Interview: Alder Van Otterloo
SARAH STEINBACHER: Your middle grade novel, THE BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ELSE, is a “moving tale of growing into yourself” (Booklist) and “an empowering identity story about standing your ground and not being afraid to speak your truth” (School Library Journal). Publishers Weekly called it, “a character-driven novel that touches on navigating generational trauma, personal growth, and queer identity in circumstances both dire and abundantly safe.” What was your favorite coming-of-age book growing up?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: To be honest, my access to a broad range of books was pretty limited! But I remember enjoying both Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe’s characters in the Anne of Green Gables series, Diary of Anne Frank, and was a huge fan of Choose Your Own Adventure books.
SARAH STEINBACHER: According to the School Library Journal, THE BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ELSE explores a variety of heavy topics, including: “intergenerational trauma, anxiety, mental health, honest communication, and the dangers of self-medicating.” The Bulletin said, “This striking novel unflinchingly covers dark themes while threading hope through Sparrow’s queer coming-of-age journey.” Why is it important for children to have access to stories about these types of topics?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: My short answer is: kids are people who live in the real world! Like all people, some kids are fortunate to be amply supported in life, while others experience a wide range of challenging and sometimes traumatic circumstances.
It’s well-documented that kids who feel supported emotionally and socially after traumatic life events experience far better outcomes than children who feel alone as they try to make sense of what happened. I truly believe that cherished fiction books can function as a part of the support net that helps young readers feel seen, understood, and accompanied after hard things happen.
Further, I believe that windows into others’ experiences are a powerful and critical tool for developing empathy for all readers!
SARAH STEINBACHER: THE BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ELSE “is testament to drama class as a hopeful pathway to finding your crew” (School Library Journal). Do you have any defining theater memories? What do you think children get out of participating in theater?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: I was a late bloomer in theater and found my own way onto the stage mostly by way of opera performance during college.
But some of my favorite childhood memories include writing and directing little neighborhood musicals and dramas for my friends to perform in which we got to be monsters, animals, heroes, villains, and everything in between. Getting the chance to play around with what could be and elicit feelings in others through performance art helped me become more confident in my creative expression.
I think for young people in theater, there’s a strong element of keeping early childhood ability to pretend and play together alive, as well! There’s an emotional bravery in opening your heart enough to step into a character’s shoes for a while, especially alongside a group of peers. Theater allows kids to practice expressing themselves emotionally with confidence in a more predictable container, especially during transitional times like middle school, when it’s easier to shut down that kind of playfulness. And that’s a really cool thing!
SARAH STEINBACHER: Recently some libraries have banned THE BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ELSE despite The Bulletin’s admonishment: “libraries and schools will want to fight to keep this beautiful book in their collections.” In your experience, how do book bans impact children, and what can we do about it?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: As a kid growing up in lower Appalachia, there was no age-appropriate literary representation of my own experience of queer gender, and often the demographic of the bookshelf looked nothing like the skin tones, lived experiences, and beautifully varied cultures of my peers. The kids' section of the library in the ‘80s and ‘90s often barely resembled my world. This was incredibly invalidating, and it communicated volumes about the sort of people the world valued, and the sort of folks it didn’t.
I’ve had the immense privilege of watching the students in my community, including my own kids, speak out and push back on the banning of books like Maia Kobabe’s Genderqueer in their school systems. They spoke to this eloquently, and I’ll try to paraphrase what they said at rallies, because I think listening to our young people matters:
Families are allowed to have opinions about books. Families are allowed to say ‘no thanks’ to certain books.
However, it’s not fine to attempt to dictate what others are allowed to be, express, and have available to read. That’s a gross overreach and a concerning power grab.
It’s insulting and harmful to tell students that books reflecting their identities and experiences shouldn’t exist. Because what message does that send? One that says: we also wish you did not exist. That’s a step far, far out of your own lane and violates the sacred autonomy and expression of others.
SARAH STEINBACHER: Horn Book said THE BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ELSE included “essential representation of trans adulthood for young readers.” Given the increasing anti-trans legislation at both the state and federal level, what advice do you have for today’s trans kids and their allies?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: I would encourage trans kids to really lean into their safe relationships, even if it’s with a beloved pet, a book, or a friend at school. Remember you’re so deeply precious and important, even when others don’t act like it. This is not the only moment that will ever be; you have a future, and taking moments to affirm yourself and care for yourself is one of the most powerful acts of self-sovereignty you can practice. You are sacred, period.
