Earlier this year I read Dumplin' and Pumpkin, two young adult books by Julie Murphy, a former YA librarian who now writes full-time. Both the books are set in a small town in Texas called Clover City and follow the lives of teenagers navigating love, body image issues, sexuality and making decisions about their future. Dumplin' has been made into a Netflix movie and I think Pumpkin should be too!

In Dumplin' Willow is a self-proclaimed fat girl whose mom is a former beauty queen. Willow is entirely comfortable with her body and feels no pressure to have a bikini body. But when she starts dating the very good looking Bo she begins to doubt herself. But instead of going on a juice cleanse, Willow decides to sign up for the hallowed annual Miss Teen Blue Bonnet beauty pageant, along with a rather motley crew of other girls.

In Pumpkin, Waylon is a fat, gay teen in a small conservative Texas town. He's in limbo, waiting for high school to get over so that he can start living his life outside Clover City 'Full Waylon'. But things don't go to plan - his sister Clementine decides that she's opting out of their shared grand plan for the future, a video of Waylon's audition tape for Fiercest of Them All gets leaked in school and he's nominated for Prom Queen as a joke - while his sister's girlfriend Clementine who gets nominated for Prom King. Rather than cower and cringe, Waylon and Clem decide to give the campaign their all, and along the way Waylon has to fight his growing attraction to the Tucker Watson.

What I loved about both the books was how the characters don't cow down, how they keep fighting for themselves and their dreams. They're comfortable with their bodies and their sexuality, even though they battle other uncertainties about the future and does that boy or girl like me?

I interviewed Julie Murphy over email about the books. Here's our exchange below:

Something I hear a lot from teenagers when they read YA books is "We don't sound like that!' or 'We'd never say that!' Getting the voice and thoughts of teenage characters isn't easy, but you've really got the pitch and tone spot on in your books. Did it feel hard when you were writing? How much of your role as a YA Books librarian help here? 

Julie: I really think that when it comes down to getting the teenage voice right, it’s important to remember that teenagers are just people. I don’t try to go too far out of my way to be hip or trendy, but I also like to make sure that my references or language isn’t irrelevant. And of course, spending actual time with teens as a librarian was hugely helpful. I’ve loved watching all my former library kids grow up into adults, too!

You used to be a librarian specifically with YA books. Was there a gap you saw in the kind of books available that you wanted to fill with your own writing? What was that gap like?  

Julie: I think that growing up and then later as a librarian, I never saw the types of books I wanted to read about plus size people. It took a little while before I felt ready to write those books, but now that I am, there’s no stopping me.

What kind of responses have you received from readers about the themes of body image, sexuality and gender after they've read your book? Is there one that really stands out in your mind?

Julie: The response is overwhelmingly positive from teens and adults alike. Of course, my books can’t speak for everyone nor should they, but it means so much to me when someone reaches out to let me know that something I wrote helped them feel less alone. The emails and letters from parents or friends that tell me about how one of my books helped them better understand their child or a person in their life really stand out to me as special.

In Pumpkin, when Waylon goes to the Hideaway for the first time, that sense of belonging and not having to 'try' to blend in is so powerfully captured. How alienated do you think young people feel today from the world around them? How can books give them a sense of kinship?

Julie: Stories are so powerful in not only uniting us, but also giving us insight in other worlds. I have so much hope for the younger generations, and am constantly amazed at how passionate and eloquent they are in regard to their spaces and identity.

Your characters are fairly open about wanting to have sex (I'm thinking of Willow's friend in Dumplin'). Have you faced any pushback to this from certain communities (parents/teachers?) How do you deal with that? What's your response?  

Julie: I have experienced push back in some ways, but as a former librarian, I truly believe that books give teens and pre-teens a very safe space to learn about very real and important situations. I think it’s so important that we not shelter teens from these scenarios, and reading about these big life decisions can help young people consider how they might react in their own lives in similar circumstances. I always like to say that books are safe spaces to experience scary things.

Dumplin', Puddin' and Pumpkin are published by Harper Collins and available at your friendly neighbourhood independent bookstore. (Remember, almost all indie bookstores ship across the country, all you have to do is ask!)