the Great Depression, the cousins face a determined thief, an inquisitive neighbor, and unexpected dangers around every corner. Along the way, they befriend Antonia, a courageous Puerto Rican girl standing up for her community, who helps them discover the power of friendship, bravery, and doing what's right.
Filled with adventure, history, and heart, this companion to Cousins in the Time of Magic celebrates the enduring legacy of Pura Belpré while delivering an exciting time-travel story for middle-grade readers.
Emma Otheguy is an acclaimed author of books for young readers. Her works include the picture books A Sled for Gabo and Martina Has Too Many Tías, the bilingual picture book Martí’s Song for Freedom, and the middle-grade novels Sofía Acosta Makes a Scene, Cousins in the Time of Magic, and Silver Meadows Summer. She also co-authored The Madre de Aguas of Cuba with Adam Gidwitz as part of the popular Unicorn Rescue Society series.
1. What inspired you to write Adventure in the City of Stories?
I’ve always been interested in the way New York City brings people together. Historical figures are often treated as totally separate figures: kids read about them in biographies but never learn about the ways historical people interacted with one another. In Adventure in the City of Stories, kids see Chilean Nobel Laureate Gabriela Mistral visiting Puerto Rican librarian Pura Belpré. They hear book collector Arturo Schomburg encouraging Pura Belpré to write, and librarian Anne Carroll Moore talking about Latino books. I hope readers will understand from the book how creative and intellectual work is dynamic and collaborative.
2. What made you decide to set the adventure in 1930s New York City?
It was such an interesting moment in New York City–when the skyline as we know it was being built and children’s literature was growing as a field. In spite of the Great Depression, the city was full of creativity and invention.
3. How did you come up with the characters Jorge, Camila, and Siggy?
I wanted a fun trio of cousins whose strengths and weaknesses complemented each other. I knew Siggy’s charisma would always come in handy when the group met strangers, especially grown-ups, and that Jorge’s daredevil acrobatics would get them into (fun) problems. Meanwhile, Camila is able to counter her cousins’ antics and help them think through difficult situations.
4. What was your favorite scene to write?
I admit I enjoy seeing the kids get the better of their antagonists. I loved writing the scene where Jorge accidentally swats a rich snobby woman with a fly swatter–he didn’t mean it, but she deserved it!
5. Which character do you relate to the most, and why?
I loved writing Tía Xía because she is a history buff like me, and because she reminds me of the aunts in my own family!
6. Was there a character who surprised you while you were writing?
In this book readers learn a little bit more about Cooper, the mean kid who lives next door to Tía Xía, and the dynamic between him and his dad–in the end kids might feel a little bad for Cooper!
7. What interested you about Pura Belpré and her legacy?
As someone who visits many schools each year, I love learning about how Pura Belpré made story times so engaging for children. Pantomime, puppetry, music, and decor were all part of the magic she created in the library.
8. How long did it take you to write this book?
I started researching this book seriously about a year before I sat down to write it–I read several memoirs written by New Yorkers in the 1930s as well as biographies of all the historical figures in the book, and I even did some archival research and consulted historic maps at the New York Public Library. By the time I sat down to write the manuscript I had a lot of material to work with and I was able to write the first draft in a few months!
9. What is the hardest part of writing historical fiction?
Often, the information in published histories is much more theoretical and less concrete than the information you need to write fiction. Historic houses and museums can often give fiction writers a better sense of what the time period felt like.
10. Do you plan the whole story before you start writing, or do ideas come as you write?
I keep a living outline as I write–a document with all the parts of the novel I know I have planned and a rough idea of where those scenes will appear. As I go, I fill in the outline (recording the scenes I’ve already written) and add ideas that come to me as I’m working.
11. If (or when) the book becomes a film or TV Series, what scene would you be looking forward to seeing on the screen?
I’m a giant transit nerd, so I would be most excited to see the old elevated trains.
12. If you could travel back in time, what place and time would you visit?
Like the cousins in my book, I would go to 42nd Street and visit the first central children’s room at the New York Public Library–the birthplace of children’s literature!
13. If you could spend a day with one character from the book, who would it be?
Siggy! I always feel a little lost in large social groups, but with Siggy at my side I would get to be the life of the party!
14. How did writing for the Carmen Sandiego universe differ from creating your own original stories?
What was fun about Carmen Sandiego is that I got to build out my own historical mystery plot for the existing characters. I learned a lot about writing intrigue and action from working with my Carmen Sandiego editor. For Adventure in the City of Stories, combining that adventure writing with characters I had developed on my own was especially fun.
15. If the cousins had another adventure, where would you send them next?
Just about any part of United States history can be discussed from a Latino angle–after all, Latin America is our closest neighbor. I’d love to take the cousins back to American Independence and the age of revolutions more broadly!
