SATA

• A Century for Caroline (Kaija Langley ; illustrated by TeMika Grooms) - 2025 Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, NY
• The Order of Things - 2023 Nancy Paulsen Books, New York, NY
• When Langston Dances (written by Kaija Langley ; illustrated by Keith Mallett) - 2021 Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, NY

• Kaija Langley website - https://kaijalangley.com/

  I started writing poetry when I was seven years old. I discovered poetry submissions of other children in the back of a Highlights magazine in my dentist’s office and thought I’d give it a try too. Everything I wrote at that time was in rhyme. Thankfully, my teacher was very supportive of what I shared and when a classmate accused me of plagiarizing the poem from a book, I felt empowered to keep “playing” with words. And I have been ever since in some form or another.

  Frequently Asked Questions
  Did you always know you wanted to be a writer?
  I did. At least as soon as I understood how to string words and sentences together.

  Did you ever want to be anything else?
  In sixth grade I auditioned for a role in my school play, Godspell. It’s a musical. I love singing and didn’t mind being on a stage. If I were to choose any other artistic profession, it would have been acting.

  What’s your favorite color?
  Red

  What’s your favorite food?
  Hot dogs, although I know they aren’t the best choice for a healthy diet. My favorite way to eat them is with sauerkraut and mustard. Yum!

  What do you do for fun when you aren’t writing and reading books?
  I love walking and exploring new cities by foot. You discover so many things that you wouldn’t whizzing by in a car. I also love going to plays and music concerts, watching corny romantic comedies, and spending time at my local public library.

  Where do your stories come from?
  All of my stories – whether picture books or novels – start with personal inspiration. Someone or something in my life has made a lasting emotional impact and I feel compelled to start writing. The rest is pure imagination. So I’d say it’s 10% inspiration and 90% imagination.

  Short Bio
  Kaija Langley was born in Northern NJ and raised on a healthy diet of library books, music and theater performances, and visits to the family farm in rural North Carolina. The author of the award-winning picture book, When Langton Dances, she loves long road trips, dancing wherever music moves her, and adventures near and far with her Beloved. Learn more about Kaija and her books at www.kaijalangley.com. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @mizzkalwrites71.

  Longer Bio
  Kaija Langley was born and raised in Northern NJ and has been writing since she discovered the power of words at age seven. She’s a proud alumna of Morgan State University, a historically black college and university in Baltimore, Maryland, and received her MFA in fiction from St. Mary’s College of California.

  Her debut picture book, When Langston Dances, received a Black Caucus ALA Youth Literary Award and was a finalist for the New England Book Award and NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children.

  Kaija has always been a voracious reader and champion for the arts – books, theater, music, visual art – but didn’t see herself or her family in a book until she was nearly a teenager. She believes diversity in art is critical for developing empathy in readers of all ages, but especially in young readers.

  When she isn’t raising money and volunteering for non-profits with local and global impact, she reads and writes picture books and novels for young readers. Her debut middle grade novel, The Order of Things, is now available from Nancy Paulsen Books. This powerful story about chosen family, grief, and compassion is a Junior Library Guild Gold Selection and has received three starred reviews. Her second picture book, A Century for Caroline, with Denene Millner Books is scheduled for Spring 2025.

  Kaija has called many places home over the years—New Jersey, Maryland, DC, California, Louisiana—and currently lives, writes, and plays in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her two bonsai and her Beloved. For the latest on book news and upcoming events, follow her on Instagram and Twitter @mizzkalwrites71.

  Pronunciation

  How do you say Kaija’s first name? Ki-JAH (silent A, long I, hard J)

• Maria Marshall - https://www.mariacmarshall.com/single-post/the-picture-book-buzz-interview-with-kaija-langley

  The Picture Book Buzz - Interview with Kaija Langley
  Kaija Langley was born and raised in Northern N.J. and now lives in Cambridge, MA with her Beloved. She received her bachelor’s from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland and an MFA in Fiction from St. Mary’s College of California and spends her time writing novels and picture books, raising money for causes that make the world a better place, and enjoying adventures with her Beloved.

  An only child and social introvert, she was raised on a healthy diet of library books, Broadway plays and musicals, and sweltering summers on the family farm in North Carolina.

  Her picture book debut, When Langston Dances, is about a little Black boy’s first day of ballet (Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 7, 2021). Little boys deserve to see themselves represented in dance, too. It’s also a universal story about courage, perseverance, and triumph that everyone can enjoy.

  ree

  Welcome Kaija, it’s nice to meet you.

  Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing? How did you get started? What is your favorite type of book to write?)

  I’ve always been drawn to words. I started talking, walking, and reading early, with lots of encouragement from my mother who was an elementary school teacher. It certainly helped that she was a voracious reader and I was an only child, so we would often get our respective books and find a corner of the house and read together.

  One of the things I loved to do was read the Highlights magazines when I went to the dentist or doctor’s office. It was there that I discovered poetry written by other young readers who had submitted their poems for publication. I’d go home and write my own poems, always rhyming of course, and once I even shared a poem with my first grade class. The feedback was positive overall, but what I remember most was a classmate who insisted that I’d copied the poem from a book. That was the spark that told me how powerful words were on a page and I’ve been writing (mostly) ever since.

  From poems I graduated to short stories and then in high school I even wrote an incredibly awful novella that I shared with my track teammates. I didn’t attempt to write a full-length adult novel until I was well out of college and nearing my 25th birthday. Two adult novels, several dozens of short stories, and one MFA later, I was burned out. I wasn’t making any progress on the agent or publishing front, so I took an unexpected ten year hiatus from writing. It was a co-worker and my spouse who prompted me to return to writing because, quite honestly, I was miserable without my creative outlet.

  In 2016, I started a new story that I thought was an adult novel about a young woman who was thinking (in retrospect) about the summer she was 12 years old. It was a pivotal point in the character’s life, yet a number of life synchronicities convinced me that it wasn’t an adult story after all. It was a MG novel. I’ve learned after all these years that the character dictates the story, whether it’s for adults or young readers. And I’m happy to write the story the characters want to tell.

  I love that sentiment and your flexibility. What is something no one (or few) knows about you?

  When I returned to writing after my hiatus, I said I was doing it for myself. I wouldn’t make publication, or even getting an agent, the “goal” because that didn’t go the way I’d hoped earlier in my life. So I wrote the first MG novel and I had fun with it!

  As a reward for completing that first draft, I did something completely out of character for me. I’m innately practical, but I’d made the mistake of going with my spouse to get an ink refill for a Monteblanc pen that was a gift from a former job. For those who don’t know, these are not cheap writing instruments. Yet, I loved the specialty editions and one in particular caught my eye: the Le Petit Prince Pen, in celebration of the author of The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I said then if I ever sold a book, I would use the pen to sign copies.

  Nice! Now you're going to need lots of ink! Where did the idea for When Langston Dances come from? What was it like to see Langston holding the book?

  ree

  A few years ago while visiting my Godson, Langston, I learned that he loved dance. All forms really, but he’d taken a particular liking to ballet. When his mother shared a photo of him with his ballet class, the only boy in a sea of girls, the story idea sparked. The questions wouldn’t stop. What must it be like to be the only boy in a class full of girls? How supported does he feel in dance class, at home, in his community? Why aren’t there more books about boys and ballet, especially little Black boys?

  A few weeks later, my spouse and I were visiting Jacob’s Pillow, an internationally renowned summer dance festival in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. We both love dance and it’s one of our favorite summer activities. Watching these incredibly athletic men flourish on the stage, and thinking again about Langston, the idea for the book caught fire. I literally starting writing the opening lines in between performances.

  My hope is that When Langston Dances helps to challenge the gender stereotype for boys who choose ballet. And it helps the adults in their lives realize that athletically inclined boys have more than just sports as an outlet. Every child has first experiences. And those experiences have the potential to shape a child’s future.

  I hope so too! How many drafts, or revisions, did When Langston Dances take? What was the hardest part of writing this book?

  There were no less than a dozen drafts and I had several readers along the way to push the story further. Early drafts were in rhyme. I submitted it to the Lee & Low New Voices Award for consideration and received an encouraging rejection letter. Later drafts included a much longer story with more dance terms and ballet history, even a subplot of a friend who moves away and returns for Langston’s dance recital.

  Ultimately, after more than eight months and three additional drafts following that path, I felt I’d moved too far from my original intention which was to write a very simple and emotionally powerful story about a little boy who chooses ballet over basketball and his first day of ballet class.

  You've created a very important and poignant story. Who was your favorite author, illustrator, and/or what was favorite book as a child?

  I loved anything by Judy Blume. And all the Nancy Drew mystery series. I don’t recall picture books much because I was an early reader and I must have skipped to chapter books. One thing I do remember very viscerally, is the first time I read a book that had characters who looked like me on the cover and on the page.

  ree

  I was a pre-teen and a family friend gifted me my first YA novel written by a Black author, featuring a Black family: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor. That was a true turning point in my evolution as a reader and writer, seeing young characters who looked like me, and families who looked like mine, on the page. I take great pride in being able to carry that torch forward for young readers today and in the future.

