For most thirteen-year-olds, living at and working as a caretaker of a zoo sounds like a dream, especially if that zoo is filled with the extraterrestrial living beings — or ELBs — your family was placed in charge of by the government. Yet life is a little darker and more complicated for Ava Ardent, the main character of Samantha van Leer’s new science fiction middle grade novel, The Extraterrestrial Zoo: Finding the Lost One. We had a chance to sit down with Samantha and talk about worldbuilding, her unexpected inspirations, and how sci-fi can be used to explore complex social issues.
About Samantha van Leer
Samantha van Leer is the co-author of the New York Times best-selling novels Between the Lines and Off the Page, which she helped adapt into an off-Broadway musical that premiered in 2022. A graduate of Vassar College, she also holds a Master’s in Education and was previously a fourth-grade teacher. She now writes full-time in San Antonio, Texas with her husband, Frankie, their daughter, Stevie, and their chaotic puppy, Obi Juan Kenobi, who is most likely up to no good.
Thank you so much for joining us, Samantha! Let’s dive right in.
For our readers, can you give a summary of what’s going on in Ava’s life at the start of the novel? What is she dealing with as the teenage caretaker of the Alien Zoo?
If I could describe Ava’s life in one word, it would be: lonely. Ava’s mother passed away about three years ago, and quickly after that, her dad disappeared in the middle of the night. She was left in the care of her Uncle Pete. Uncle Pete is a man of very few words … literally. His time in the military left him with PTSD, and he’s often lost in old memories. Ava is the weird girl at school — she’s been branded a nerd, obsessed with extraterrestrials. Due to her bottom stature in the social hierarchy of middle school, she has zero friends.
Honestly, though, Ava doesn’t care. She has her ELBs, and they are all the family she needs. Being her one source of company, you can really feel how much love Ava has for these creatures. So, when her Uncle Pete suggests she take some time away from the zoo to “go be a teenager for once,” you can imagine this doesn’t go over well with Ava. She’s found the place that makes her happy, and she won’t trade that for something silly and frivolous like a typical childhood.
Then comes Harley … Uncle Pete has hired this young, new intern behind Ava’s back. He is everything Ava isn’t. He’s light-hearted, goofy, and kind of a mess. Ava is serious, structured, and disciplined. As Ava is forced to work with Harley and train him on all things “Alien Zoo,” Harley starts to crack Ava’s prickly exterior, reminding her that even when life has let you down, it’s okay to seek out joy. The two of them grow together as adventures ensue, and they can only rely on each other to save the zoo.
Why do you think that Ava feels such a bond with the ELBs? Is it just a sense of responsibility, or is it something deeper?
Ava has experienced a significant amount of loss in her life. The ELBs are the only consistent connection in her life. She knows how to care for them, what they need, and that every morning when she wakes up, they will be right there. While her family may have disappeared, and she can’t seem to make a human friend for the life of her, the extraterrestrials give her all the love she needs. When the ELBs are threatened, it’s personal for Ava. It’s what makes the plot of Finding the Lost One feel so severe. With the ELBs lives at risk, she will go to any length to bring them home.
What inspired the unique worldbuilding in this book? How did you go about developing the distinctive details of the zoo and the ELBs who inhabit it?
This book began as my college thesis. Home for the weekend, I was lying on the floor with one of my childhood dogs, Alvin. He was a rescue that looked more raccoon than canine; to this day, I’m still not entirely convinced he was a dog… Alvin had this perfect spot on the top of his head, and while staring into his wonky, off-centered eyes, I asked him, “Is this where the aliens plugged you into your pod when they sent you to Earth?” It was this absurdly random statement that inspired an entire book series.
If you know me, you know I love dogs. I’ve had a lot of dogs throughout my life, so it only made sense that the extraterrestrials in this story be based on them. Ava’s zoo has thirty-two aliens; I, unfortunately, have not had thirty-two dogs in my lifetime, so, while many of the ELBs are based on past pets, a few are formed from the deepest parts of my imagination. Infusing the aliens with the personalities of my dogs brought them to life so that readers could fall in love with the extraterrestrials just as Ava does in the story.
The Extraterrestrial Zoo explores some complicated topics, such as PTSD, grief, and xenophobia. Why do you think these issues are important to address with middle grade readers?
Oh my, I could write an entire novel on just this question, so I will try my best to rein myself in. Now more than ever, these topics are vital to address with young readers. I used to be a fourth-grade teacher, and I have firsthand experience covering big topics with kids. Young people do not always receive the credit they deserve — they are thoughtful, and insightful, and capable of having hard conversations. Just because someone is under eighteen does not mean they are experiencing a different world than the adults around them. Racism, homophobia, xenophobia, PTSD, grief, mental health, etc., are present in so many kids’ lives. Age is not a shield from the realities of our society. If everyone is experiencing these things, how come only adults are allowed to talk about it?
