Exclusive interview with author Justin Richards about his new Doctor Who book for kids
By Gabrielle Pantera
“Doctor Who: The American Adventures wasn’t actually my idea at all,” says author Justin Richards. “It was something the publishers asked me if I’d be interested in doing, which I was. I’ve done a lot of Doctor Who related writing, of course. I’ve also written quite a few children’s novels, as well as a couple of science fiction novels…The Suicide Exhibition and The Blood Reed City, both set during the Second World War and involving aliens.”
A great holiday gift for kids, Doctor Who: The American Adventures is a collection of short stories aimed at middle school kids. With six stories that feature the Doctor’s adventures in America, it introduces a child to Doctor Who and relates real world history.
An image of current Doctor Peter Capaldi graces the cover. The way the Doctor is written a child can imagine how he looks with no preconceived notion. If you do know the many incarnations of the doctor you can pick the one that you like best. However, all the quirks of the Doctor that adults love are not in the book. The missing details that could have been in the stories might be disturbing for some children.
For parents this lighter treatment may have been a better choice over a darker interpretation. Although…Grimm’s Fairy Tales is very dark. The American Adventures gives no explanation of why the villains became bad, and in that sense won’t teach tolerance. The conflict resolution comes quickly and without the messiness of the real world conflicts. Could Doctor Who have rehabilitated a few bad guys?
The six stories are set in different times and locations. The writing is simple and could work as a comic book, which this is not. It might have been interesting to have each story be a little bit longer so there is more character and location development.
“The novels and short stories are very separate from the TV series,” says Richards.
“Each story is very different. I really just took aspects of American history and tried to think of stories that would slot into those events and times. I did quite a bit of reading up on the parts of American history that the stories touch on, which was interesting and fun. I relied on books and the internet.”
Richards has a different editor for each book he writes. The editorial team at BBC Children’s books, part of Penguin Random House, handled this one.
“They know me as I’ve written a lot of Doctor Who books already,” says Richards. “The process is fairly straightforward: They brief me on what they want, and I produce an outline. Once they’re happy with that, the BBC gets to approve it and maybe make comments, then I write the book. That then goes through another edit, and again is approved by the BBC.”
Richards has won a couple regional book awards in the UK and been shortlisted for several more.
The American Stories is a collection of six stories. All That Glitters is set in 1849 California and centers on panning for gold and an unusual item found in the pan. Off the Trail, set in 1846 on the Oregon Trail, is about a family moving west who suddenly realize that they are not where they thought they were supposed to be. Ghosts of New York, set in 1902 New York City, has builders of the subway system seeing ghosts of family, friends and co-workers.
Taking the Plunge, set in 2017 Florida, features Doctor Who noticing something odd about the people coming off amusement rides. Spectator Sport, set in 1815 New Orleans, presents the ultimate tourist destination for aliens from other planets watching the Battle of New Orleans happen live. Base of Operations, set in 1944, has the bodies of U.S. servicemen in training being taken over by an alien race.
Richards is currently writing and editing more Doctor Who books for next year.
Richards lives and works in Warwick, in the Midlands in the UK, near Birmingham. He was born in Epping in Essex.
Doctor Who: The American Adventures by Justin Richards. Hardcover. Age Range: 9 to 12 years, Series: Doctor Who, Hardcover: 192 pages. Publisher: Penguin Group (UK) (October 25, 2016) $14.99