  When you first saw Keith Mallett’s illustrations was there anything that surprised you? [I really love how he framed each image in a colored circle or oval – that is so effective & unusual.] What is your favorite spread in the book?

  Early on, Denene (my editor at Denene Millner Books) and I talked by phone about the type of feel we wanted for the book. We agreed that contemporary and realistic artwork would best complement the story. I loved the illustrations that Keith Mallet did for Take a Picture of Me, James VanderZee by Andrea Loney and was thrilled to learn that Keith had signed on for the project.

  The truth is Keith and I never discussed the project. I never told him about the inspiration for the book, nor was I able to offer him any “direction” because Denene felt strongly that we each bring our own artistic visions to the project. I did provide one single illustrator’s note: that the last three pages would show Langston aging as a dancer (from 6 to 12 to 16).

  ree

  Text © Kaija Langley, 2021. Image © Keith Mallett, 2021.

  When I saw the early artwork almost seven months later I was blown away. Even without us discussing the project, Keith captured the fabulousness and fierceness of Langston on the page perfectly. I love how he captured the facial expressions of the characters and all the small details that might be easy to overlook upon first glance. One such example is the page when Langston is practicing in his room in front of a mirror. Along the edges of the mirror are photos of other dancers and of him and his Mom.

  As for my favorite spread, it’s the very last spread. The one bit of direction I was able to offer Keith is, in my opinion, the most magical. It makes me smile every time I see it.

  I won't show the final spread, but I agree with you that it is amazing, joyful, and powerful. What's something you want your readers to know about or gain from When Langston Dances?

  Male ballet dancers aren’t new. They’ve been around for more than a century and they’re still performing on stages across the globe. All dancers put in years of effort and discipline to dance professionally and they require cheerleaders and champions along the way.

  In Langston’s case, his Mom is his biggest champion, but not his only cheerleader. Ms. Marie, the dance teacher, is in his corner, as are other people in the neighborhood.

  I think it’s so important for readers to see that his Mom is supportive of both his interest in sports AND dance. And it starts when she takes him to see the Alvin Ailey performance. I believe exposure, as well as acceptance, are pivotal for Langston and young readers.

  I especially loved that you not only showed his effort, but the numerous champions 'in his corner.' How are you staying creative these days? What are you doing to “prime the well”?

  I just completed my first YA novel. That took all of the pandemic to write. Lots of starts and stops. The early days of remote working/living was incredibly hard for me to create. It also impacted my ability to focus and read, which is instrumental to my writing process.

  I think everyone learned a bit about themselves during this pandemic. And congrats on the novel! Are there any projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

  This summer I sold my first MG novel. It’s still early yet, and not many details to share, but I’m very excited to feel like at fifty years old my writing career is finally taking shape!

  YEAH! We will definitely need to keep our eyes open for your novel. If you have a critique group(s) and writing partner(s), what have you learned from them over the years? Or from your writing journey so far?

  I do have a critique group that is both instrumental for accountability and support. We’re all at different stages in our writing careers and we all met through Grub Street, an amazing local creative writing center in Boston. We started as small group of local women of color and nicknamed ourselves Women of Words, about eight months before the shut down and we’ve now branched out to members in MD and CA. Zoom has certainly been helpful in that regard.

  We workshop entire manuscripts during our meetings, which is crucial for understanding the full story arc. Unfortunately, in most writing classes (independent or MFA), a reader only gets a slice of a story at a time making feedback less effective. We also chat all the time on WhatsApp, send along contests and opportunities for writing retreats, celebrate our wins (especially the small ones), and help each other through the “I hate this story, I suck as a writer, why’d I write this again?” moments that we all experience.

  Support is SO necessary for all writers and illustrators. Last question, what is your favorite animal? Or one that you are enamored with at the moment? Why?

  I’m a fan of most any animal that has feathers or four legs and fur. But right now I’m over the moon about lemurs. In fact, as I write there’s a plush gray and white Ring-tailed lemur toy keeping me company. We’ve named him Lucky. While visiting family in North Carolina earlier in the summer, we discovered the Duke Lemur Center. Due to COVID, we weren’t able to actually visit, but a kind staff person opened the gift shop to us and we learned a great deal about these endangered animals who call Madagascar home. As we departed, we were lucky enough to spot a pair of Red Ruffed lemurs enjoying lunch along the perimeter of their enclosed habitat.

  ree

  Thank you Kaija for stopping by to share about yourself and your debut picture book.

