CR 020: Chris and J.J. Grabenstein on Collaboration and Creating Books for Young Readers

The husband-and-wife duo discuss his Mr. Lemoncello Library books, her work as an audiobook narrator, and their new book series, Stinky’s Stories.

J.J. and Chris Grabenstein with Stinky

If you have a middle-grade reader in your life, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with the work of Chris Grabenstein. The former ad executive (whose advertising boss was the now uber-prolific author James Patterson) began writing mystery novels for adults before switching to the children’s literature genre in 2008. Over the past 16 years, he’s penned numerous award-winning middle-grade series, including The Smartest Kid in the Universe, Dog Squad, The Haunted Mysteries, and the Mr. Lemoncello books, in addition to dozens of standalone titles.

Now, he and his wife, J.J., are launching a series, Stinky’s Stories, aimed at younger readers. The goal of the books, Chris says, is to “bring the fun of Mr. Lemoncello’s Library to the kindergarten to second [grade kids].” As with other titles in the Grabenstein canon, the series contains themes of libraries, reading, and the power of storytelling, and are written in a way to engage even the most relucta…