Muppit Boy and the Wheel of Power sends newly superpowered Condor Kid on a mission to find a group of missing boys and uncover what’s really happening inside the mysterious Pleasure Island. What inspired you to transform Mo from Muppit Boy into the superhero Condor Kid?

I liked the added challenge to Mo’s already complicated life by having Dr. Drug experiment on him and give him super strength. Coupled with his poor self-image and now inability to grow beyond age twelve, I’m challenging the character to rise above himself to help others in need. I also like exploring the challenges of being a real-life superhero in a world that only knows fictional ones.

Mo has extraordinary abilities but remains insecure about very ordinary things. Why was that contrast important?

Mo is thirteen, but stuck growth-wise at twelve. This is a very awkward age for most kids, my own son included. Given Mo’s difficult relationship with the Muppit Boy persona created by his mom’s YouTube channel and the endless nose jokes he’s had to endure, he must force himself to see his own greatness that lies within, which can be tough for kids his age who more than anything just want to fit in.

What inspired the idea of building the central mystery around energetic boys who have struggled at school or at home, and what do you hope young readers who have sometimes felt “too much” recognize in these characters?

I’ve been a teacher and worked with middle/high school kids most of my life, and found myself constantly going to bat for boys who “had too much energy in the classroom” and were constantly in trouble for their natural nature. As a male teacher, I accepted these boys without question because I know how typical such energy and competitiveness can be in boys, but the vast majority of teachers are female and many have never raised boys at home. Boys and girls learn differently and it’s the job of each teacher to adjust their teaching styles to accommodate every student. Sadly, most don’t do this, so the energetic/competitive boy is punished or told he needs medication by a one-size-fits-all system that doesn’t want to adapt. I know there are many boys out there who have experienced this prejudice and I hope they are given access to this book. 

Where would you like to take Muppit Boy and Condor Kid in future adventures?

The next few books in the series are already written and each one involves some element of science or technology that is rushed into production or misused in some fashion. I want readers to understand that just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be. But the heart of all these books is the relationship between the characters, old and new.

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