  Be sure to come back on Friday for the Perfect Picture Book #PPBF post on When Langston Dances.

  To find out more about Kaija Langley, or get in touch with her:

  Website: https://kaijalangley.com/

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/mizzkalwrites71?lang=en

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mizzkalwrites71/

• GBH - https://www.wgbh.org/culture/2023-07-07/kaija-langley-explores-childhood-grief-in-her-new-novel-the-order-of-things

  Kaija Langley explores childhood grief in her new novel 'The Order of Things'

  Listen • 9:00
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  Book cover of The Order of Things by Kaija Langley showing a young black girl standing in front of a drum set while a violinist plays in the background.
  Book cover of The Order of Things by Kaija Langley
  Courtesy of Liz Vaughan

  Arun Rath
  Diego Lopez
  July 07, 2023
  Updated August 09, 2023
  "The Order of Things" is a captivating new novel from Cambridge-based author Kaija Langley. Written in verse, it tells the story of 11-year-old April Jackson and her relationship with her best friend, Zee. The two Black teens in Boston share a passion for music, but that joy is ripped away when Zee suddenly dies from cardiac arrest. We then walk with April as she processes her grief and learns to recover her love for music. GBH's All Things Considered host Arun Rath spoke with Langley about the creative process behind the book. What follows is a lightly edited transcript.

  Arun Rath: This is such a beautiful book. I'm curious how you conceived this. Did you decide to write a novel in verse or did you have the story in mind and think, "Oh, this should be a novel in verse?"

  Kaija Langley: I had the story in mind first and foremost, and honestly, I had the character in mind, and it was April who I knew was going to experience this moment of grief that she would have to navigate through. I actually tried to write it in prose, and it didn't work and I didn't know why. So, I stepped away from the story, as I often do, to let it breathe, to give it some space, and for me to get some clarity, which often happens subconsciously with writers. When I was randomly making breakfast one morning, I started to hear April's voice and it was coming in these poems and in verse. That's when I knew the story needed to be written in verse, because that's how the story was coming to me through April's voice.

  Rath: One of the joys of being in April's head is experiencing her musical development on the drums, the kind of magic that happens in the practice room.

  Langley: Yes, absolutely. This particular story, and the fact that it's written in verse, really lends itself to a novice drummer who is learning beats and learning how to keep time. The actual language itself is very musical and sort of percussive.

  Rath: I'm not somebody who's played the drums, but as a musician, you really get into that amazing headspace. Could you read the poem? It's called "School Daze". It gives us a sense of of April's passion.

  Langley: Absolutely.

  "School days feel extra-long this year when all I think about is playing the drums between classes and during lunch. I hide out in the library watching YouTube video clips of past concerts at the Boston Garden. I watched the drummers on stage study their beats and patterns. Their hands, like hummingbirds, always in motion wherever I go. Asa is never far. She settles at the computer next to mine, looking up scout activities. It's always a thrill when I see a woman on drums, no matter what band she's playing with. As long as I can pretend it's me."

  Rath: It's beautiful. Along the lines of thinking about people and pretending that it's her, we see how she plasters her room with photos of female drummers from Sheila E. to Nikki Glasby. There we get a sense of how important these role models are to a young girl like that.

  Langley: Absolutely. And Terri Lyne Carrington is also featured as one of the drum mavens who, of course, is part of the Jazz and Gender Institute at Berklee [College of Music] and is a professor there. I set it in Boston for that reason, because there's so much music in Boston between Berklee, the New England Conservatory and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It feels like a natural setting for a young musician to really take hold and to dream of these aspirations of becoming a professional drummer and to have these role models in and around her.

  Rath: It's also really powerful because we've had Boston portrayed before, but to have people of color at the heart of the story, as a person of color and somebody who has kids, it really means a lot.

  Langley: Yeah. These are aspirational things that all kids can have, but you don't often see, as you said, children of color who aspire to these things.

  Rath: April's best friend Zee is this prodigy violinist and at the heart of the book is his sudden demise. I have to say, it's hard because you really make us love him. Could you read the poem? It's called "The First Night". This is when the grief is fresh, and I think anybody who's been through a loss can relate to this.

