KRISTIN DARELL’s The Break Up: It’s A Twin Thing! is the first book in a fun and warm-hearted series that follows twins Abigail and Brooklyn as they navigate year 5.

Read on for a Q&A with the author.

MEET KRISTIN DARELL

What inspired you to write a story about identical twins?

I think people generally have a fascination with twins. My sister and I are still often asked about what it’s like to be an identical twin. Young people in particular love to ask about my twin connection and trying to work out who is who in photos in my school presentations (amazingly they almost always get it right!). So, with support from my wonderful publishing team at Penguin Random House, I came up with the ‘It’s a Twin Thing’ series – stories that allow me to share the bonds, quirks and ‘twin tingles’ that makes being a twin so special, but also sharing what it is like to have your identity so wrapped up in another person (spoiler alert: it’s not always easy!).

There are lots of clichés in many stories about twins and people have ideas of what being a twin is like. I hope that these stories provide an authentic insight into all facets of growing up as an identical twin and what it’s like for the friends and family around them.

As someone who grew up with a twin, how much of your own experiences influenced the characters and their dynamic?

I think it would be fair to say that the entire book has been influenced by my own experiences. However, Brooklyn and Abigail are not specifically my sister and me. Instead, what they reflect is the push and pull of the relationship that my sister and I did experience at many times in our lives – particularly around the journey to discover who we were independent of each other. There are other pieces of my sister and I, such as our love of dancing together, but I had a lot of fun learning Brook and Abi’s loves and passions as their characters evolved through the stories. The setting was also inspired by the area I grew up. I was lucky to have lots of nature around me, and a lake, and some of my best memories were just wandering quiet streets or hanging out with my friends. I think there’s also plenty of what I would have loved to do as a kid … I mean who didn’t want to be in a rock band!

What was your favourite part of writing this book?

Aside from the joy of exploring the relationship between Brook and Abi, one of my favourite parts of writing The Break Up: It’s a Twin Thing! was creating the family and community that exists around them. Their older brother Campbell is one of my favourite characters to write, along with their best friends Frankie and Chari and all the other friends they encounter. Who am I kidding, I loved writing them all. I also found enormous joy in building their town – the Cherry Lake Bakery, the Cuppa Joy Café, discovering the school they all go to and so much more. Oh, and did I mention there is also plenty of dog chaos too.

What kinds of stories are you most drawn to when writing for children?

Encouraging kids to read for pleasure is my passion, regardless of the genre or style I am writing in. That’s why it is important to me to share stories with amazing characters that are fun and relatable for young readers. But I also hope my stories allow readers to explore different feelings and ways to handle problems in their own lives. We all make mistakes, it’s what we do next that matters. With the ‘It’s a Twin Thing’ series, it isn’t only Brook and Abi that are trying to figure out life. Every character in these books has their own story, weaving in and out of each other’s narratives as they find their way through Grade Five, friendship changes, discovering who they are and what they love the most. I want kids to feel seen when they read my stories and perhaps most of all, despite plenty of ups and downs, end up with hope that the world is an exciting and wonderful place to be.

Describe this book in three words.

It’s tough to narrow it down to three… but here we go:

Fun. Relatable. Friendship-focused.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kristin Darell has been a passionate storyteller since she was a child. Whether it was making up adventures with her twin sister, or writing about the world around her, she was rarely found without a pen and paper in hand. As an adult, she made this passion her life. She worked as a broadcast news and sports journalist for major Australian news organisations for more than 20 years. After the birth of her two children, Kristin re-focussed her attention on writing for children.

As an author, she has contributed to children’s writing anthologies and is the acclaimed author of the ‘Football Fever‘ series with Football Australia and the ‘Taronga Zoo’ presents series. Kristin is a strong advocate for children’s literature, working as the Program Manager for the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation. She lives on Sydney’s northern beaches with her husband, two children, two dogs, pet snake and three-legged pygmy bearded dragon.

Visit Kristin Darell’s website