CLARA'S CLIPPING FILE • INTERVIEWS
Lorri explains what Dewey is doing here.
Two 2017 tour interviews preserve especially useful notes about where Dewey’s name came from, why problem solving matters, how humor helps reluctant readers, and what kind of kid might enjoy the series.
SHOOTING STARS MAG • AUGUST 11, 2017
A “do-er,” not a stewer.
Lorri connected Dewey’s name to educational reformer John Dewey and described the character as someone who acts, tests ideas, changes course when necessary, and remains open to other people’s guidance.
The same interview says strong and reluctant readers can both engage with the book: humor can grab reluctant readers, while figurative language and narrative style give stronger readers more to work with. Lorri described the ideal audience as kids who enjoy imaginative solutions to real-life problems in school, play, and family.
READ INTERVIEW ↗LITPICK • AUGUST 2017
Writing advice, origins, and a very Dewey giveaway.
LitPick’s interview asks Lorri about the inspiration for Parent Problem Solver, her literary influences, and advice for young writers. The tour giveaway itself reads like somebody emptied Dewey’s desk: cookies, gum, notebooks, pens, pencils, Tootsie Rolls, and Monopoly.
CLARA: The cookies were educational materials.
DEWEY: Nobody said they weren’t.
READ INTERVIEW ↗