16. Are there any historical figures or topics you hope to write about in the future?
I definitely have another historical New York City book in me. It’s a topic that I have always read a lot about for pleasure, and once I started researching Adventure in the City of Stories I really started to know a lot about it. I would love to write something set in late-nineteenth century New York.
17. Last question, what do you hope readers remember most after finishing Adventure in the City of Stories?
That the famous people they read about in history did not work alone–in the case of this book, they were brought together by their service to the diverse children of New York City, and by the families of New Yorkers themselves.
I’ve always been interested in the way New York City brings people together. Historical figures are often treated as totally separate figures: kids read about them in biographies but never learn about the ways historical people interacted with one another. In Adventure in the City of Stories, kids see Chilean Nobel Laureate Gabriela Mistral visiting Puerto Rican librarian Pura Belpré. They hear book collector Arturo Schomburg encouraging Pura Belpré to write, and librarian Anne Carroll Moore talking about Latino books. I hope readers will understand from the book how creative and intellectual work is dynamic and collaborative.
2. What made you decide to set the adventure in 1930s New York City?
It was such an interesting moment in New York City–when the skyline as we know it was being built and children’s literature was growing as a field. In spite of the Great Depression, the city was full of creativity and invention.
3. How did you come up with the characters Jorge, Camila, and Siggy?
I wanted a fun trio of cousins whose strengths and weaknesses complemented each other. I knew Siggy’s charisma would always come in handy when the group met strangers, especially grown-ups, and that Jorge’s daredevil acrobatics would get them into (fun) problems. Meanwhile, Camila is able to counter her cousins’ antics and help them think through difficult situations.
4. What was your favorite scene to write?
I admit I enjoy seeing the kids get the better of their antagonists. I loved writing the scene where Jorge accidentally swats a rich snobby woman with a fly swatter–he didn’t mean it, but she deserved it!
5. Which character do you relate to the most, and why?
I loved writing Tía Xía because she is a history buff like me, and because she reminds me of the aunts in my own family!
6. Was there a character who surprised you while you were writing?
In this book readers learn a little bit more about Cooper, the mean kid who lives next door to Tía Xía, and the dynamic between him and his dad–in the end kids might feel a little bad for Cooper!
7. What interested you about Pura Belpré and her legacy?
As someone who visits many schools each year, I love learning about how Pura Belpré made story times so engaging for children. Pantomime, puppetry, music, and decor were all part of the magic she created in the library.
8. How long did it take you to write this book?
I started researching this book seriously about a year before I sat down to write it–I read several memoirs written by New Yorkers in the 1930s as well as biographies of all the historical figures in the book, and I even did some archival research and consulted historic maps at the New York Public Library. By the time I sat down to write the manuscript I had a lot of material to work with and I was able to write the first draft in a few months!
9. What is the hardest part of writing historical fiction?
Often, the information in published histories is much more theoretical and less concrete than the information you need to write fiction. Historic houses and museums can often give fiction writers a better sense of what the time period felt like.
10. Do you plan the whole story before you start writing, or do ideas come as you write?
I keep a living outline as I write–a document with all the parts of the novel I know I have planned and a rough idea of where those scenes will appear. As I go, I fill in the outline (recording the scenes I’ve already written) and add ideas that come to me as I’m working.
11. If (or when) the book becomes a film or TV Series, what scene would you be looking forward to seeing on the screen?
I’m a giant transit nerd, so I would be most excited to see the old elevated trains.
12. If you could travel back in time, what place and time would you visit?
Like the cousins in my book, I would go to 42nd Street and visit the first central children’s room at the New York Public Library–the birthplace of children’s literature!
13. If you could spend a day with one character from the book, who would it be?
Siggy! I always feel a little lost in large social groups, but with Siggy at my side I would get to be the life of the party!
14. How did writing for the Carmen Sandiego universe differ from creating your own original stories?
What was fun about Carmen Sandiego is that I got to build out my own historical mystery plot for the existing characters. I learned a lot about writing intrigue and action from working with my Carmen Sandiego editor. For Adventure in the City of Stories, combining that adventure writing with characters I had developed on my own was especially fun.
15. If the cousins had another adventure, where would you send them next?
Just about any part of United States history can be discussed from a Latino angle–after all, Latin America is our closest neighbor. I’d love to take the cousins back to American Independence and the age of revolutions more broadly!
16. Are there any historical figures or topics you hope to write about in the future?
I definitely have another historical New York City book in me. It’s a topic that I have always read a lot about for pleasure, and once I started researching Adventure in the City of Stories I really started to know a lot about it. I would love to write something set in late-nineteenth century New York.
17. Last question, what do you hope readers remember most after finishing Adventure in the City of Stories?
That the famous people they read about in history did not work alone–in the case of this book, they were brought together by their service to the diverse children of New York City, and by the families of New Yorkers themselves.
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