  Langley:

  "The first night without Zee feels like a bad dream on repeat. A record scratched and skipping the same refrain. Papa Zee all cried out in his room, me sucking air through my mouth, rapid blinking at Zee's door, waiting to see him again. Not quite believing I won't. My nose so congested from crying I can barely breathe. I don't realize when day arrives until mama kneels beside me. Home from work, her gentle hand on my back, that too sweet perfume in the air and all my senses come back to me again. My head feels like a balloon about to pop. Too full of memories, too heavy with disbelief. How could Zee be gone? The first day of all the days to come without him. My eyes unfocused, hands, trembling, hair standing on end. The drums in the corner, reminding me I'm dreaming solo from now on."

  Rath: When a child dies, I think there's the term – an "out of order death" – that's used in grief counseling. It's something that's really hard to get your head around.

  Langley: It is, absolutely. Part of the reason why I wrote this story was because I experienced losing my best friend at a younger age ... at age six, in fact. We went to separate schools. He went to public school and I went to the local parochial school, but we were best friends outside of school. We did all our playing together on evenings and weekends and he went to school one day and I went to school one day, and I came back home and he didn't. It was shocking. It was sudden and it was unexpected. I think I might have had maybe one or two days home from school to process the fact that this massive thing had just happened in my life. But beyond that, life carried on and there was not a recognition or conversation had about what it means to have just lost someone so young and so close to you. This book was sort of my homage to him, but also to other kids who are grieving at young ages because life is complex and things happen rapidly. It's an opportunity for them, I hope, to safely experience what it is to navigate grief and maybe to open doors and conversations with their peers and adults around them when they're grieving.

  Rath: I don't want to say a lot more about this and give more away, but we're not left there in that moment of grief. There's an amazing progression. Maybe one thing that doesn't give away too much is that the grief leaves April with a new capacity for compassion, it seems.

  Langley: It does, absolutely. I think one of the other threads of the story is what it means for a person to be grieving, but also to acknowledge that other people in your your ecosystem, in your sphere, in your classroom and your street, may also be navigating difficult things – maybe different than yours, but difficult, nonetheless. Even in your own grief and your own loss, can you still be compassionate towards others?

  Rath: Kaija, it's been such a pleasure talking with you about this book. Thank you so much.

  Langley: Thank you very much, Arun. I appreciate it.

• MG Book Village - https://mgbookvillage.wordpress.com/2023/08/14/interview-with-kaija-langley-about-the-order-of-things/

  Interview with Kaija Langley about THE ORDER OF THINGS
  August 14, 2023 ~ bookvillageadmin

  Anne: Hello, Kaija, and welcome to MG Book Village! It’s great to have you here to chat about your debut novel in verse, The Order of Things, which hit shelves in June. Would you please tell readers—briefly—what the story is about?

  Kaija: Certainly! The Order of Things is the story of 11 year-old April Jackson and her best friend, Zee. Both are aspiring musicians; Zee a violin prodigy and April a novice drummer who adores Shelia E. The story opens on the first day of sixth grade, but April is going to their old school and Zee is going to a new STEAM school to further his musical skills. This change has April on edge because Zee is her biggest cheerleader and champion, and when Zee dies suddenly, April has to navigate her grief and find the courage and compassion to continue practicing for her dream solo.

  Anne: Thank you. So heartfelt! In the cover image, we see April holding drumsticks, and you say she’s decorated her bedroom with photos of women drummers—“drum mavens.” So, tell me about you. Are you a drummer? Do you play any instruments?

  Kaija: One of my earliest instruments was a set of Mickey Mouse drums, which didn’t last long. I think I was five. I loved drums, but I never took formal lessons. I also started dance around the same time. I began in ballet and progressed quickly to tap. I adored the percussive nature of tap dancing. Still do. When I found my way back to music again, it was to take piano lessons starting around age eight.

  Readers may be surprised to learn that many of the people in the story are real. Shelia E. and Prince are likely better known musicians, but all the Drum Mavens are professional drummers, and the places are real, too: Wally’s Café and the Berklee School of Music in Boston.

  Anne: I already knew a bit about Prince and Berklee, but other references to real people and places were new to me. I enjoyed learning about them!

  Now, let’s talk about SCA—sudden cardiac arrest. In a remarkably gentle way, The Order of Things helps readers understand SCA. It’s an excellent book for anyone who is grieving or going through tough times. What made you want to write a story in which a character experiences SCA?

  Kaija: I had a best friend when I was six years old. We were inseparable, except during the school day because he went to the local public school, and I went to a parochial school. One morning we went to school and that afternoon only I came back home. He’d died of SCA during his school day. While everyone who knew him was in shock by the sudden nature of his death, I don’t recall anyone asking me what it felt like to lose someone I cared about so much who was also my same age.

