Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors and illustrators.

Congratulations to Anita Pazner on the release of The Topsy-Turvy Bus

How did you come up with the idea for your book?

When I was a kid, I had a tough time riding on school buses. The smell from the diesel-fuel exhaust gave me headaches. So, when Wren Hack, the executive director of Hazon-Detroit, took me for a ride on the Topsy-Turvy Bus to deliver compost and vegetable seeds to area residents, I was smitten. A bus with no carbon footprint and no “stinky bus” smell? That was a school bus I could get behind. It didn’t take long for me to realize a book on sustainability and alternative energy sources was necessary to empower kids to think differently about energy use and pollution.

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

Kids see all sorts of scary things in the news. They hear their parents discussing topics like global warming, poisoned water, or massive amounts of garbage floating in the ocean. It’s tough for kids and they often feel as though there is nothing they can do. That’s where the Topsy-Turvy Bus comes in. This upside-down and right-side-up school bus runs on bio-diesel fuel in the form of used veggie oil. But that’s not all. The kids get to join Maddy and Jake as they learn out-of-the-box thinking and get to travel to unlikely destinations like a worm farm. I hope readers come away feeling empowered. I want them to know they can make a difference with the small choices they make and that they have the ability to transform the world.

Reuse, Recycle, Renew, and Rethink is the tag line of the story. I honestly believe it’s that easy. We can all make the world a better place one good idea at a time.

What inspires you to write?

My inspiration comes from being a mother, a daughter, and a global citizen. I want to open minds and tear down barriers. I want to see corporate responsibility. I want to help educate people by providing different perspectives. I grew-up with a mother who lived through a war complete with bomb shelters, food shortages, political strife, and disappearing neighbors in the night. Her stories were my bedtime stories. They shaped me. She also gave me stories of survival and of finding kindness in the most unlikely places. She gave me hope and that’s what I want to pass on to the next generation. Hope and possibilities for a better, kinder tomorrow.

What was the most difficult part of writing this book?

Honestly, this book was far easier to write than nearly any other project I’ve undertaken. I have a journalism background that allowed me to write this creative non-fiction book rather quickly. Plus, the subject matter was fascinating because the bus actually exists. I was lucky enough to experience it first-hand. That’s not to say my journey to publication was easy. I’ve been a member of SCBWI for over a decade. During that time, I attended numerous SCBWI conferences, several Highlight’s workshops, and I earned a master’s degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. I’ve worked hard to hone my craft. In the process, I’ve written many manuscripts that will never be published. The best part of my journey has been the people I’ve met. I’ve been a member of several critique groups over the years. I can’t tell you how fortunate I am to be part of such an incredibly supportive and talented group of writers here in Michigan, especially my Ann Arbor group.

What are your marketing plans for the book?

That’s an interesting question. I’m preparing a Shop Talk in Ann Arbor titled, “So you’ve published a book? Now the real work begins! A comprehensive look at publicizing your book for maximum exposure.” I’ll take attendees through the steps I’ve discovered from my own journey and that of the many published authors I know. We’ll start with what to do six months before your book comes out right up until you host a launch party at a local bookstore. I’m planning a launch party scheduled for mid to late March. The exact date hasn’t been decided, but the location is tentatively set at a locally owned toy store in my area. There are no independent bookstores in the town where I live where once existed a Barnes and Noble and a Borders Bookstore. Both closed years ago. So, like the Topsy-Turvy Bus—I’m trying something outside the box.

The bus will be joining me during the launch, and kids can tour it, checkout the compost worms and do a few activities. After that, I have my first virtual school visit scheduled for Earth Day in April. I reached out to one of my favorite independent bookstores, McClean and Eakin, in Petoskey to do a pre-sale promotion several months before the book released. They offered to schedule, promote, and coordinate my virtual visit to more than 500 elementary school students in the Petoskey area. Indie bookstores are the best!

Checkout my website for updated details regarding my launch next month and stop by if you are in the area.

A little bit about the book . . .

The world often feels Topsy Turvy, and kids feel it, too! When the Topsy-Turvy bus comes to town, Maddy and Jake embark on an adventure where barrels of used cooking oil become fuel and worms eat garbage to feed the earth. Hop on board to get a glimpse of small ways kids and adults can make the world a cleaner, healthier, kinder place—one small step at a time. Reuse, Recycle, Renew, and Rethink!

A little bit about the author . . .

Anita earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a Master Gardening degree from Michigan State University. She’s created picture-book workshops for kids of all ages, ranging from second graders to high school students. She continues to volunteer for SCBWI events and Hazon-Detroit, one of the largest sustainability organizations in the country. She spends her free time with her husband, training a rascally dog, named Finn, and playing in the dirt, adding plants to every square inch of her suburban habitat. Her four children have all flown the coop.

Website: https://anitapazner.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anita.pazner

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnitaPazner