Derek the Ghost, Petunia & Charles Nukid from...
SCARY SCHOOL details the spine-tingling and outrageous happenings at a school where monsters and normal kids tread the halls together and just making it to lunch with all your limbs intact is considered a good day. Teachers include Ms. Fang, a 850-year-old vampire, Dr. Dragonbreath, who just might eat you before recess, and Principal Headcrusher, who…well, the name says it all. Things get extra scary this year when the school is chosen to host the annual Ghoul Games – a junior-olympic event between all the “scary” schools in the world. The winners get to eat the losers! Faced with their superior monster opponents, it’s do or die for the normal kids at SCARY SCHOOL. Together they hatch a plan that will change the future of SCARY SCHOOL forever.
Original, funny, and delightfully scary, SCARY SCHOOL teaches kids to find laughter in fear, to stretch their imaginations, and to discover that your smarts will always prevail over bullies.
If you could travel through time...where would you go? to the past or present? Why?
Derek:Good question. I've actually thought about this quite a bit. If it's just temporary, I'd like to go to the past so that I can find out the truth of those lingering mysteries about our history. Going to the future just temporarily would probably be too confusing. If you brought someone from the Renaissance to the modern day, I think he would just be confused about what everything is and have no idea what everything is for. Like, what I'm doing as I'm typing at my computer?? Plus, it would be awesome to bring modern music back in time and play it for Mozart and see what he thinks! But if it would be to stay forever, definitely the future. Who wants to live without A/C and anti-biotics?
Do you have a school crush?
Derek:Maybe... but I'll never tell who it is! When you read Book 2 of Scary School (which comes out June 26 online and in bookstores everywhere), it might be kind of obvious who I like. My writing tends to give me away.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Derek:The other day I walked into Ms. Fang's classroom and I realized I had totally forgotten to put on my clothes! I was completely naked! Then I remembered I was a ghost and that nobody could see me, so no harm done.
If you had your own theme park, what would be the name of it and the main attraction?
Derek:Scary School World. The main attraction would be a ride called Flight of the Dragon. The kids would get to ride on the backs of actual dragons we would hire, and the dragon would fly them around the whole world and then drop the kids back off weeks later. It's a very long ride. Totally worth the long line.
If you has three wishes, you would wish for?
Derek:1, Mass. (i'd like to be able to feel things again and have an effect on the physical world). 2. To jump high enough to dunk a basketball. 3. A Tuna Sandwich.
I like having attainable goals.
Petunia & Derek, how do you feel about humans attending scary school?
Derek: Let me tell you, nobody thought it was a good idea when Principal Headcrusher opened Scary School and decided to mix humans and monsters.
Petunia: But she has definitely proven that humans and monsters can co-exist and even become friends. In fact, the "scary kids" in the school are way nicer to me than the human kids.
Derek: But aren't you a scary kid?
Petunia: You think I'm scary?!
Derek: Well, you are purple and have bees flying around you all the time.
Petunia: The bees won't sting you. They just want to collect the pollen from my hair to go make more petunias.
Derek: I'm deathly allergic to bees, so I think you're pretty scary.
(Petunia runs off crying)
Derek: Oops. I think I may have just blown my chance to go to the Dance of Doom with her.
Charles, how do you feel about being surrounded by supernatural beings?
Charles: Before we get started, is my hair okay? It's windy outside and I can't let one hair get out of place. It's against the rules. Boy I love rules. Okay, what was the question? Oh yeah, I love supernatural creatures! That's why I wanted to go to Scary School. My parents are zoologists, so I had already knew everything about all the regular animals in the world. I wanted to go some place where I could hang out with all the strange and scary creatures.
Petunia, you had a pretty interesting experience with your hair, tell us what went through your mind when you saw the result?
Derek: Petunia!! Come back! She's asking you another question!
(5 minutes later)
Petunia: Hello, Latoya. Thank you for kicking that mean ghost out of here. Yes, I had a very strange experience with my hair. Derek wrote all about it in Chapter 7 of his book, Scary School. I always liked the bees flying around my head because they were the only company I had. All the other girls were too afraid of me to make friends. But then, one day, the bees carried me off into Scary Forest, and I had the weirdest experience of my life. I had no idea that those bees were flying off to make actual new Petunias! But you'll have to read that chapter to find out how I barely escaped with my life!
What is your most treasured possession?
Petunia: Derek! She has another question for you!
(1 second later)
Derek: Haha! I was here the whole time! I just disappeared!
Petunia: Pffhtththht! (she storms off).
Derek: My most treasured possession? Definitely my ghost pad that never runs out of paper and my ghost pen that never runs out of ink. Without it, I wouldn't be able to write all these awesome stories about Scary School for kids all over the world for kids to read and laugh at.
Want to thank you all for stopping by, is there anything else you would like to share?
Just that I hope they will all check out Scary School and have a great time reading it. I also created a really fun website for it at www.ScarySchool.com. You can tour the school. Meet the students and faculty. And there's also lots of fun easter eggs. If you beat the video game on the website, you will win the weirdest trophy ever. And after you finish Book One, you'll have to go back to the website in order to unlock the secret last chapter that will lead you straight into Book 2!
About the Author
Derek is an eleven-year-old ghost who haunts the classrooms and hallways of Scary School, writing down all the spine-tingling often hilarious things that go on there. Despite his ghostly state, Derek still enjoys reading comic books and hopes to one day become a master ninja. If that doesn’t work out, he will continue to share the fun of this very special, very secret school, so all kids can experience the scariest school on earth. Derek the Ghost communicates through the first-time ghost whisperer Derek Taylor Kent, who is a writer and performer in Los Angeles, California.
Check out my REVIEW of Scary School
Thanks to both of you for the entertaining interview. I am looking forward to reading this book and adding it to my childrens books reviews.
ReplyDeleteyou're welcome...I enjoyed this one, too. It is my favorite interview so far.
ReplyDeleteI have heard such great things about this book. I can't wait to read it! I loved this interview- so fun. I especially liked the answer about time travel because it was so thoughtful. It does make a difference if it is a quick visit or if you are getting stuck in time for a long time. :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDelete~Jess