Our semi-annual Flying Starts feature highlights first-time children's book creators with noteworthy debuts over the season just past. Our fall picks: Adam Gidwitz, whose A Tale Dark and Grimm inventively combines retold tales with new material, with Hansel and Gretel in starring roles; Kiersten White, whose novel Paranormalcy tells of a teenager who bears the responsibility of keeping paranormal beings under control, but longs for a “normal” life; Matthew Kirby, author of The Clockwork Three, a middle-grade historical fantasy set in the 19th century that mixes fantasy and steampunk elements; and Sarah Dooley, whose Livvie Owen Lived Here paints a memorable portrait of the interior world of an autistic girl. Click through to read our interviews with all four debut novelists.

Fall 2010 Flying Starts: Adam Gidwitz

Fall 2010 Flying Starts: Matthew Kirby

Fall 2010 Flying Starts: Kiersten White

Fall 2010 Flying Starts: Sarah Dooley