Adult allies: Build local communities and support systems. Look for the folks already doing the work, listen to them, and create safe and loving microcosms for trans kids to experience the joy of just being kids, without worry or fear. GSAs, book clubs, art clubs—protective elephant circles, you know? Keep them safe while you do what you need to do to fight for their basic rights. Community building and care will likely be a huge deal for them for the rest of their lives, so learning those skills early is important. (Take care of yourself, too. This is dope-a-rope, not a sprint.)
SARAH STEINBACHER: Kirkus called your first middle grade novel, CATTYWAMPUS, “a spirited debut” and Publishers Weekly said it’s “a timeless contemporary fantasy.” There’s magic, frenemies, feuds, and even zombie ancestors. What’s your favorite fiction genre to read/watch? What about to write?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: When I get stressed out, I find horror movies and books extremely cathartic and comforting! It offers a nice, closed arc for difficult feelings, and I find it’s a really powerful processing tool for some people’s activated nervous systems. I’ve enjoyed seeking out scary stories since I was a kid!
On the opposite extreme, I also really enjoy cozy, slice-of-life books and visual media like Legends and Lattes, Dungeon Meshi, or Studio Ghibli films.
My writing tends to incorporate elements of both horror and cozy.
SARAH STEINBACHER: Both CATTYWAMPUS and your next middle grade novel, A TOUCH OF RUCKUS, feature distinctive southern—and somewhat magical—Appalachian settings. How did the settings shape your stories?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: I really enjoy letting places—nature, forests, buildings, towns, communities—become almost their own character in stories. The places we grow up and live in shape so much of who we are as people, so of course, this should also be true on page. Where we spend our time leaves an indelible mark on us, just as people leave lasting marks on places. (Teaser: this is especially true in my next novel, a middle-grade horror story about four siblings!)
SARAH STEINBACHER: You grew up in the Appalachian foothills but now live in the Pacific northwest. What was the biggest change for you? Is there anything in particular you miss?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: I spent my whole life with thunderstorms, wind, tornadoes, and very noisy woods! It’s very still in the PNW, comparatively, and I really miss the drone of insects and cicadas in the summer. That and boiled peanuts. Roadside peach stands. Bloodroot flowers. Bojangles. Hellbenders. Good tomatoes.
It’s a very long list, honestly; I adore the Southern Appalachian region.
SARAH STEINBACHER: You’ve shared that you write to music and cultivate a playlist for each of your books. If you had to describe the vibes of your current project in three songs, what would they be and why?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: I absolutely love this question! “Kid & Leveret” (Yaelokre), “Everything Stays” (Adventure Time), and “Brick by Boring Brick” (Paramore) are three that do a good job encapsulating the vibes!
They’ve got themes about the unique ways different kids cope to survive hard things, how often we revisit and remember tough memories when we’re ready, and about the courage to become empowered in your own life.
Fun Fact: Everything Stays has ended up on three separate playlists now!
SARAH STEINBACHER: As a queer trans author, how do you navigate the current environment? What adjustments have you made in school, library, and/or publishing spaces? What’s your hope for the future?
ALDER VAN OTTERLOO: It’s always been important to me not to try to hide who I am, partly because it’s a hard-won piece of my own relational integrity with myself, and partly because I think it’s important for students to get to see authenticity modeled. This is (hopefully) also reflected in my writing, and I’ve been lucky to work with editors and publishers who are supportive of that, as they should be.
As adults with consciences, it’s important to do right by young readers.
I’ve experienced a few blunt reactions from audiences I’ve spoken to, ranging from curious questions to outright heckling. As an adult, I need to know my own emotional limitations and care for myself well outside of author events, so that I can show up as confident, honest, and compassionate towards my readers, however I’m meeting them! Being a kid can be hard. Being a parent can be challenging. It’s important to me to model empathy, self-respect, and kindness as a baseline. I don’t always do this perfectly, but showing up with that intention and being a safe person is important to me. We’re all works-in-progress!
Watch out for Alder’s upcoming middle grade horror book, MERRY HOUSE, in which siblings’ attempts to escape their estranged father’s transphobia and ableism land them in a sleepaway camp for troubled youths, a deceptively idyllic seaside mansion harboring a terrible secret—the house is alive and hungry. MERRY HOUSE is set to publish with Holiday House in 2027.
Submit book comments or fan art to Alder on his website.
*****Order Alder’s middle grade books THE BEAUTIFUL SOMETHING ELSE, CATTYWAMPUS, and A TOUCH OF RUCKUS, available now.*****
