The author of numerous nonfiction books for young readers, including both the Deadly Diseases trilogy and the Medical Fiascoes series, Gail Jarrow is the recipient of the 2022 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award, a Sibert Honor, and an Orbis Pictus Honor, among others. Jarrow has published exclusively with Calkins Creek, working alongside editorial director Carolyn Yoder, for many years. We asked Jarrow and Yoder to interview each other about their longstanding collaboration and friendship, and their shared passion for bringing “little-known stories” to life through vigorous research.
Carolyn Yoder: Gail, I feel like I have known you for a very long time! But I believe we first met when I was the history editor for Highlights and you submitted several articles that ended up getting published. So, I knew you before Calkins Creek was created almost 18 years ago. Your book The Printer’s Trial (2006) was one of the first titles published by Calkins Creek.
Gail Jarrow: Yes, Carolyn, it has been a long time, and we’ve had fun!
When I think back to the first article I wrote for you, I remember how your edits sent me scurrying into the stacks of the Cornell University library to locate a primary source and quote. From then on, I heard your voice in my head every time I worked on an article or book: “Find primary sources. Talk to experts. Verify facts.” That kind of extensive research might dissuade some writers, but I thrive on it.
Wouldn’t you say that’s one reason we get along so well and have had such a productive relationship?
Yoder: I agree! And I know I am known for demanding rigorous research. But stellar research leads to stellar writing, filled with rich anecdotes and details. And I know when you are delving deep into the research you are delving deep into the story—finding just the right journey for your story to take. Original research can only lead to original writing.
I like to think my prodding has encouraged you.
Jarrow: It has! When I finish researching a topic, I feel great satisfaction. I’ve read so much and dug so deeply into the material that I’ve become a bit of an expert on that narrow subject. Sometimes after I’ve tracked a cited statement in an academic book or journal article to its primary source, I spot a glaring error. A quote might be inaccurate or taken out of context, for example. Later, I discover the same mistake repeated by other academicians, who apparently hadn’t checked the primary source themselves. Several of my writer friends have told me about the same experience.
I think those of us who produce nonfiction books for kids feel a special responsibility to do the extra work necessary to be accurate. I’m glad I have an editor who believes that as strongly as I do.
Yoder: I also think that we trust one another and respect each other’s ways of working. I tend to be more high-strung, boisterous, rambunctious—and you are careful and analytical. And, if you don’t mind, not as loud.
Jarrow: Oh, I don’t know that I completely agree with that description of yourself, but I’d say we do complement each other pretty well.
Yoder: I think when we became more comfortable in our relationship you were able to hit your stride, writing books that combine two of your passions—science and history. For me, the light bulb went on. Bingo.
Jarrow: After I jumped into the history of medicine, I kept finding fascinating stories to explore.
Yoder: To me, your writing took off in Red Madness (2014), the first book in the Deadly Diseases trilogy. You made the story thrilling, edge-of-your-seat suspenseful—as if you couldn’t wait to tell the story and share it.
Jarrow: The research for Red Madness led me to typhoid in Fatal Fever (2015) and plague in Bubonic Panic (2016). My work on those books led me to infection in Blood and Germs (2020) and Ambushed! (2021) and, lately, to a dangerous intestinal worm in American Murderer (book three in the Medical Fiascoes series, coming September 2022).
Yoder: I knew you were on to something!
Jarrow: It’s a medical mystery about the discovery of a tiny parasitic worm in the southern United States early in the 20th century. Hookworm was slowly draining the energy and life from millions of people. A coalition of scientists, doctors, and governments tackled this medical fiasco, with financial support from John D. Rockefeller. It’s a little-known story that changed public health in the United States and around the world.
Yoder: I like how you say “a little-known story.” That sums up the Calkins Creek imprint very well. Calkins Creek is indeed devoted to introducing young readers to little-known stories, people, and history.
Jarrow: I loved plunging into the history of medicine in the Deadly Diseases and Medical Fiascoes series. Lots of graphic details in those books!
And you even put up with me when my research for Fatal Fever made me warn you about eating raw shellfish.
Yoder: If I could only convince you how good they are!
Jarrow: We are not on the same page when it comes to eating raw oysters!
Yoder: All I remember is that when we were at ALA in New Orleans, you kept telling me not to eat so many oysters. But I didn’t stop. It was New Orleans!
Jarrow: Well, I tried. And you didn’t get sick, so it turned out okay anyway.
Yoder: Yes—I’m still here!
One thing I want to mention is that I have so much fun getting to know your subjects and investigating them on my own. After we published The Amazing Harry Kellar (2012), I went to the Magic Castle in Los Angeles where Kellar is revered, and I also visited the site where he is buried. I remember standing in front of his grave, where I said, “We’re bringing you back Harry, we’re bringing you back!”
I love to get wrapped up in your stories—that’s how much power they have!
Jarrow: We share the same inquisitive nature that led us both to nonfiction. It’s only one of many things we have in common.
Yoder: After you finished American Murderer, we wanted to continue our relationship. Talk a bit about where your writing journey is taking you now. What’s your next book about?
Jarrow: My next book will be Spirit Sleuths: How a Magician and a Detective Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes (2024). This one combines the subjects of two earlier books—hoaxes in Spooked! (2018) and magic in The Amazing Harry Kellar.
Although the subject might seem to be a shift from my medical topics, the theme is related to stories of scientific inquiry—the importance of questioning, gathering evidence, and thinking critically. This book focuses on the first half of the 20th century when fraudsters claimed to communicate with the dead during seances, cruelly targeting people in mourning. Magicians saw through these deceptions because they used the same tricks in their acts. Houdini campaigned to expose the hoaxes, and he hired a young female detective to help him do it.
Yoder: Gail, I’m happy to say that we have become friends over the years. We like to talk about New York, and plays, and health, and art, and family. I stop short at your beloved Duke basketball because I’m not a huge fan! But, I don’t think you are a fan of tennis, which I obsess about.
Before the pandemic, we would meet in New York to see a play or to visit a museum and find time to talk about the next project. It really helps to have that human connection. I think we just don’t want our relationship to end. We like working together—and we like each other!
Jarrow: It’s true. Our friendship makes every new project an enjoyable adventure. You’ve been open to my subject choices despite the gross-out elements in some of them. With my background in zoology and past life as a science teacher, I can’t stop myself from blending science and history. Even in a book like Spooked! that focuses on the history of the Martian invasion radio broadcast, I included details about Mars, radio sound effects, and faulty scientific studies.
Yoder: I’ve got to say that after editing Spooked!, I had a better appreciation for my home state of New Jersey—the landing site for the Martians.
Jarrow: Writing these books has been my dream job. I follow where curiosity takes me, learn all I can about a subject, and then move on to investigate another. Best of all, I’m able to share what I’ve learned with young people, helping to broaden their knowledge of the world. That’s the teacher in me.
Yoder: Since I was a young girl, I have always been a nonfiction reader (although my interests have changed. I was a big horse enthusiast then!). As the editorial director of Calkins Creek, I am committed to offering young readers stellar nonfiction. As are you!
To the future! To more stellar nonfiction!