  Anne: Wow, that’s tough.

  Kaija. Yeah. Writing this story was my way of acknowledging that young people experience hard things and feel deeply. While the story is otherwise fictional, I do hope readers of all ages find the value in being resilient, courageous, and compassionate even when life takes turns we don’t expect.

  Anne: That’s great. And let me add for our readers: the story isn’t all-grief-all-the-time. I laughed at Papa Zee’s jokes. Were his scenes included in your earliest drafts or did you develop his character along the way? How long did it take you to write The Order of Things? Tell us a bit about your writing process.

  Kaija: Papa Zee was a crucial character in the story from the very first draft. He’s like a father-figure for April, a good-natured, supportive, and kind human. He definitely evolved into more of a three dimensional character throughout the many rounds of revision, but I was very intentional in creating a non-traditional family. Two single working parents raising two single children.

  I started the first draft of the story in July 2019. I took two weeks of vacation time to allow myself the space to study the structure of other verse novels and develop a loose outline to create my first draft. I often write in the margins once I’ve started a story – evenings, weekends, on the subway commute to work – but at the outset I really need the mental and physical space to imagine and hear the voice of the characters.

  Anne: I love that you wrote the story in verse. Take these lines, for example:

  Working night shift
  loading trucks means
  Mama sleeps most of
  the day, works most of
  the night, and we live
  in the quiet moments
  in between.

  I felt a sense of warmth in the “quiet in between” moments, a deep connection between April and her mom. Although these lines were brief, they gave me a good picture of April’s mom. Why did you choose to write in verse rather than narrative prose?

  Kaija: April is a drummer and that instrument in particular lends itself well to verse. I listened to hours of concerts and interviews with drummers. April is just starting her foray into music, and it was important to capture the sounds of what she’s playing and the physical and emotional sensations of learning something new.

  Anne: In the FAQs on your website, you mention that you’ve also written for adults. Why the shift to writing for young readers? Do you plan to write more MG fiction?

  Kaija: I always dreamed I would grow up to be a writer. I studied journalism in college and did an MFA in fiction not too long after. After completing several adult novels without securing an agent, I needed a break. I didn’t know at the start it would be a ten year hiatus, but that’s when serendipity struck.

  I attended a reading by Jacqueline Woodson shortly after she won the National Book Award for Brown Girl Dreaming. I was in an auditorium with 300 middle schoolers who were reading along in their books as she read from the stage. The last novel I wanted to write before my “break” was about an adult woman who remembers a crucial moment in her life during the summer when she was twelve. That evening I realized the story would be better told from the twelve year old’s perspective.

  Anne: Nice. I would love to have been in that audience with Jacqueline Woodson reading!

  What are you working on now?

  Kaija: I’m in the early stages of imagination, thinking about my next MG novel while I await the publication of my second picture book, A Century for Caroline, in Fall 2024.

  Anne: Glad to hear you’re writing picture books, too. Now, before we close, please let us know your social media links. I already mentioned your website, kaijalangley.com. Where else can readers go to learn more about you and your work?

  Kaija: In addition to my website, I’m on Twitter and Instagram @mizzkalwrites71.

  Anne: Thank you so much for stopping by MG Book Village, and especially for helping readers appreciate that sudden cardiac arrest is a thing. The Order of Things is a welcome addition to literature that helps readers process grief.

  Kaija: Thanks for having me!

  Kaija Langley; photo by Lanita Foley
  Kaija Langley was born in Northern NJ and raised on a healthy diet of library books, music and theater performances, and visits to the family farm in rural North Carolina. The author of the award-winning picture book, When Langton Dances, she loves long road trips, dancing wherever music moves her, and adventures near and far with her Beloved.

  Anne (A.B.) Westrick is the author of the older-MG novel Brotherhood. You can learn more about Anne at the MG Book Village “About” page.

Kaija Langley, illus. by Keith Mallett. S&S/Millner, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-5344-8519-8

"Langston liked basketball, but he adored ballet." A Black boy recognizes his. love of ballet after his mother takes him to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company. When, post-performance, Langston asks whether he, too, could dance like that, his mother offers an encouraging response: "You can do whatever you set your mind to doing." Thus begins Langston's journey toward balletic excellence in this firmly uplifting narrative. Though a child on the way to Langston's first dance class attempts to bring the burgeoning dancer down with a gendered sneer, Langston perseveres, in spreads showcasing an engrossing flipbook-like progression of his moves. Langley utilizes plentiful dialogue and repetition to draw readers in: "And Langston danced... and danced... and danced," the final spreads read, showing the maturing protagonist continuing to dance over the years. Malleus lively, realistic illustrations, characterized by airbrushed strokes and dynamic dancers of varying skin tones, help further bring the story to life. Notable is Langston's unwavering passion for ballet--and his mother's just as steadfast support--in this richly affirmative picture book. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 PWxyz, LLC
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"When Langston Dances." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 36, 6 Sept. 2021, pp. 92+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A675525140/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7cffbda7. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.

