Book Cover, Navigating Early

Author of book, Navigating Early

Interview with Clare Vanderpool

Reporter: Clare, can you tell me some background information on the plot and theme of the story Navigating Early?

Clare Vanderpool: Navigating Early is about a boy named Jack Baker, a Kansas boy who is suddenly changed by his mother’s drastic death and has to live with his father. He then is forced to attend a boarding school in Maine where he makes many new friends, including an odd character; Early Auden. He is considered a very strange character by the other kids. He reads the number pi as a story and skips class often. They both have one thing in common: an interest in the Great Appalachian Bear. When Early and Jack embark on a quest to find the bear and Early’s long lost brother.  The brother was supposed to have died in World War Two. The two meet many new and mysterious characters, including pirates who try to kill them multiple times. What will become of them as they search for the bear and Early’s brother, is the mystery. You’ll have to read the book to see if other characters get to them first.

Reporter: Can you share with me an important theme of the story?

Clare Vanderpool: There are many themes in the story, but the most important is that what you’re searching for isn’t always what you’ll end up receiving. Early and Jack are both looking for something important to them on their journey. In the end, they both find out that what they were looking for in the first place isn’t what they received in the end. Early found the bear who all along was a symbol of hope for his brother’s survival in the war. Searching for his brother was the same as looking for the bear. Early finds that moral in the end, when he uncovers the true identity of his brother.

Reporter: Can you tell me a little bit about the time frame and setting of the story?

Clare Vanderpool: Well, the story takes place in the year 1945, right after World War two. The story takes place in a run-down boarding school in Maine. The camp has a river surrounding it which is used by the boys to go canoeing. At the school, canoeing is considered a past-time, with races being held all the time. Anyways, the cabins in which the boys sleep in are located next to the canoe shed. Early and Jack travel to the Appalachian trail on a canoe that they borrow from the school. The Appalachian Trail is over 2,000 miles long and starts in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Along the trail, there are log cabins, villages and etc. Most of the people are loggers or trail fitters. In some parts of the trail, Early and Jack had to cut through briar patches and wade through deep waters. Valleys, waterfalls, even luminous caverns await these two on their journey. The terrain makes it even more tough along while.

Reporter: I just have a few questions about some of the main characters of Navigating Early. Can you tell me some of the main characters and some details about them?

Clare Vanderpool: In Navigating Early, there are a couple main characters with some interesting traits. The character that the book revolves around is Jack Baker; a landlocked Kansas boy who befriends a unique character, Early Auden. Jack is very depressed after his mother had passed away and is trying to recover from it. He is athletic, observant, and adventurous. Jack is a great mix between observant and daring. Early Auden is a unique character who thinks of pi as a story and skips classes often. His identity has always remained a secret to the other boys. They’ve never asked questions about him, it has always just been that way. Early will do anything to try to find his lost brother; Fisher Auden. Early’s curiosity is what drives him to be so smart, as he is the most intelligent person at the school. Everybody else thinks he is strange because of the way he thinks differently and isn’t willing to give him a chance as a friend.

Reporter: Are there any more characters that cause Early and Jack problems on their journey?

Clare Vanderpool: A logger/pirate named Macscott causes many problems for the two boys on their quest to find the bear and Early’s brother. Macscott has been searching for the beast for his whole lifetime and doesn’t want two kids to get in the way of things. He lures the boys into a cave and tries to kill them; they escape his clutches and flee from the cave just in time. Many of times he tries to harm them, but they barely manage to get away. Macscott is a sneaky, sly, and deceiving character; willing to do anything for what he has his eyes on.

Reporter: Thanks Clare for your time on the great book review and all the background information on it that you gave me.