Reading is political and no story exists without lessons and commentary on humanity. As I wrote in my previous novel, Between the Lines, “Just because it’s fiction doesn’t mean it’s not real.” Take the word alien: although referencing silly creatures in this book, it’s a word seen all over the news right now. It’s been utilized as a term of hate by our current administration to exile and other groups of people who belong just as much as anyone else in our country. You can read this book at face value as a story about make-believe extraterrestrials who’ve landed on our planet, or you can reflect on its deeper meaning: a metaphor for how our society responds to those who are different than them.
Do you feel that science fiction is an especially effective medium to explore social issues?
I think sci-fi is the perfect space for authors to reflect and mirror social issues plaguing our society today. Often sci-fi plots push humans to the brink of existence — whether that’s through alien invasions, pandemics, apocalyptic war, or natural disasters. This setting illuminates the broken foundation our societies are built on and forces readers to face social issues currently affecting our world. For example: When Earth’s resources are scarce, where do we go? How is it decided what little means left are split? How does a capitalistic country whose social hierarchy is rooted in racial discrimination and economic status change when jobs are taken over by robots? What happens to the development of the human mind when we allow AI to think for us?
I believe social issues are what inspire these apocalyptic plot lines. Every sci-fi book orbits around the same question: what becomes of us?
It’s no secret that writing runs in your family, but this is your first solo author credit. How did it feel getting that byline to yourself: exciting, scary, all of the above?
This was absolutely terrifying. I am the first to admit I had a wildly privileged apprenticeship writing alongside my mom. With our two books, Between the Lines and Off the Page, we worked side by side writing, editing, and promoting the books. I got to jump right into the world of publishing with a pro to explain every step. When I decided to create my own series, I didn’t know if it would happen! I am lucky to have a lot of people who believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.
It was my husband who pushed me to go full-time with writing and see if I could really do this thing. While I was not immune to rejection and received my fair share of “no thank yous,” in the end it happened! The incredible team at Pixel and Ink has given my series so much faith and love. Seeing my name stand alone on the cover was an incredible feeling. I owe so much to my mother for everything she taught me and the doors she opened when I was younger, but I do have a lot of pride in myself for jumping out of the nest to test if these wings really do fly.
The Extraterrestrial Zoo: Finding the Lost One is the kickoff of a series. Can you give us a preview of what adventures await Ava in the next book?
Now, I don’t want to spoil anything from book one or book two, but I will say, readers will get more aliens. Although in book one, it feels like Ava’s chaotic life is filled with twists and turns, book two makes Ava’s existence seem relaxed and breezy. Book two also presses a little further into the sci-fi genre, perhaps steering towards the more “fiction” side of things.
We always love to ask children’s book authors which books inspired them as kids. Is there a book or series that was formative to your early years as a reader?
This may come as a surprise, considering my career, but I used to really struggle with reading. My mom would bribe me to read. She would let me pick out any book in the store, as long as I swore I’d try to read it. She would bend over backwards finding me series that aligned with my interests, but I always found it more fun to write my own stories than read them.
It wasn’t until I picked up the Judy Moody series, by Megan McDonald, that I finally wanted to read. Obsessed was an understatement. I tried to emulate Judy Moody in everything I did, hoping I could be as cool as her.
I recently had the most jaw-dropping experience of guest speaking with Megan McDonald at the Candlewick/Holiday House/Peachtree Spring Preview event. If I could have gone back in time to tell my younger self that I would one day be speaking at an event with THE Megan McDonald, little Sammy would have exploded into confetti.
I have to add, as a part two to this question, there is another children’s author who has deeply inspired me as an adult in this career. Jacqueline Woodson is an author I will always remain in awe of. Her books are truly works of art. Her writing is rich and inspiring; I gain something different every time I reread one of her works. Brown Girl Dreaming is simply a masterpiece, and I had the privilege of teaching it in my fourth-grade classroom. When someone asks for reading recommendations, her name will always be the first one out of my mouth.
Lastly, in honor of The Extraterrestrial Zoo, which of the ELBs in your book would you most like to have as a household pet and why?
This question is kind of hilarious, as many of them I have quite literally had as household pets. I would have to say Yeldud, who is based on my childhood dog, Dudley. He has the same affectionate, cuddly, sweet demeanor Dudley had, but wrapped up in a five-hundred-pound gorilla-like exterior. I don’t know where I’d keep him. If my HOA doesn’t allow chickens, I doubt Yeldud’s behemoth body would slide under the radar, but I’d make it work.
An enormous thank you to Samantha for taking the time to share her thoughts with us! Be sure to find her online at her website and follow her work on Instagram. And, of course, don’t forget to add The Extraterrestrial Zoo: Finding the Lost One to your family’s reading list.
For more of our favorite sci-fi books for young readers, check out our article on Astonishing Picture Books for Little Science Fiction Fans.
For all of our favorite sci-fi and fantasy reads for kids, check out our Bookshop bookshelf.
