Micro review: Marvelous Jackson by Laura Ann Bird
Plus an interview with the author
Full disclosure: Laura Bird is a dear friend of mine, but that doesn’t make her books any less wonderful. I don’t share anything here — and I mean anything — that I don’t think is worthy of your time, even for people I adore.
Good thing Laura (I can’t call her Bird like I don’t know her; I just can’t) has written two outstanding middle-grade novels that I can recommend with all my heart.
Last year I reviewed her debut title, Crossing the Pressure Line, which impacted me in a way that very few other books ever have, full stop. If you want to read why, I shared it all in that post:
Now I’m thrilled to review her second title, the truly marvelous Marvelous Jackson — a follow-up but not a sequel to Crossing the Pressure Line — which lives up to its name in every way.
Micro review: Marvelous Jackson by Laura Anne Bird (2024)
Here, we meet 13-year-old Jackson — a good kid who’s struggling hard to make his behavior match up with his heart following the death of his mother, and in the midst of a complicated relationship with his restaurant-owning dad.
One of Bird’s unique talents is perfectly capturing a sense of place — she really nails all the little details and the feeling of northern Wisconsin, a strange and wonderfully charming area that probably seems exotic to some — but her foremost talent is embodying the spirit and the voice of her characters. When you’re reading this tender story, wherein Jackson decides to turn his life around by auditioning for the world-famous Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship television show in Chicago and somehow finds friends, courage, and inner value along the way, you’re really in it.
Jackson’s journey becomes your journey, and isn’t that what the greatest middle-grade books do? They welcome us in, comfort us if we’re in a similar situation, open our eyes if the experience is dissimilar, but ultimately, make us feel a little less alone in our own skin.
Laura has done this yet again, and I highly recommend this one if you have an independent reader between the ages of 9-13, or are looking for a read-aloud the whole family can enjoy.
Marvelous Jackson comes out on September 10th but is available for pre-order today.
An interview with Laura
A Milwaukee native, Laura Anne Bird graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in English. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, three big kids, and little dog. When she’s not reading, writing, or reviewing books, she loves to exercise and explore the outdoors.
She kindly answered a few questions for me about her latest book, and her feelings about the importance of middle-grade books.
For anyone who hasn't read your first book and of course the people who haven't (yet!) read this one because it's not out yet: how are the two stories connected? Do you have to have read the first to read the second?
Thirteen-year-old Jack Wilson, my main character in Marvelous Jackson, appears throughout Crossing the Pressure Line. He rides around on his old dirt bike, tormenting Clare Burch and her friends, Lola and Theo, with his antics and poor decisions. He plays a minor role in the story, but he certainly gives everyone a headache, because he’s insufferable.
It was easy for me to pin Jack as a mere troublemaker, but with each scene, I began to wonder what made him tick — because we all know that behind every bully is someone who’s hurting.
I couldn’t help it: I started fleshing out Jack’s home life, giving him a dad who’s always at work, running Dutch’s A-I Tavern (“We love feeding hungry hunters!”), and a mom who passed away from cancer when Jack was twelve. Unlike most kids in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, Jack hates hunting and fishing, which means he feels like he doesn’t belong. He has no hobbies, siblings, or consistent support, so it makes sense that he is a mess. (See? When you start peeling back the layers, you discover lots of things about a person that lead to greater empathy.)
The more I developed Jack’s backstory in my head, the more I knew I wanted to focus on him in my second book, so I added little breadcrumbs for myself and readers in Crossing the Pressure Line, like on page 241: “Clare felt sorry to see Jack go. He was like a shadowy, solitary character in a novel that she wanted to keep reading.”
That novel, of course, would become Marvelous Jackson.
My two books are considered stand-alone companion stories. They’re loosely connected, but you can absolutely read one without reading the other.
What was the inspiration for the character of Jackson? What made you want to dig into his life and his story? (Basically, why didn't you leave him in Pressure Line?)
I couldn’t leave Jack in Crossing the Pressure Line! Funny, flawed, and scruffy, he’s become so real and beloved to me, and I think readers will be able to relate to him deeply in Marvelous Jackson.
At one point or another, almost every kid feels like they don’t fit in. Whether these feelings come from not looking like everybody else, or acting like everybody else, or having what everybody else has, they’re legitimate and real.
Jack himself embodies this sense of discomfort. But as soon as he lands on a hobby — one in which he excels, and one that brings him new friends and comfort — he develops a much stronger self-identity and finally begins to feel at home in his world. I hope that Jack inspires readers to try new things and stretch themselves, even if it feels scary at first.
No spoilers here, but a large part of Jackson's journey centers around a kid's baking championship TV show. You include details about the other contestants and their skills, as well as many mentions of recipes from specific sources and places in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. What kind of research did you do for this plot line?
