Young adult novelist details his craft

Cover art for 'Octavian Nothing'
The cover art for 'The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves,' by M.T. Anderson.
Photo courtesy of Candlewick Press

Imagine the earnestness of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Add some wry wit, elaborate imagination and a healthy dose of satire and you have the work of M.T Anderson.

With a literary craft you might find in novels for grown-ups, Anderson spins tales for kids and teens like "Whales on Stilts", "Feed" and "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing." For that last novel, he won a National Book Award.

He's in Minnesota this week for events at the Hennepin County Library and Tom Crann asked him what drives young adult novelists like him.

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