‘The page is a protected place:’ Palo Alto-raised author-illustrator Chanel Miller’s new novel explores the messiness and magic of middle school

In her sensitive new middle-grade novel, “The Moon Without Stars,” Palo Alto-raised author-illustrator Chanel Miller delves into the confusing, exciting, sometimes hilarious and often-overwhelming world of early adolescence. The story is narrated by Luna, a quiet seventh grader who unexpectedly finds herself being absorbed into her school’s popular crowd, thanks to her talent for making zines with her kindhearted best friend Scott. As Luna’s world expands and complicates, she grapples with discovering who she really is and wants to be. Her journey to finding herself is set amidst the highs and lows of puberty, school stress, peer pressure and family life, with Luna’s feelings and exploits expressed in Miller’s vivid, playful and thoughtful style.

Miller became a bestselling author with her powerful memoir “Know My Name,” and first delved into children’s literature with the Newbery Honor book “Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All.” She will discuss “The Moon Without Stars” at an event presented by Linden Tree Books at Christ Episcopal Church in Los Altos on Jan. 21. 

We caught up with Miller via email interview, in which she shared what inspired her to tell Luna’s story, how growing up in Palo Alto continues to influence her and why she wants kids to know that “writing is always there for them.” She even answered a few bonus questions from a real-life middle school reader.

(The Q&A has been lightly edited for style and length). 

Embarcadero Media: What made you decide to write this story for your next book project? 

Chanel Miller: Adults’ lives can plateau or be broken down into well-worn routines; meanwhile kids are navigating these daily, seismic changes. They’re studying multiple subjects, adjusting to shifting social hierarchies, all while their bodies are developing. When there’s constant flux, it’s easy to feel vulnerable, and that’s what appealed to me, that raw stage where nobody has quite settled into themselves yet. When I wrote my first book, “Know My Name,” it was about excavation, scooping out all the dark matter. Then I wrote “Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All” to reintroduce a sense of play into my life. Writing “The Moon Without Stars” was my attempt at honoring the inner lives of young people. How they process the chaos of the world layered onto how difficult it is just to be a growing human. So I sat down at my desk, stuck a faucet in that portion of my memory, and let the recollections pour out. Those facts nourished the fiction. 

Embarcadero Media: How do you get into the right mindset to write from the point of view of a middle schooler? 

Chanel Miller: I’m lucky one of my friends who I’ve known since childhood now teaches sixth and seventh grades, Ms. Binkley; she’s the best. She allowed me to come observe her class and eventually opened up the floor for questions. I asked the kids what they looked forward to everyday, what they dreaded, what kind of keychains they had on their backpacks, what brands they were wearing, what the dances were like, and then I just listened. It’s an honor when anyone lets you in on the daily minutiae of their life. One student told me to make sure that my protagonist was “flawed,” because a perfect character wouldn’t be helpful to her. I honored her request as much as I could. 

Embarcadero Media: What’s it like coming back to the Peninsula now as a professional author? 

Chanel Miller: In Palo Alto, I revert to past versions of myself. My memories are peppered everywhere and my current self dissolves. In New York, I enjoy life as an author, going into the Penguin Random House office, attending book readings of friends. But in Palo Alto I just think about driving around my old SAAB convertible, studying AP French at Happy Donuts at 2 in the morning. 

I do feel emotional thinking about all the English teachers who prepared me for the turbulent wider world. They equipped me with confidence in my voice that has carried me through. I hope when they see that I’m still writing, it’s my way of saying thank you. You always want your home town to be proud of you. And I hope I’ve been able to reflect back all that was given to me. 

Embarcadero Media: What memories of growing up here influenced the book (to me, the redwood tree and eucalyptus grove at Luna’s school feel very evocative)? 

