A Museum Robbery follows two adventurous kids who stumble upon the shocking truth behind a puzzling heist, and the key to solving the mystery lies in a spilled jar of jam. What inspired you to create a mystery around a museum and a grumpy caretaker?

Sometimes, I enjoy writing lighter adventure books. Usually, my stories explore serious topics, but in this Active Kids Series, I have the child protagonists do exciting things that aren’t too heavy, so there’s less worry about the outcomes. I like to turn the protagonists into kind of small heroes that readers can easily relate to. They might imagine themselves in similar situations.

In A Museum Robbery, the children go on adventures in a museum, probably because I’ve always loved museums of all kinds. They also create a diverse setting for a children’s detective story, where a real crime happens in that very special environment. I described the criminal, the retiring caretaker, in a way that no one really needs to be afraid of him. In the illustration, the thief actually looks quite harmless.

Museum and exhibition guards are also interesting characters in real life. Some are friendly and enjoy interacting with visitors, while others are irritated and tired of their job, like Mr. Oddyman in this story.

The chalk art illustrations add so much charm—did you have a specific vision for the style, or was that the illustrator’s choice?

The illustrator of this book was discovered by chance through internet connections from Brazil. I have not previously worked with Dane D’Angel, but his illustration style seemed to fit well with these four Active Kids stories. In addition to A Museum Robbery, three other books have been published in the series: Luke’s Sailing Adventure, The Ghost of the Deserted House, and The Leading Role.

Dane D’Angeli has illustrated all four books quite independently. Of course, we discussed the work a bit during the process, but I try to give my illustrators a lot of freedom. I believe this approach makes illustrating more motivating for them, and the result looks more natural. I only address points that are particularly important. Naturally, the genre and interpretation need to align with the mood and the ideas expressed by the story’s twists, turns, and main points. However, the smaller details aren’t as important. Sometimes, the illustrators themselves come up with fun details or a new perspective that supports the story. It’s always enjoyable to see how the artwork develops.

If you were to write a sequel. What kind of mystery would Emma and Oliver solve next?

That’s a fun idea. I could have them investigate a case involving environmental littering, like one that causes serious damage in a remote hideout. Such a topic would fit well into my repertoire because nature and taking care of it are important to me.

I could also write a story about art forgeries. It might involve an entire gang of criminals and a lot of money. I think I’ll go ahead with such a story because it’s already starting to develop in my mind. I won’t reveal more, but that will surely come in time.

I already have a couple of separate children’s detective stories written, which I haven’t published yet. However, they feature completely different main characters. They take you, for example, through wilderness areas to find valuable river pearl mussels, which are forbidden to catch.

Children’s detective stories are a great way to introduce situations where readers have to think about right and wrong. It is also important to give children the opportunity to realize they have skills, such as sharp eyes and good observation, which can help uncover dishonesty and hold wrongdoers accountable.

Emma and Oliver feel like real kids—are they based on anyone you know?

I’m very happy if I have succeeded in creating realistic characters like Emma and Oliver. They don’t have direct role models, but they are a mix of many children I know.

Actually, I also see myself in this book, as a little girl playing with my best friend. Together with him, we even started a secret adventure club where we could do lots of exciting things. With the help of imagination, even the ordinary surroundings of the home village become exciting, and you can imagine anything happening there!

As a child, I was a big adventurer in my own environment, often exploring alone. It’s easy and fun to write stories about those experiences and memories for today’s children. When I immerse myself in writing to go on a fantasy adventure, I reconnect with my childhood. It feels as if I am just as enthusiastic and excited, and my imagination conjures up events that would have fascinated me as a child.

We can’t go back to our childhood, but we can immerse ourselves in the magic of children’s book adventures with our children. I believe many adults can still experience the same hilarious feelings they once had when reading bedtime stories aloud.

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