What questions did you ask each other and yourselves as you worked on the book?

(To borrow a turn of phrase from Khosrou, the narrator of Daniel's book, perhaps a good editor is like a god who speaks and a god who listens.) Because you’ve both worked as editors within the children’s book industry and both have written children’s books yourselves, I’d love to hear about the work you did together to shape Everything Sad Is Untrue. Nayeri and Levine give BookPage readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what it takes to write and edit a middle grade novel, bring us up to speed on the story of Levine Querido thus far and share their hopes for their work.Īn editor’s work is often invisible to a reader, but most writers are quick to acknowledge what a good editor can bring to a book. Levine, who helmed an eponymous imprint at Scholastic and also held the role of editor in chief at Knopf Books for Young Readers, Levine Querido launches its inaugural list in the fall of 2020. Rendon says Nayeri's 'patchwork story forms a stunning quilt, each piece lovingly stitched together to create a saga that deserves to be savored.'Įverything Sad Is Untrue is also the first book to be published by a brand-new independent children's publisher, Levine Querido. Based on Nayeri's childhood experience of fleeing religious persecution in Iran to eventually settle in Oklahoma, BookPage reviewer Luis G. The publication of a book as extraordinary as Daniel Nayeri's Everything Sad Is Untrue would be a momentous occasion all on its own.

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