THINK QUICK with Author Tara Lazar

Hi Tara!  Congrats on the release of 7 Ate 9! Your stories always make me laugh and I particularly like the clever wordplay in this book and how it encourages kids to think about numbers in creative ways.  

On puns:

Can’t live with them or can’t live without them?

I'm supposed to answer with a pun, aren't I?

On numbers:

Problem solvers or problem makers?

For me, numbers have always been a problem. And then, they go mixing letters in! What does "e" mean anyway? I was absent that day in seventh grade.

On letters:

A-ok or wordy?

Who doesn't love letters...? They make words, which make sentences, which make stories, which are my favorite!

On Private I’s:

Necessary or extraneous?

Necessary. Who else is going to put two and two together?

On Film Noirs:

Watch them or avoid them?

Love them. "Double Indemnity" is a favorite.

On math:

Love it or Leave it?

Honestly, glad I got to leave it. Can you imagine Tara Lazar the accountant? Not a job that lends itself to creativity...

On vacations:

Local or foreign?

Sailing the seven seas sounds delightful.

On twist endings:

Shocking or Satisfying?

Ahhhhhhhh. (That's a satisfied sigh.)

On mysteries:

Frustrating or Intriguing?

Page-turners--so a little bit of both is necessary.

On books:

7 Ate 9 or 7 Ate 9?

I think you know the answer to this one.

Yes, yes I do!

Review by Kirsti Call

I love all of Tara Lazar's quirky, clever books and this is no exception. I love how Tara takes this common joke and turns it into an incredibly clever story with engaging characters and a fast paced plot. Every spread has multiple puns and witty wordplay. The film noir illustrations enhance the already super fun storyline. This is a story that I've read to all of my children ages 6-15 and each of them chose to re-read it by themselves just to re-live the puns and find new secrets in the illustrations. I highly recommend this rollicking story!

Street magic performer. Hog-calling champion. Award-winning ice sculptor. These are all things Tara Lazar has never been. Instead, she writes quirky, humorous picture books featuring magical places that everyone will want to visit.

Her picture books available now are:

• THE MONSTORE (Aladdin/S&S, 2013)
• I THOUGHT THIS WAS A BEAR BOOK(Aladdin/S&S, 2015)
• LITTLE RED GLIDING HOOD (Random House Children’s, Oct 2015)
• NORMAL NORMAN (Sterling, March 2016)
• WAY PAST  BEDTIME (Aladdin/S&S, April 2017)
• 7 ATE 9: THE UNTOLD STORY (Disney*Hyperion, May 2017)

Tara is represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

Her last name rhymes with “bazaar”—you can listen to Tara pronounce her name on TeachingBooks.net. She’s not Tara Laser-beam (although that would be awesome).