NW Book Talk – Sarah Callender – 11-11-2026

Sarah Callender – Lucy in Between and Finding Your Own Voice

Author and middle school teacher Sarah Callender joins Patty Grasher on Northwest Book Talk to discuss Lucy in Between, a novel about a thirteen-year-old girl discovering her own talents after years spent applauding her older brother, a gifted violinist. When her brother dies by suicide, Lucy faces grief, guilt, and difficult questions. A journey to Peru and an unexpected friendship with a bookstore owner become part of her story of loss and discovery.

With warmth and candor, Callender shares how Lucy’s distinctive voice first came to her and why humor, friendship, and everyday teenage experiences belong alongside the novel’s harder moments. Drawing on her experience as a teacher and parent, she reflects on the conversations books can open between young readers and the adults who care about them.

Topics include:

• Lucy’s love of mime and her search for recognition.
• The complicated bond between siblings.
• Writing honestly about depression, suicide, and grief.
• Friendship across generations and the novel’s Peruvian setting.
• Responses from young readers, parents, and educators.
• The persistence and revision behind Callender’s path to publication.

This conversation includes discussion of suicide and mental health.