Please welcome Kristina Springer to Tween You & Me!
About the Book (from the publisher)
Middle school is a test, but Cici Reno has all the answers. She's the go-to girl for advice. She's cool, she's funny, and she's enlightened (thanks to yoga classes at her mom's studio). So when her pretty BFF, Aggie, is too shy to speak to the boy she's crushing on, Cici goes online and does the talking for her. The only problem is, Cici starts to fall for the guy herself! For the first time in her life. she doesn't have a clue.
Q&A Questions
What was your favorite book as a tween?
Oooh, that’s a tough one! I read like, a book a day back then. I loved loved loved series! I read through all of Sweet Valley High, Baby Sitters Club, The Girls of Canby Hall, and Little House on the Prairie. If one were to inch out the rest I’d have to say Little House on the Prairie was at the top.
What were you like as a tween? Did you have any authors that inspired you?
Well, along with being a really big reader I also liked to write. From ages 10-14, I wrote, directed, produced, and starred in yearly family Christmas plays that I forced my siblings and cousins to perform in. They. Were. Awesome. But alas, it wasn’t really cool to put on living room productions after age 14. And boys were cute. And being the president and founder of the local New Kids on the Block (they were like the One Direction of my time) fan club was really eating up my free time. So the plays were axed. But I kept writing. Throughout my early teens I made my friends fake magazine with articles, ads, quizzes, horoscopes you name it. And we wrote stories back and forth where we and our love interests at the time were the main characters. Thankfully none of them ever got a hold of those! Francine Pascal was my author hero back then. She is the creator of the Sweet Valley High series. Up until five or so years ago I had thought she’d written all of those books (more than 100!) so I was kinda crushed when I realized it was written by a team of ghost writers.
What do you hope tweens will take away after reading your book?
To have confidence in yourself, try not be afraid to put yourself out there, be a good friend, and hopefully give yoga a try! ☺
Yoga plays a big part in this book. What made you want to write a book with yoga as a component? Do you have a favorite yoga pose?
I first tried a yoga class one day a few years ago and fell in love with it. It really does make me feel tons better physically and calms down my racing mind. I introduced it to my two daughters (9 & 11) and they love it too and take classes with me. Which is awesome!! It’s stressful being a kid and yoga helps them deal with life’s problems and release negative energy. I thought writing Cici Reno would be a cool way to introduce yoga to lots of kids who may not have heard of it or tried it before. And I really loved writing Cici as this cool, laid-back, advice giving chick who hangs out at her mom’s yoga studio a lot. And my favorite yoga pose is, don’t laugh, Savasana (aka, corpse pose). My daughters tease me because it’s basically lying on your back, relaxing, but it’s always the last pose of the class and my very favorite—love it!
The character Cici gives out some great advice to her friends. What was the best piece of advice you have ever received?
My mom always told me to put family first. They are the ones who will always be there for you. And it’s so true! I’ve occasionally had even the best of friends flake out on me but my family always, always is there. I tell my kids the same thing. The four of them have each other to always count on so they need to be good to one another.
Thank you, Kristina!
When I was in middle school, I wish I had a book like this. The thing I loved most about this book was how it demonstrated how everyone is different & how we each mature at different times. Middle school is often a difficult time for tweens for this reason. This is the first book that I read that I felt like middle school was displayed in an honest and relateable way. I can't wait to share it and yoga with my tweens.
Thanks to Sterling Publishing, one lucky winner will win a copy of Cici Reno!
Don't forget to enter for your chance to win! The winner will be drawn on 4/28/16 & is open to anyone in the U.S.
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