Welcome, Lydia Lukidis! Thank you so much for sharing the release of
UP, UP HIGH: The Secret Poetry of Earth's Atmosphere with us! Young
readers love STEAM books and I’m sure yours will find many happy readers.
Can you share with us a bit about the inspiration for this book? What was
your initial spark?
It all started in 2019 when I started writing the book DEEP, DEEP DOWN: The
Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench. I learned a ton about myself as
an author and for the first time, I merged my passions for poetry and STEM in
one book. That’s when I realized I love writing lyrical texts! The book received
a ton of love for which I’m eternally grateful. It won numerous awards including
the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner for the Canada and North America Division
and a Silver Birch Express Honor (Forest of Reading). I also got to travel to
Toronto for the Ontario Library Association, and to Washington, to give a
presentation about ocean conservation at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum
and to give workshops with the Open Book Foundation. These were huge milestones
in my career. That’s when my agent Miranda Paul asked me, why not write a book
about journeying up, up high into the Earth’s atmosphere? I was immediately
sold. I had already learned that when Miranda suggests you write something, you
need to write it. Because she’s somehow magic and understands the industry as
well as her clients’ aptitudes with razor sharp precision.
Writing STEAM books requires a substantial amount of research. Often it is
the most fun part of our writing process. Did you meet any challenges in
your research journey?
I read a ton of books, websites, and journals in my research process. I also
watched interviews and videos. All that information gave me great content to
start writing the book, but there were still some lingering questions that
remained. That’s when I reached out to several experts; I spoke to a
weather/atmosphere expert from the NOAA, a NASA astronaut (that was very hard to
achieve), and well as the man who space jumped. Without their valuable input,
the book would not be fully accurate.
You must have a wealth of information from all of that research. Often one
of the most difficult parts of crafting our books is not deciding what to
include, but deciding what to leave out. What did you choose to leave out of
this book and why?
My issue is that I find everything fascinating! The earlier drafts of the book
were text and content heavy, which doesn’t work for a picture book. Of course, I
had to accept that I can’t fit it all in so I cut things out. A lot of the back
matter got cut as well as other elements in the atmosphere. I focused on trying
to keep the most engaging ones that children would find interesting.
Can you share a tip with teachers who want to use your book in the
classroom?
I created a teacher guide filled with activities and games connected to
curriculum. Educators, librarians, and parents may access it here:
http://www.lydialukidis.com/books.html
Readers guides are the best! I'm sure teachers will find your guide useful
in the classroom. Thank you for sharing your book with us. Congratulations
on the January 1 release. What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at
what you are currently researching?
About the author:
Lydia Lukidis is an award-winning author of 50+ trade and educational books for
children. Her titles include DANCING THROUGH SPACE: Dr. Mae Jemison Soars to New
Heights (Albert Whitman, 2024) and DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater
Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) which was a Crystal Kite winner,
Forest of Reading Silver Birch Express Honor, and Cybils Award nominee. A
science enthusiast from a young age, Lydia now incorporates her studies in
science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Another passion of hers is
fostering a love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she
regularly offers in elementary schools across Quebec with the Culture in the
Schools program. Lydia is represented by literary agent Miranda Paul from the
Erin Murphy Literary Agency. To find out more about Lydia check out these social
media links: Website & order UP, UP HIGH:
http://www.lydialukidis.com/ Blog:
https://lydialukidis.wordpress.com/ Twitter:
https://twitter.com/LydiaLukidis FB:
https://www.facebook.com/LydiaLukidis/ Bluesky:
https://bsky.app/profile/lydialukidis.bsky.social
