We're about to embark on a new adventure with 12-year-old library resident (and aspiring journalist) Viviani Fedeler. We first met her and her family in Kristin O'Donnell Tubb's The Story Seeker, based on the true story of a family who lived in the New York Public Library beginning in 1910. On January 28 readers can return to the Library with Viviani in Tubb's follow-up, The Story Seeker, a New York Public Library book published in partnership with Macmillan Publishing Group. We asked author Kristin O'Donnell Tubb about the new book and how she came to turn Vivian's story into an exciting middle grade mystery.

Tell us a bit about your next book in theThe Story Collector series, The Story Seeker?

The Story Seeker was inspired by the true story of a girl who lived in the library. It continues The Story Collector series with a middle grade mystery that captures the illustrious New York Public Library during the roaring '20s. 12-year-old Viviani Fedeler, proud resident of the New York Public Library, has her sights set on becoming a star reporter. She’s thrilled when Miss Hutch announces a story contest where the winner gets their essay printed in the New York Times! But then Viviani gets her first-ever case of writer’s block. As she struggles to find inspiration, the library is hit with a strange mystery involving overdue books, secret messages, and perhaps a spy lurking among the shelves…Will Viviani be able to crack the code and find the perfect story worthy of a byline?
 

How did you hear about Viviani and her family? 

I originally heard about a number of families who lived in libraries across the American northwest on NPR (listen here and here) many years ago, and I recall imagining what a perfectly lovely childhood that would be. Fast forward a few years, and I saw another story about these library homes on Atlas Obscura. I’d previously written a few historical fiction children’s books for Macmillan, so when they approached me with the idea of writing this story, I leapt at the chance! It was like this story had been sitting on a dusty shelf in a far-away corner of a library, and was just waiting for the right person to amble along seeking it. 

What inspired you to write about her?

After a little initial research, it was clear that the Fedeler family was something special. Not only did they live in the iconic NYPL flagship building (now known as the Stephen A. Schwarzman building), but they were also adventurers and storytellers. Viviani’s father, John Fedeler, was an inventor and friends with Thomas Edison. Viviani’s brothers collected trouble like bottle caps, and their adventures included playing baseball inside the library (using books as bases!) and keeping pigeons as pets on the rooftop (until the ASPCA found out!). And Viviani was special from day one. Or, maybe….day two? Two days after she was born inside the library, Cornelia and John Fedeler still hadn’t named her. The United States was on the cusp of entering World War I, and the library was hosting an event that featured many French dignitaries. Two of the attendees that night? Former French Prime Minister Renè Viviani and French General Marshal Joseph “Papa” Joffre. Viviani Joffre Fedeler was named for those two gentlemen. Only a baby born inside the NYPL would have such auspicious beginnings!

How would you describe Viviani?

Adventurous. Curious. Friendly. Her heart is always in the right place (even when her head is in the clouds!). 

How did you come up with the mysteries Viviani investigates?

If The Story Seeker were a made-for-TV movie, announcers would scream "ripped from the headlines!" before it aired. Because the heart of The Story Seeker’s plot truly was uncovered when I was researching the New York Public Library for the first book in the series, The Story Collector. I don’t want to give away the ending, but this story truly is an example of the lengths we’ll go to to protect our family. The original headline that attracted my eye read, "Stealing Books from Library Is Serious Offence." After doing a little digging, other headlines read, "Book G-Men," "Tracking Down Cultured Crooks Who Loot The Libraries," "Literary Thief to Help Police," and "Three Years of Detective Work Net Capture of Book Thieves." Who can resist a story like that?! 

Both mysteries—the one in The Story Collector and the one in The Story Seeker— are based on true stories of things that have happened at the NYPL. That’s one of the wonderful things about writing historical fiction; the stories are often already there, and they just need new life breathed into them. 

What would you like people to know about Viviani and The Library?

Viviani had a wonderful childhood in the library, from everything I’ve read. It was her home for fifteen years, and her brother John’s home until the 1940s. (He became superintendent after his father retired.) We library patrons appreciate the NYPL for its cultural offerings, for its beauty, for its warmth and diverse programming. For its books and paintings and photographs. For its stunning architecture and its rare collections. Imagine all of that— all that wisdom and beauty, all those priceless objects—right outside your apartment’s front door. 

What do you like about writing historical fiction?

I love that with historical fiction, the answer is there; it just needs dusting off, possibly while wearing white gloves. Seek and ye shall find! That, and writing historical fiction, to me, is just like writing contemporary fiction but with a more thorough setting, a tighter lens. What people want—love, togetherness, family, health, friends, to make a difference— never changes. Themes are everlasting. So uncovering what people want, and looking at that need within the scope of the era, is a very satisfying way to tell a story. 

Have you visited the Library, what's your favorite space?

I’ve visited the library a number of times, but I visited twice specifically to research these stories. Both times I had amazing tour guides. Thank you, Matthew Kirby and Keith Glutting! The Rose Main Reading Room is breathtaking, and I’m a huge map geek, so I adore the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division. And who doesn’t love a trip to visit the original Winnie-the-Pooh in that glorious children’s space?  But my favorite spot in the whole library is Astor Hall, the room into which you enter off of the Fifth Avenue portico, the library’s main entrance. Astor Hall is tall and airy and breathtaking, and it gives you the sense of all the grand and beautiful books inside. The thousands of years of wisdom this library holds! Astor Hall reflects that awe. Truly astonishing.  

This year the Library is celebrating its 125th Anniversary and challenging all New Yorkers to read 20 minutes a day (including parents reading to children). What books would you recommend?

For picture book read-alouds, I recommend: 

• The Poetree, by Shauna LaVoy Reynolds, illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani. A celebration of friendship and nature.
• The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora. The true story of Mary Walker, who learned to read at the age of 116!
• Cece Loves Science series by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes, illustrated by Vasti Harrison. A smart, curious girl who loves science—I’m in!  

For middle grade readers:

• Refugee by Alan Gratz. An important tale of immigrants and their search for safety and freedom. 
• The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. You will root for Ada from page one. A coming-of-age story set on the homefront in World War II.  (Also watch for Ms. Brubaker Bradley’s Fighting Words, which releases this year. Breathtakingly powerful and will leave you cheering.) 
• Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga. Spare, poetic writing showcase how Jude and others fleeing war are simply seeking home. 
• The Watch that Ends the Night by Allan Wolf. A multi-point-of-view account of the sinking of the Titanic, told in verse. 

For adult readers: 

• Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl. Naturalist Renkl weaves ecology, history, humor, and heartbreak into a series of essays that reflects on our very humanity.  
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. One of the best first lines I’ve ever read: “They took me in my nightgown.” This story of Stalin’s occupation of Lithuania is stunning in every way. 
• The Library Book by Susan Orlean. Part memoir, part traditional nonfiction, this history of the Los Angeles Public Library and a rumination of the fire that occurred there in 1986 is a love letter to libraries and the knowledge they preserve.