Totally Booked with Zibby — Rebecca Stead, THE EXPERIMENT

Release Date: October 17, 2025
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Rebecca Stead

Episode Overview

This episode features award-winning author Rebecca Stead, best known for her middle-grade fiction including When You Reach Me, Goodbye Stranger, and her latest book The Experiment. Zibby and Rebecca discuss the arc of Rebecca's career, her approach to writing authentic middle-grade stories, her insight into family dynamics, what inspires her subject matter, and the joys and challenges of engaging with young readers. The conversation offers inspiration for writers and readers alike, diving into both the creative process and the experience of books in kids’ lives today.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Rebecca Stead’s Path to Authorship

• Transition from Law to Writing

  • Rebecca describes starting as a public defender before shifting to writing after the birth of her second son and 9/11, which prompted her to rethink her career path.

    “I was a public defender for the most part... After my second son was born... I decided to leave the office in the Bronx. That whole time I kind of had this back burner writing going on.” (04:44)

  • Writing began as a “longing” and was rooted in her lifelong love of reading rather than an aspiration for publication.

• The Importance of Writing Community

  • Rebecca credits taking workshops, especially at the 92nd Street Y, and finding a critique group online for her development as a writer.
  • She describes an act of bravery—flying to Vermont to meet critique group members she had never met in person.

    “I flew to Vermont to spend a weekend with someone I had never met. I guess at that point, my longing to make that first book work overpowered my fears.” (07:59)

2. Capturing the Middle Grade Experience

• Writing for Herself vs. Writing for Readers

  • Rebecca’s authenticity comes from focusing on her characters rather than consciously writing for kids.

    “If you have it in the front of your mind, like, okay, this is a book for children... it generally does not lead to great places... Mostly I'm writing these books for myself.” (09:23)

  • Stead draws on her own childhood emotions and memories but notes she was not a “kid always writing”—her passion was always reading.

• Advice on Staying Genuine

  • She warns against trying too hard for a particular audience: “It’s a real mistake to think about readership too much when you’re writing.” (09:23)

3. The Themes in Rebecca's Books

• Exploring Family and Connection

  • Her personal experiences as an only child of divorced parents shape her depictions of family dynamics, often focusing on “non-traditional families” and the psychology of observing different family structures.
  • Importance of “acting in concert”—moments of collective action or community.

    “I often get teary at the end of a play when the cast comes out, even if the play is not particularly moving... There’s something about that feeling of connection, that community.” (11:18)

• Parents in Middle Grade Fiction

  • Rebecca refuses to sideline parents in her books because, at the ages she writes for, “parents are a huge part of your life.” (13:20)

• Speculative and Science Fiction Elements

  • She enjoys weaving in speculative twists, ensuring surprises feel “organic to the story” rather than betraying the reader. (13:55)

4. School Visits and Connecting with Young Readers

• Mutual Experience in Writing

  • Rebecca explains that writing is a universal struggle across ages:

    “There’s a way in which you don’t ever grow up as a writer... The best part of being with young people is just sharing that experience and just being really honest about the struggle.” (19:44)

  • She values conversations where students share their own creative fears and challenges.

• Funny Moments

  • Kids sometimes brazenly ask for her agent’s name—Stead laughs, never underestimating young ambition.

    “Kids are funny and they, they will say like, you know, can I have the name of your agent?” (22:03)

5. Entry Points into Rebecca Stead’s Work

• Suggested Books by Age and Interest
  • When You Reach Me: Most popular and most connected to Rebecca’s own childhood, recommended for new readers to her work.
  • Bob (co-written with Wendy Mass): Great for slightly younger readers.
  • Goodbye Stranger: Most mature middle-grade, dealing with more complex issues.

    “Bob is the youngest. Goodbye Stranger is probably the most mature and everything in the middle.” (22:52)

6. Thoughts on Required Reading and Encouraging Kids

• Rebecca expresses mixed feelings about her books being “required reading”—while honored, she emphasizes the importance of letting kids choose what they connect with.

  “I hate the idea of a kid, like, suffering through one of my books... I always want a kid to be able to put a book down and to find one that is going to, like, be for them.” (25:02)

• She champions rereading and letting kids enjoy whatever stories delight them, including comics and graphic work.

  “Let them... if they are finding love and safety and happiness in a book... just let them go there as often as they want.” (25:35)

• Special shout-out to Calvin and Hobbes as an inspiration for the friendship in The Experiment.

7. Recommended Authors and Books

• Rebecca shares she is currently enjoying The Nine Moons of Hanyu and Luli by Rena, highlighting her excitement and support for fellow authors. (27:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Courage and Community:

  “You have to be brave. And I am not famously brave, but when I found this critique group... I flew to Vermont to spend a weekend with someone I had never met.” —Rebecca Stead (07:59)

• On Emotional Connections:

  “There’s something about that feeling of that connection, that community that has always been really big and central for me.” —Rebecca Stead (11:18)

• On Authenticity in Children’s Literature:

  “Mostly I'm writing these books for myself... when I'm writing at my best, it's because I'm not really worried about who my readers are.” —Rebecca Stead (09:23)

• On Being Included in School Reading Lists:

  “I hate the idea of a kid, like, suffering through one of my books... I always want a kid to be able to put a book down and to find one that is going to, like, be for them.” —Rebecca Stead (25:02)

• On Calvin and Hobbes:

  “Calvin and Hobbes is genius. I'm in awe. And... that's a good example of just how sophisticated, really, a comic can be.” —Rebecca Stead (26:15)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:44] Rebecca discusses her career change from law to writing
• [07:59] The crucial role of bravery and finding community in one's creative journey
• [09:23] How Rebecca approaches writing for the middle-grade audience
• [11:18] The central themes in her stories—family, community, and emotional connection
• [19:44] Reflections on what she loves about school visits with kids
• [22:52] Where new readers should start with Rebecca’s books
• [25:02] Rebecca’s honest view on required reading for children
• [26:15] The impact of Calvin and Hobbes on her work
• [27:49] A current book recommendation from Rebecca: The Nine Moons of Hanyu and Luli

Tone and Style

The conversation is warm, conversational, and encouraging, tinged with self-deprecating humor and deep respect for the power of children’s literature. Rebecca Stead’s authenticity and Zibby Owens’s genuine curiosity create an atmosphere that is both insightful for adults and sensitive to the world of young readers.