Michael Stewart is the multi award-winning author of dozens of books from illustrated chapter books and graphic novels with Rubicon Publishing (Savvas); to young adult, including Heart Sister, out through Orca Books; a middle grade novel in verse, Seeking Draven, with Red Deer Press; a forthcoming young adult urban fantasy with Renaissance Press, Turn to Burn in Fall 2025; and an adult memoir in verse with Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Eat. forthcoming in Fall 2025.
We caught up with Michael to ask him about the joy of writing for children and tackling difficult topics through poetry.
On your website, you share “I write what I seek to understand. About people and relationships. About life. Inevitably these stories are best written for children”. Can you tell us more about what draws you to writing for children?
Children are the most demanding, most imaginative, the most craving and appreciative of story. And they are filled with questions, often the ones we adults dare not ask ourselves anymore: How can I be a good person? What does that even mean? Can’t I be just a little bit wild? What happens when I … What if I …? What’s it like to live in a … to be a … if I could …?
Children’s stories are often stories about how to live and there are so many wonderful potential answers to explore. Writing enables me to keep asking these questions and discover new avenues. I have four daughters and I see in them the importance of children’s literature every day. Reading is an empathy machine, and they’ve learned far more about how to make their way in the world through books than they have from my parenting.
I don’t know about you, but when I settle down to read a great book, I still feel like it’s a treat—as though I’m getting away with something. There are few things I value so much. If we can write fantastic stories for children, we can help foster this joy of reading for life.
Your latest book, Seeking Draven, is a verse novel about mending a broken family. Why did you decide to tell this story using poetry and verse?
This is a book about a family in crisis, but it is also about our relationship with technology. Verse has the ability to mimic the flow of content on our phones and the internet. Many of the verses are threaded like you might thread posts on social media. So part of the reason I chose verse was due to form and structure.
I also wanted the book to be highly accessible. It may seem counterintuitive, but verse is easy to read. The stories tend to be shorter, it’s full of white space, and has many opportunities for a reader to put it down and pick it back up. This is an advantage for less experienced readers, while still being compelling for advanced readers.
For me, writing in verse was a real challenge. I’d never written in verse and found the writing of it utterly different from that of a prose novel, like constructing a jigsaw puzzle out of emotional beats.
Seeking Draven addresses the challenging topics of compulsive behaviour. What do you hope young readers take away from this story?
Seeking Draven was carefully written to allow readers and teachers entry points to discuss issues children face online whether that be FOMO, bullying, consent, conditioning, misinformation, etc. Without providing answers in the text, I hope these discussions can continue and deepen student understanding of where they fit and who they wish to be both online and offline. In the case of compulsions, it becomes the key turning point when Teagan draws the parallel between her ‘checking’ behaviours created by the impact of her social media use, and her brother’s challenges. This allows them to develop strategies to protect themselves and cope as a family.
But the discussion about online risk needs to be balanced. Children cannot develop resilience and aptitude without taking measured risks. Technology is here to stay and a powerful force in the world and the life of any child. My goal is to foster resilient use through knowledge and empowerment.
Teachers, don’t miss out on the teacher resource at www.seekingdraven.com !
You’ll be touring for the upcoming Canadian Children’s Book Week and talking with students about writing and digital literacy. What are you looking forward to most about touring for Book Week?
Like many great stories, we’ve come full circle in this interview: the answer is in the beginning! I’m looking forward to meeting students! Children are the most demanding, imaginative … They have such inquisitive minds and great questions. Depending on the presentation, I’ll be talking about storytelling, about poetry, about emotion, and about how to pitch a story and how the ability to do so connects to so many life skills. I always return from workshops and presentations energized to write and full of hope for the world. It’s a real gift to have the opportunity.
Michael Stewart will be touring as part of Canadian Children's Book Week 2025. Keep up to date with his latest projects by following @mfstewart on Instagram.
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Written by Spencer Miller