Funny enough, I don’t love baking at all! Instead, I prefer cooking, where I can toss in random things without measuring them.
I’ve been a long-time fan of the Emmy Award-winning cooking show Top Chef, which, although not baking-focused, served as my inspiration for the big-hearted, world-famous Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship. Watching creative, focused individuals transform the humblest of ingredients into dishes that are magnificent and delicious gives me such a high. I wanted to get their devotion and energy (and sweat and frayed nerves) onto the page, and I hope I’ve succeeded.
As for the three recipes included at the back of Marvelous Jackson, each of these treats makes an appearance in my novel. I love collaborations, so it was a blast to reach out to a few Wisconsin businesses and invite them to develop the recipes for me. Bloom Bake Shop (in Madison), Tilly’s (in Rhinelander), and MacReady Artisan Bread Company (in Egg Harbor) came through big time, creating real-life recipes for my fictional Vanilla Blooms, Maple Blueberry Muffins, and Whimsydiddles.
True confession: I haven’t made any of them yet, but I’m planning to. I swear.
One of your many enviable talents is your writing voice — you not only embody the soul of your characters in a way that makes them relatable no matter how they're struggling, you really hit the middle-grade sweet spot.
Is this just your natural writing voice, or do you specifically work on nailing that perspective? (How much craft goes into that part of things?)
This is one of the kindest compliments I’ve ever received about my books. Thank you.
I took a writing class once, which asserted that high-quality middle-grade fiction has little to do with plot. Instead, it’s all about characters who have heart — characters who are vulnerable, relatable, nuanced, imperfect, and pulsing with life. I’ve taken this advice very seriously.
I’m not sure how much “craft” goes into it; I just spend an inordinate amount of time channeling my twelve-year-old self so that I can fully flesh out Jack, Clare, Lola, Theo, Carlos, and Pogo, giving them the depth and soul they (and my readers) deserve. Their voices and sense of agency matter more than anything else.
To hear that I’ve hit the sweet spot means the world to me. Again, thank you.
What’s next for you? Are you working on anything new you can tell us about? (Is there a third novel in the works?)
Yes! I’m trying desperately to write, in between the promotional projects necessitated by the launch of Marvelous Jackson. Slowly but surely, I’m working on another stand-alone companion story that begins where Marvelous Jackson leaves off. My working title is Warrior with Two Braids.
Mavis Pogodinski is the eleven-year-old sister of Jack’s friend Mikey Pogodinski (aka “Pogo”). As you’ll see in Marvelous Jackson, she’s feisty and spirited. When she doesn’t get the lead role in the Evergreen School play, she decides to use her acting skills for a different purpose as she attempts to save a tree from doom and destruction.
As with Crossing the Pressure Line and Marvelous Jackson, I want Warrior with Two Braids to motivate kids to follow their passions and convictions, acting as change-makers in a world that urgently needs hope and beauty.
Later this week you're going to guest post here about middle-grade novels, but I know many Can we read? subscribers particularly like books about cooking and baking. Are there any you recommend?
Sure! Following are five adorable picture books that center on baking:
Spot Bakes a Cake by Eric Hill is darling, with our favorite sweet-but-naughty pup trying to make a cake for his dad’s quicky approaching birthday. As always, Hill gives readers a simple and soothing story that manages to be mesmerizing.
Little Mouse and the Big Cupcake, written by Thomas Taylor and illustrated by Jill Barton, is less about baking and more about teamwork. A small mouse finds a cupcake and wonders how he will get it home. It’s too heavy for him to carry — but maybe his friends can help?
Who Made This Cake?, written by Chihiro Nakagawa and illustrated by Junji Koyose, features tiny little people who invade a boy’s house and proceed to use their big construction equipment to bake a cake.
Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle opens with a rooster crowing. Upon waking up, little Jack is hungry for a huge pancake. (Same, Jack. Same.) Sourcing ingredients that are local and yummy obviously takes time, so Jack must be patient.
Froggy Bakes a Cake, written by Jonathan London and illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz, is a book I read a million times to my kids when they were little. Intrepid Froggy wants to bake a cake for his mom — but you know darn well that he’s going to make an enormous mess in the process.
Happy reading!
For more information about Laura’s work, visit her website. And, of course, be sure to seek out her books at your local library and bookstore, or order online.
And if you’d like more picture books on this topic, check out my mini issue, children’s books about cooking and baking:
Thanks for reading today, and always,
Sarah
P.S. Bookshop.org links in this post are affiliate ones — I get a tiny commission if you use any of them to make a purchase.
We really enjoyed Crossing the Pressure Line. Can't wait to ready Marvelous Jackson!
I loved this book, too! Both of Laura’s books are so good. She’s a treasure!