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An Interview with Matthew Winner

For my fortieth Dream Gardens kid lit podcast, I interviewed librarian and podcast host Matthew Winner about his favorite children’s book, the graphic novel  The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan.

Published in 2009, The Storm in the Barn is set in Kansas during the Dustbowl of the 1930’s, and focuses on eleven year old Jack who has more than his share of difficulties to deal with: the torment of town bullies, a disappointed father who he can’t please no matter what he does, and a sister who’s fallen ill.  But when a mysterious light in the family barn draws him out one night, he discovers a mysterious stranger hiding there who seems to have a connection with the lack of rain–a stranger who may not be human.  What can Jack do about this interloper, or is this only a case of “dust dementia’, and there’s no one there at all? Part historical fiction and part fantasy, this graphic novel  is a unique and captivating look at moment in American History as told through the eyes of a young boy trying to make sense of the world, natural and supernatural, in which he finds himself.

Matthew Winner is an elementary school librarian in Maryland, co-founder of the website All the Wonders and  host of the podcast The Children’s Book Podcast. You can find Matthew’s website at www.matthewcwinner.com.

All podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, and now Spotify. Please link, share, comment, or subscribe. And if you are interested in participating in the Dream Gardens podcast, send me a request through my contact page.

I will be taking a short break from podcasting until September 1st, 2018, when I will return with a new podcast with Michelle, a children’s librarian in Canada and host of the book review site Fab Books,  about Louise Fitzhugh’s classic children’s novel Harriet the Spy. During that time I will be making a few small changes to both the website and the podcast.  When I return on September 1st, please let me know what you think in the comments, or send me a note on the contact page.