Author Mary Boone grew up in Iowa and now lives in Tacoma’s North Slope neighborhood. She has hung out backstage with a boy band, DNA-tested salmon, and baked dozens of cricket cookies – all in the interest of research for her books and magazine articles. The newspaper reporter turned author has written more than 70 nonfiction books for young readers. Her recent books have covered topics ranging from entomophagy (i.e. eating insects) and recycling to biomes and salmon lifecycles. Mary loves being outdoors, reading, and hanging out with her very stubborn Airedale Terrier, Ruthie Bader.
Which genres do you cover?
Mary Boone: I write nonfiction picture books and middle-grade books. I love sharing facts and tidbits that make kids run home to tell their families, “You’re never going to believe what I learned today!”
Which is the latest book you have published, and what is about?
Mary Boone: My latest project is a picture book called Pedal Pusher (Henry Holt & Co.); it released on February 18. This book tells the story of Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, the first woman to ride a bicycle around the world, back in 1894 – a challenge she took on because two men bet that a woman could never do it. Sure, Annie pedaled thousands of miles, but she also changed the way the world thought about what women were capable of doing. The book is filled with beautiful illustrations by the very talented Lisa Anchin.
At which book events can readers find you?
Mary Boone: Because the audience for my books is young, I do a lot of school and library visits. I also love it when our local independent bookstores host me for story times. I’m doing a story time March 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the Shelton Timberland Library and a story time and craft session at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma March 13 from 3 to 5 p.m. I’m also leading a story and craft session at JBLM Children’s Museum March 27 from 3 to 5 p.m.; you must have a valid Base access pass to visit that location.
Which book event connecting you with readers is your favorite and why?
Mary Boone: I adore book festivals, especially ones focused on children’s literature. Two of my favorites are Big Foot Kids’ Book Festival in Redmond and the Poulsbo Kids Book Festival. They are such a joyful gathering of young readers, families, authors, booksellers, and librarians! My dream is that we can create a kids’ book fest in the South Sound someday soon.
Do your books have any specific messages to your readers?
No matter what they are about, curiosity is the common link in all my books. I hope the kids who read my books leave inspired to ask more questions. I want them to dig for the stories behind the stories, to look at everyday events or people, and to figure out what makes them interesting.
Which writers keep inspiring you and why?
Mary Boone: I will forever be a fan of Judy Blume. She never steered away from tough topics and her stories were a great blend of emotional honesty and humor.
Do you have any specific writing habits?
Mary Boone: I like to take a walk every morning – no matter the weather – to get my brain going. Then, when I get home, I start writing. I find I’m most creative in the mornings, so I try to leave the tasks of marketing, answering emails, and returning phone calls for the afternoons.
Not a daily habit, but I am a firm believer in “writing all the way through.” I don’t allow myself to go back and clean up earlier work until the entire first draft is complete. I used to be someone who had a lot of really beautiful first chapters and first paragraphs, but they never went anywhere.
What are you currently working on?
Mary Boone: I am working with my editor on final edits for a middle-grade book that releases in spring 2026. It’s a collection of unbelievable but true stories related to our oceans and seas. I’m really excited about the book and, yes, it includes a few PNW stories!
Which book are you currently reading simply for entertainment?
Mary Boone: I read a lot of kids’ books for work, but I’m also a big reader of literary fiction, memoirs, and thrillers. My current read is The Note by Alafair Burke. It’s about a girls’ trip that goes terribly wrong, and it’s laced with racial and socioeconomic tensions – all the good stuff!
What advice would you give any aspiring author?
Mary Boone: Read. Read in the genre in which you want to write. Read classics. Read recent prize winners. But also read outside your genre. Telling a good story knows no bounds. Reading poetry, for example, has improved my writing as much as anything – it’s made it more lyrical and more interesting to read out loud.
You can find Mary Boone’s books wherever books are sold and at Amazon.
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