Langley, Kaija WHEN LANGSTON DANCES Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster (Children's None) $17.99 9, 7 ISBN: 978-1-5344-8519-8

What happens when a little boy who likes basketball learns that he loves ballet?

Langston, a little Black boy, is enchanted by an Alvin Ailey Dance Company performance he sees with his mother. After the performance, Langston asks, “Do you think I can dance like that?” She lovingly responds, “You can do whatever you set your mind to doing.” Langston envisions twirling and leaping, just like the dancers. However, Langston faces opposition when another boy sees him dancing and admonishes, “Boys don’t dance like that.” A bit jarred, he defends his passion and heads to his first dance class anyway. Langston is the only boy amid the pink-tutu–clad little girls. When his teacher, Ms. Marie, gives him a pair of black ballet shoes, he runs and leaps across the room in excitement. This is a tenderly told story about self-acceptance. The love and support that Langston receives from his mother serve to buoy his confidence, but it is his awareness of his passion that sustains him and pushes him to do what makes him happy: a lesson for every child. The illustrations are warm and dreamy. Langston, his mother, and the other children, depicted as racially diverse, look almost photorealistic. This book will pair equally well with Julián Is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love (2018), and I Am Every Good Thing, by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James (2020). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

The absolute embodiment of Black boy joy, this is a beautiful and important book. (Picture book. 4-8)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Langley, Kaija: WHEN LANGSTON DANCES." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A669986436/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1bd74287. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.

Langley, Kaija THE ORDER OF THINGS Nancy Paulsen Books (Children's None) $17.99 6, 6 ISBN: 9780593530900

An 11-year-old girl suffers a devastating loss when her best friend suddenly dies.

April and best friend Zee, both African American, live across the hall from each other in their Boston apartment building. Their tight unit is disrupted when gifted violinist Zee, who comes from a musical family, is admitted to a new STEAM charter school. April is happy for him but knows her school experience will change. Sure enough, she is paired with socially awkward Asa, who's shunned by the two other White girls in class. April asks Zee's dad, Papa Zee, to give her drumming lessons, fulfilling her own dreams. But there are difficult things too: Zee has some alarming health symptoms and swears April to secrecy, April's single mom is seeing a new woman, and Asa is behaving unusually. When Zee's next medical episode proves fatal, April's grief is compounded by her guilt over keeping quiet. Before long she's hiding something else, as she observes the extent of Papa Zee's depression. When she learns the truth about what Asa's family is going through, however, April realizes she has to share all she has been keeping inside. This well-crafted novel in verse is rich in detail and successfully conveys the depth of April's emotions. The characters are fully realized, and the themes of family, change, and grief are handled with sensitivity and care.

A heart-rending narrative of friendship, family, and the path to healing. (author's note) (Verse fiction. 10-14)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Langley, Kaija: THE ORDER OF THINGS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A745234548/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ac9190d1. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.

The Order of Things

Kaija Langley

Nancy Paulsen Books

c/o Penguin Young Readers Group

https://www.penguin.com

9780593530900, $17.99, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Order-Things-Kaija-Langley/dp/059353090X

Synopsis: Eleven-year-old April Jackson loves playing the drums, almost as much as she loves her best friend, Zee, a violin prodigy. They both dream of becoming professional musicians one day. When Zee starts attending a new school that will nurture his talent, April decides it's time for her to pursue her dreams, too, and finally take drum lessons. She knows she isn't very good to start, but with Zee's support, she also knows someday she can be just as good as her hero, Sheila E., and travel all around the world with a pair of drumsticks in her hand.

When the unthinkable happens and Zee suddenly passes away, April is crushed by grief. Without Zee, nothing is the way it's supposed to be. Zee's Dad isn't delivering the mail for his postal route like he should. April's Mom is suddenly dating someone new who is occupying too much space in their lives. And every time April tries to play the drums, all she can think about is Zee.

April isn't sure how to move on from the awful feeling of being without Zee. Desperate to help Papa Zee, she decides to secretly deliver the mail he's been neglecting. But when on her route she discovers a classmate in trouble, she doesn't second guess what she knows is the right thing to do.