Chanel Miller: My first children’s book, “Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All,” was actually named after the Magnolia tree in my Grandma Ann’s backyard in Palo Alto. My sister and I used to climb it all the time, and I loved having this sacred and elevated place adults couldn’t access because the limbs couldn’t bear their weight; it was only for us and I could see so far! When I drive around Palo Alto, I don’t give a hoot how nice your house is, I’m only looking at your trees. If you’ve got a shoebox-sized house with a towering cinnamon redwood, you’re tree rich. Loquat trees, lemon trees, Japanese maples, incredible. But if you’ve got a big fancy house with nothing but a square of grass, that’s a mega bummer.

Embarcadero Media: What message would you give your seventh-grade self? What do you hope young readers come away with from the book? 

Chanel Miller: Adults are not smarter, just older. I grew up thinking I just needed to be an adult to unlock all the answers, then I got to adulthood and realized no one really knows what’s going on. Adults have more experience, which helps, but we’re still lost and getting it wrong half the time. Whenever I do school visits, I tell kids that they’re all already writers; they don’t need literature degrees or external permission to begin articulating how they see the world. What they’re going through is real and valuable and deserves to be expressed and preserved. 

Embarcadero Media: Luna finds that her writing gives her a lot of power. She says: “The world had been one way, then I wrote something, and that world had imperceptibly shifted. My words had created a new reality … A voice, that’s what happened, that’s what I had.” Could you share a bit more about the importance of writing and words to your life? 

Chanel Miller: I want children to understand that writing is always there for them. Especially if you’re not assertive in everyday life, the page is a protected place where you can vocalize your truest thoughts and questions, unrushed and unwitnessed. It lets your thoughts breathe, rather than staying isolated and cooped up in your head. A blank page to me feels like an empty field; I get to wander in any direction with no one telling me where I need to go. 

Embarcadero Media: In the book, Luna is a writer and Scott is an illustrator. In real life, you are both. Are you planning on making graphic novels or more illustrated works in the future? How do you decide which media suits your story ideas or what message you want to impart best? 

Chanel Miller: First figure out what you want to say, then figure out how to say it. The “what” always has to come first, the “how” is just the vessel it’s going to live inside. I will say that graphic novels are harder for me because the text is more sparse. Right now, making illustrated chapterbooks are perfect, because I can write as much as I want and intersperse my drawings here and there. 

Embarcadero Media: Luna becomes known around her school as a “book doctor,” helping match her fellow students with books that will bring them comfort or insights into situations in which they find themselves. Have there been book doctors in your life? 

Chanel Miller: I grew up going to the Mitchell Park Library. I remember in the summertime if you read enough books you could get a coupon for a free personal pizza at Round Table and tickets to the Oakland A’s games. That was dreamy, the way reading was a kind of currency and could unlock real world activities. We’re all so lucky to have librarians. 

Embarcadero Media: I read “The Moon Without Stars” with my daughter, who just turned 12, so here are a few bonus questions from a real-life middle schooler! 

Luna’s mom is a ceramics artist. Is that another type of art you’ve done? 

Chanel Miller: Yes! I took ceramics classes in San Francisco. If you don’t have access to a kiln to fire your pieces, you can use Sculpey clay and bake it in the oven. I’ve used clay to make a monkey with a looped arm that functioned as a toothbrush holder and made little bowls to hold my earrings. 

Embarcadero Media How do you decide on the names for your characters?

Chanel Miller: I collect an ongoing list of names; when I go on walks in different neighborhoods I pay attention to the street signs, like Waverley, Emerson, Channing. If there’s a house for sale, I look at the agent’s name on the real estate sign and those are usually good. If I see unique ingredients on a menu at a restaurant, I think about using them for last names or pet names, like yuzu, nettles, parsley. 

Embarcadero Media: Will you consider writing a sequel? 

Chanel Miller: I have so many ideas right now, there are so many things I want to create!! My hope is that when you finish my book, you’ll start to think of all the stories you might write about your unique and colorful life.

Chanel Miller will be in conversation with author Joanna Ho, take questions from the audience and sign books at an event on Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos, presented by Linden Tree Books. Tickets are $20, which includes admission for two, plus a copy of “The Moon Without Stars.” https://pci.jotform.com/form/253127855282158. 

Find more local reads in our roundup of recently published and upcoming books by area authors.

Most Popular