Interview with Author Bethany Crandell

Today we're talking with Bethany Crandell, author of Summer on the Short Bus
 
FQ: Hearing the background stories of Cricket’s co-counselors was one of my most enjoyable parts of the book. Where did the inspiration for these characters come from?
 
CRANDELL: Fantine was actually inspired by a girl I went to high school with. She was an athletic goddess, ridiculously smart, sweet without being syrupy and oh-so pretty. To sum it up, she was a bad ass. From the moment Fantine first showed up on my computer screen, I knew she would be modeled after that girl. As for the other counselors, I didn’t really set out with a plan of how their personal stories would unfold I just wanted to make sure they had one to tell.

FQ: The real life quality of this book was something I personally loved but were you worried about offending anyone while writing this story? 
 
CRANDELL: No, not really. I knew that to convey the story I wanted to tell, I had to give my characters plenty of room to be themselves—and that meant not worrying about how they might be perceived.

FQ: How will you react if some readers respond more negatively to this book?
 
CRANDELL: It would be awesome if every person who picked up this book fell in love with it, but I’m a realist and well aware that the odds of that happening are slim to never. So, here’s my philosophy on negative feedback:

You can’t please everyone.

Cricket embodies just about every negative character trait a person can have (and most of us do), so I can see how a story told from that point of view might be off-putting to some readers. I for one would take a flawed protagonist over an angelic one any day, but that’s just how I roll. In the end, I have to trust that the right audience will appreciate the story for what it is. Beyond that, it’s out of my control.

FQ: The personalities of the campers and co-counselors were not what I expected but Rainbow the camp director seemed to fit the typical 'just wants everyone to have fun' type director. Did you intend her to be that way?
 
CRANDELL: Absolutely! If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the earth-dwelling angels who look after our special needs kids (teachers, camp directors, therapists, etc.,) it’s that they have an endless supply of enthusiasm for their jobs, the kids they work with, and more patience than a Jedi knight. Rainbow needed to be the camp cheerleader because her life is about encouraging those kids to be the best they can be.

FQ: Was your daughter one of the sole inspirations for this book or did you have experiences with special needs kids before your daughter?
 
CRANDELL: Some aspects of the book were inspired by my daughter. For example, James’ affinity to oven mitts was based on my daughter’s love of backpacks. But the real inspiration for writing a story with disabled characters had more to do my own journey getting to know my daughter, understanding her differences, and figuring out how I was going to forge into an honest relationship with her while still being true to who I was. Before my daughter, I had very little interaction with the disabled community--she’s been a huge, welcome eye-opener.

FQ: Would you say the reaction that Cricket had when first realizing this was a special needs camp is the reaction that most people would have?
 
CRANDELL: Probably not to that extent, but yes, I do believe that most people would have been surprised, and maybe even a bit nervous, to realize that they’d be working with disabled kids.

FQ: The protectiveness that Quinn showed over his brother and the other co-counselors expressed for some of the campers was such an intimate part of their characters, is that protectiveness something you have experienced as well? 
 
CRANDELL: You bet! Like any mom, I’m protective of both of my girls. But when I catch someone staring a little too long at the younger one (she has cerebral palsy), or scowling at her, the mama bear switch flips and I get a little feisty. I understand that people are curious about her--she does make some weird noises and expressions, especially when she’s excited--but there’s a line between curiosity and just being rude. The location of that line tends to shift depending on my mood. Heh.

FQ: There were many changes in Cricket’s view of the world in this story opening up so many possibilities in where her life can go, so could there possibly be a sequel to this book?
 
CRANDELL: I’ve toyed with the idea of a sequel, but it never includes a starring role from Cricket. I think embarking on a new summer adventure from one of the campers’ POVs, (or a few of them) could be a fun/interesting twist.

To learn more about Summer on the Short Bus please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.

Book Review - Summer on the Short Bus

Summer on the Short Bus

By: Bethany Crandell
Illustrated By: T.L. Bonaddio
Publisher: Running Press Teens
Publication Date: April 2014
ISBN: 978-0-7624-4951-4
Reviewed By: Kristi Benedict
Review Date: February 4, 2014

A plush, no-worry, carefree life was all Constance Montgomery, aka Cricket, knew and that was completely fine with her. Unfortunately, her father decides that her behavior is no longer suitable and sends her to a summer camp where she is expected to work as a counselor. Of course, Cricket fights it every step of the way and from the moment she steps out of the car she is determined to find a way out of the horrible camp. Her negative feelings are intensified as she realizes this is not your run of the mill summer camp, but a camp for special needs kids! Instantly horrified, Cricket cannot fathom any way of getting through two whole weeks at this ridiculous place and to top it all off the camp director, Rainbow, is quickly becoming the creepiest person Cricket has ever met and she cannot understand why.

The only slight glimpse of hope is an extremely cute co-counselor named Quinn who could easily pass for Zac Efron. As her attempts to escape fail, Cricket slowly begins to think that spending time here may not be as bad as she first thought. Sure her two campers that she was put in charge of still freak her out at times but she is strangely becoming used to having them around. As she slowly gets to know the people at this camp, Cricket realizes that she in fact has been living in her own bubble and really has not done anything truly worth mentioning in her life. Finally deciding that she needs to change for the better, Cricket allows herself to grow into a worthier person. A person who realizes she should find a way to contribute to the world instead of believing that she is the center of it.

I absolutely loved every page of this book! It was amazingly refreshing to read a story that included special needs children who were not portrayed through rose-colored glasses. From the very beginning the writing had me laughing out loud as the author held nothing back and that was what made it great! Bethany Crandell creates a wonderful and relatable protagonist with Cricket but even better than that, she surrounds her with equally relatable, flawed, and real characters. One of my favorite parts of this book was hearing the story of each of the other counselors which allowed Cricket to realize that they had some of the exact same reactions when they first came to work at the camp. The quirky, fun, and spirited personalities that are shown by the campers are equally incredible and truly intriguing. This is one of the few times I have seen a story that spotlights special needs kids in this way and it took all of the “political correctness” right out of the picture and allowed the reader to see each character as the human being they were. I was truly impressed with this story and could not keep the smile off my face as I read every word.

Quill says: This book is an absolute winner!