Juliana Brandt, who taught at West Elementary, has a new children's book coming out titled 'Exit Nowhere.'
Jessica Webb
editor@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Juliana Brandt, who taught kindergarten at West Elementary and now teaches second grade in her hometown in Minnesota, will soon have her next children’s book published.
The book, “Exit Nowhere” will hit bookshelves Sept. 17, published by Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
Her previous books include “The Wolf of Cape Fen,” “A Wilder Magic,” and “Monsters in the Mist.”
In 2022, Brandt headed a GoFundMe effort so every student at West Elementary could have their very own copy of her sophomore novel, ‘A Wilder Magic,’ which is a book that focuses on the history of dam creation in Appalachia during WWII.
“At its heart, ‘A Wilder Magic’ was a story of what it means to find ‘home’ and how we often find ‘home’ in the people who love us most. My next novel is a story of friendship and adventure,” she said.
In “Exit Nowhere,” a group of kids from school are given a history project to research a local landmark. They end up choosing Raithfield Manor—an old mansion that’s rumored to be haunted. It’s a book that’s designed to be perfect for teachers, families, and kids who are interested in the spooky genre but prefer their spooky-level to be tame rather than terrifying. As will all of Brandt’s books, it’s filled to the brim with heart, characters that stick with readers, and atmosphere galore.
Brandt said she started writing just for fun for herself after college. After writing a few books for herself, she realized she could try to write books to publish. She said she enjoys writing for the middle age group (8- to 12-year-olds).
“I really love writing for that age group,” she said. “It’s a great combo of whimsy and humor and also touching on some more serious topics kids are thinking about but not too serious like with young adult books. I find it really fun to write for.”
The concept came from her publisher, and as a teacher, Brandt said she liked that the children were given a research assignment.
“I used the history of railroad barons and was kind of inspired by Biltmore Estate,” she said. “In my mind, I kind of put the house in Bryson City in the mountains tucked away somewhere.”
Once the main character, Barret Eloise, and the other students get trapped inside the house, a ghost is awakened, and the kids have to work together through all kinds of traps.
“It was fun to draw on some of my favorite childhood games like the Floor is Lava and Chutes and Ladders,” Brandt said. “It was extremely fun to write and think about what did I love to do at that age and how could I make it spooky.”
As to the level of spooky, fans of Goosebumps stories will be in good territory. Brandt describes it as “A spooky story, but you know everything will turn out in the end.”
At its heart, “Exit Nowhere” is about a girl who thinks she has everything figured out but realizes she needs friendship, she said.
All of Brandt’s books can be purchased anywhere books are sold, including City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. To learn more, visit https://www.julianabrandt.com.