June 7 2026
Hello Inkandescent Kids! We are so excited to bring you another episode of our podcast and video show where we shine a light on the work being done by kids, for kids, and about kids!
I’m Hope Katz Gibbs, proud founder and publisher of the magazine, podcast and video show. With my editor, Ellen Smith, we are on a mission to help kids maximize their critical thinking skills, creativity, and learn to think like a reporter.
Today is an exciting day because one of our favorite children’s book authors, Alexandra Kuehn, is being interviewed by her daughter Harper about her first book, Libby the Lunchbuddy.
Now, I’m going to turn the stage over to Harper to tell us about herself, her mom, and this wonderful book inspired by her first day at school.
Harper: Thank you for having me!!
“Libby the Lunch Buddy,” by Alexandra Kuehn
First, I’ll tell you a little about my mom: My Mom was born in Maryland and always loved to write and read. She loves everything from children’s books to romance, to creepy horror stories. Her favorites ranged from “The Little Prince” to anything by RL Stine.
She wrote her first children’s book “Libby the Lunchbuddy” last year to help my sister Vivienne get through her first day in Kindergarten.
And now I’m going to tell you a little about myself: I am 13 and going into the 8th grade. I’m in choir and theater at school and I love to sing, dance, and hang out with my friends and family. When I’m older I’d love to be an actress.
Ok mom, here we go:
- Why did you want to write this book?
- When did you first come up with the topic?
- Tell us about the illustrations!
- Do you want to write more books? What will the topics be?
- You also have a talk show on Fox News! Let’s talk about that a little bit!
- You are such a great mom to me and my sister Vivienne, who will also be doing an interview for Inkandescent Kids later this year. What’s your favorite part about being a mom?
- What advice do you have for anyone who wants to write a children’s book?
- What was the hardest part of the publishing process?
- What is your favorite part?
- What advice do you have for kids who want to grow up to be writers?
Hope: Wow Harper, that was awesome! Like you, I’m a big fan of your mom – and now you! At Inkandescent Kids, our editor Ellen Smith and I will be featuring the work of more students from around the country — and eventually around the world.
We offer journalism training programs taught by award-winning reporters and professional photographers, videographers, illustrators, and more.
Join us on our journey to raise the voice of kids everywhere! Learn more at www.InkandescentKids.com.
We’ll see you soon!
