Sharon Giltrow grew up surrounded by pet sheep, sandy beaches, fields of barley, and her seven siblings. Sharon is the author of three picture books – Bedtime, Daddy!, Get Ready, Mama! and Let’s Go Shopping, Grandma! – and a chapter book, Samara Rubin and the Utility Belt. Today we’re chatting to Sharon about that latest book, illustrated by Thu Vu.
The publisher provided Alphabet Soup with a reading copy of Samara Rubin and the Utility Belt.
Samara knows wishes don’t come true. But if they did, her wish would be to have the courage to stand up to Toby King, the meanest boy at school. On her eleventh birthday Samara is given a mysterious utility belt. A belt with magical tools. But the belt comes with a catch …
As the author of three picture books, what led you to write a novel?
That is a great question. The Utility Belt series started as a picture book manuscript. When I shared it with my critique group back in 2019, they suggested it would make a great early middle grade book. I loved that idea, although it was a bit scary. I examined the story to see how I could turn 500 words into 10,000 words. Then I enrolled in an online middle grade course to learn the skills needed.
Samara’s utility belt holds a range of interesting tools. How did you decide what went into her utility belt? Were there any tools you included in earlier drafts that were scrapped in later drafts of the book?
It all began with Samara’s sidekick. I brainstormed possible sidekicks for Samara. The sidekick had to be super cute, friendly and small enough to fit in Samara’s pocket. A gecko! Then I researched geckos to see which one would be best for the story. I chose a Madagascar Day Gecko because they are awake during the day and are beautiful. I researched all the superpowers geckos have. From there I invented tools for the utility belt. For example, many geckos can camouflage so one of the tools is camouflage drops. I thought about how and when Samara could use these tools. At the start of the story Samara had to clean her room. But she didn’t want to so she used the camouflage drops to make the mess in her room disappear. Some of the tools that didn’t make it into the utility belt were a regenerator, rebreather, coloured looking glasses, flashlight, thermal rock, and a duplicator.
If YOU were given a utility belt for 2024, what are the tools you’d hope for in your own belt?
My sidekick would be a sugar glider because they show us what it means to take a “leap of faith” soaring to new heights, where we can the behold the view and gain a whole new perspective. The tools in my utility belt are already working because in 2024 I have decided to become a full-time author. I’ve taken the leap and given up my daytime job.
Do you have a tip for children who’d like to write their own chapter books?
Think about the whole story. The beginning, middle and end. What happens during these parts of the story. Then work out what happens in each chapter. If the book is to have ten chapters, two chapters would be for the beginning, six chapters for the middle and two chapters for the end. Also be sure to end each chapter on a cliff hanger. So, the reader wants to keep reading.
Can you tell us a bit about what you’re working on next?
Sure thing. I’m working on another early middle grade series about human evolution. And of course, there is a sidekick in this story, but I don’t want to give too much away.
Samara Rubin and the Utility Belt is out now! Ask for it at your favourite bookshop or local library.
AWESOME EXTRAS
Watch a short book trailer for the book
Look at some of the illustrations from the book on Thu Vu’s website
Visit Sharon Giltrow’s website for more about her and her books
alphabetsoup.net.au 