Critique: With a unique novel-in-verse storytelling format, "The Order of Things" by Kaija Langley is a fully engaging, entertaining, emotionally compelling read from first page to last. Blending elements of friendship and loss, "The Order of Things" is an especially recommended addition to elementary school, middle school, and community library Contemporary Fiction collections for young readers ages 10-14. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Order of Things" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $10.99).

Editorial Note: Kaija Langley (https://kaijalangley.com) was born in Northern NJ and raised on a healthy diet of library books, music and theater performances, and visits to the family farm in rural North Carolina. She is also the author of the award-winning picture book, "When Langston Dances".

Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Midwest Book Review
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"The Order of Things." Children's Bookwatch, July 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A760330724/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b0f2a10a. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.

LANGLEY, Kaija. A Century for Caroline. illus. by TeMika Grooms. 32p. S. & S./Denene Millner. May 2025. Tr $19.99. ISBN 9781665934725.

K-Gr 2-Great-Grandma Caroline is turning 100 years old, and Jasmine is excited to meet her for the first time. Jasmine and her grandfather embark on a long car ride to attend a birthday party where family and friends have gathered to celebrate. Upon arrival, Jasmine runs to her great-grandmother's arms and asks how she lived so long. Rather than answering her directly, Great-Grandma Caroline skips a stone across the water and uses several analogies to explain that getting older takes many different things, like being patient, staying determined, and having faith. A birthday party with 100 lit candles ends the day. Digitally rendered illustrations that mimic acrylic painting are featured in spreads. Idyllic in nature, the story shows the ease at which children give love, even to a family member several generations older. Although simple, the story offers some good nuggets of truth for all readers to learn from. "'Getting old also takes faith,' she says. 'You keep showing up, keep trying, keep making the most of the surprises life gives you ... day by day.'" Most characters are cued as Black. VERDICT A sweet story that demonstrates the importance of family connections and the easy way that children give and accept love. A first purchase for libraries.--Tracy Cronce

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Cronce, Tracy. "LANGLEY, Kaija. A Century for Caroline." School Library Journal, vol. 71, no. 3, Mar. 2025, p. 71. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A836878331/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fa3762fa. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.

Langley, Kaija A CENTURY FOR CAROLINE Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster (Children's None) $19.99 5, 6 ISBN: 9781665934725

A Black girl bonds with her great-grandmother, who's celebrating her 100th birthday.

Dressed in a flowing yellow dress, with beads ornamenting her braids, young Jasmine hops in the car before the sun's even risen, and she and Papa set out to visit Great-Grandma Caroline, whom Jasmine's never met. The trip is long, but as Jasmine sits in a booster seat in the back seat, right next to her packed lunch and her floppy-eared dog, Puddles, Papa plays his favorite songs, and Jasmine reflects earnestly on how her great-grandmother's 100th birthday means she's also lived a long life--longer than Jasmine's goldfish or her hamster or Puddles. Upon their arrival, Great-Grandma Caroline, ensconced in her rocking chair, welcomes her "baby girl" with a hug ("My birthday wish just came true"). She poignantly puts 100 years of life into perspective as they skip stones over the pond. According to Great-Grandma Caroline, patience, determination, and faith have been the secrets to her longevity, and her great-granddaughter relies on those same attributes as she finally gets the hang of skipping stones; the book closes with other members of Jasmine's extended family gathering as Great-Grandma Caroline blows out the candles on her cake. Langley's first-person narration conveys Jasmine's youthful curiosity about her great-grandmother, while Grooms' detailed digital art brims with familial warmth.

A lesson for the ages and love across generations.(Picture book. 4-8)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Langley, Kaija: A CENTURY FOR CAROLINE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828785253/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5b6364a2. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.

"Langley, Kaija: WHEN LANGSTON DANCES." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A669986436/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1bd74287. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. "When Langston Dances." Publishers Weekly, vol. 268, no. 36, 6 Sept. 2021, pp. 92+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A675525140/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7cffbda7. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. "Langley, Kaija: THE ORDER OF THINGS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A745234548/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ac9190d1. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. "The Order of Things." Children's Bookwatch, July 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A760330724/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b0f2a10a. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. Cronce, Tracy. "LANGLEY, Kaija. A Century for Caroline." School Library Journal, vol. 71, no. 3, Mar. 2025, p. 71. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A836878331/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fa3762fa. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025. "Langley, Kaija: A CENTURY FOR CAROLINE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828785253/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5b6364a2. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.

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