Nearly three years ago, I remember sitting at my sons’ bedsides, tucking them in. They wanted a story, so I came up with one.
Let me back up a quick second.
As a child, my family didn’t travel much, not by plane anyway. We were campers, and the furthest we got were the far reaches of my state. Disney World and Hawaii were for other folks, not us. But I still itched for adventure. When I was a teen, I got the opportunity to spend weeks in Alaska and a couple months in Costa Rica. As an adult, I slowly saw more of the world. There are still places on my bucket list, but I’m certainly satisfied with the countries I’ve visited.
However, I still think of those years as a kid and the lack of money that kept us at home. Not all kids will grow up to be able to travel. And that was something I wanted to remedy.
That is how I came up with that night’s story. The Cardboard Box Brothers is about three boys who discover an ordinary cardboard box that turns into a house and takes them on adventures.
While actually visiting a place is wonderful, experiencing it through a book is the next best thing. Sometimes I wonder that I’ve never actually been to England or the Amazon since I’ve experienced it so many times in the books I’ve read.
I want my young readers to explore the world, book by book. In the first book, the brothers go from their boring, repetitive lives all the way to the Bermuda Triangle in a flying house. In the next book, they will go… Well, I won’t give that away yet.
While The Magic Treehouse explores historical, mythical, and magical places, The Cardboard Box Brothers take adventures to current notable geographic locations. If any of you want your country/city visited, don’t hesitate to send me an email.
I think the adventure and fighting in this book will appeal to the boys, but the flying house appeals to girls who love making home (I’m one of them!). I imagine myself finding ready-made food in the fridge, washing up my plate, and doing laundry out of a little black box. Everything about the house is magical to me, but my favorite scene in the entire book is when Ezra slides back the “sunroof” of the house and floats in a sea of stars. *Sigh
May you and yours have happy, safe adventures. (And don’t forget to buckle up your flight harness!)
Claire Norsworthy 
What a lovely thought to have behind your books. I never explored the world till much later in life too, and I have to agree that books make for a great alternative. I know this is an old post, but I hope you keep writing!
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