The One Question Interview Blog Tour with Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Welcome to the
One Question Interview Blog Tour
featuring
Lauren Baratz-Logsted!

Lauren is the author of numerous books including Crazy Beautiful, The Sisters Eight series and Vertigo. She writes for all ages- children, teens and adults. Her upcoming novel, The Education of Bet is a young adult novel set in Victorian England. It releases July 12, 2010. Yesterday, May 3rd marked the release of the The Sisters Eight Book 5: Marcia's Madness. The Sisters Eight is a series for young readers aged 6-10 that Lauren created with her novelist husband Greg Logsted and 10-year old daughter Jackie.

As part of the tour, I got to ask Lauren any one question of my choosing. It was a lot of fun and I want to thank her for stopping by. Enjoy!

THE EDUCATION OF BET
by
Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 192 Pages
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (July 12, 2010)

Bet is sixteen, very intelligent, but only knows as much as her limited education will allow. In Victorian England, girls aren't allowed to go to school.

Will is also 16, and though not related by blood, he and Bet act like brother and sister. In fact, they even look like brother and sister. And though they're both raised under the same roof, by the same kind uncle, Will has one big advantage over Bet: He's a boy, and being a boy means he isn't stuck in the grand house they call home. He gets to go out into the world--to school.
But that's not what Will wishes. He wants to join the military and learn about real life, not what's written in books.

So one night, Bet comes up with a plan. She'll go to school as Will. Will can join the military. And though it seems impossible, they actually manage to pull it off.
But once Bet gets to the school, she begins to realize the education she's going to get isn't exactly the one she was expecting.


The Question of the Day--

The Education of Bet is set in Victorian England, a time when girls were limited in terms of higher education. It centers around Bet, a sixteen year-old girl who masquerades as a boy in order to get the proper education she dreams of. If you were in Bet's shoes and had this one opportunity to break free from the social constraints of the day, what is the first thing you'd want to do with your new found freedom?

Hmm...you've just instantly made me a male in Victorian England...what to do...what to do... What sorts of things did men do back then that women didn't? Go to war, for one thing, but I'll pass on that, thanks. I know! Mundane as it sounds, the first thing I do with my new body is I find one of those men-only drinking establishments. I play darts there although I prefer pool if they have it - I'm very good at pool - and while I'm doing that and enjoying my pint of ale, I listen. I soak up everything I can learn about the opposite gender. Just what do they talk about when there are no women around? It might be all, "What did you have for dinner last night?"; "I had steak, what did you have? (burp!)" Still, I think it'd be great to learn exactly what they say, get a little insider info. And then of course when you turn me into a female again, I'll report back on what I've learned to all my female friends. With that insider info, we'll finally have the upper hand.

Want to read more of Lauren's One Question Interviews?

On May 3rd, Lauren visited Bri at Bri Meets Books where she discussed what children's book she would live in if given the chance and why.

On May 5th Lauren will be visiting Sherry's blog at Read Many Books where she will answer a question about the term "gallowglass" frequently seen in her novel Crazy Beautiful.

About the Author

Lauren Baratz- Logsted began writing for adults, but has also written for teens and for tweens. Greg Logsted, husband of Lauren, has written one novel.

Jackie Logsted, daughter of Lauren and Greg, is making her literary debut. She is eight years old.

The Baratz-Logsted/Logsted family lives in Danbury, Connecticut.

Visit the Official Website of Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Check out my previous interview and guest post with Lauren too!
Pre-order The Education of Bet at Amazon.com