Everyone has their own story…
Your book seems like the ultimate celebration of community, both in the content and the process in which it was created. Could you briefly describe how this book came together? – NBJ
The Cardboard Kingdom was the result of a really unique collaboration between me and ten different writers. For a long time, I had this idea for a book following a wide variety of kids who all create colorful cardboard costumes and live in the same neighborhood with each other—the only problem was that I didn’t know who those kids would be and what stories to tell about them!
I had tried writing earlier versions of The Cardboard Kingdom by myself, but it just wasn’t working, and I set the project aside for several years. But then I got inspired by some early successes in crowdfunding comic projects in 2014 and 2015—although the Internet can be divisive and polarizing, it can also be an invaluable means of bringing like-minded folks together!
So, I created a website where I described my idea for the book along with some sample art, and anyone could submit their idea for a character and story that would take place in the Cardboard Kingdom! After several months of applications and more than 100 entries, I picked the 10 writers who went on to make this book with me!
It’s been an incredible journey—going through the whole publishing process with a team of ten wonderful writers and sharing all those experiences with them! We’ve continued working on the series, too—we’ve recently wrapped up work on the second book, The Cardboard Kingdom: Roar of the Beast, which will be out in June of 2021!
NBJ: In a time when so many kids are still feeling isolated from their community of peers, what do you hope this book represents for them? What do you hope it might inspire?
Although The Cardboard Kingdom is about community, it’s also a celebration of kids’ creativity and resilience.
My favorite response from readers is hearing that they immediately started creating their own cardboard costumes and kingdoms after reading the book!
I think that creativity is kind of magical because it allows us to take everyday materials and turn them into something incredible and transporting. It can expand the boundaries of our worlds far past the limitations imposed by the pandemic.
NBJ: Our website focus is creating natural opportunities for families to have discussions that center on big, important ideas through reading the same stories together. The Cardboard Kingdom offers so many of those opportunities, as each story is unique and heartfelt. If you had to pick just a few big ideas from this book that you most fervently hope would resonate with families, what would you pick?
The all-encompassing message from this book, in my mind, is that everyone has their own story.
Each chapter follows a different child as they deal with a wide variety of different issues around identity, family dynamics, and social dilemmas. Even the bully who antagonizes the younger kids earlier in the book eventually has his own chapter where we see what he’s been working through, and how he comes out of it stronger and more resilient.
I hope that my book encourages kids to feel more compassion and acceptance of their peers, understanding that everyone is dealing with their own triumphs and struggles at home.
I would love it if different stories in The Cardboard Kingdom spark valuable discussions with families, and I also hope it inspires some collaborative cardboard crafting projects!
– Chad Sell, NEW BOOK JOY Guest Author
About the Author
Chad Sell
“exemplifies the new career path in comics: he started out making comics on his own, then did webcomics and self-published his work.
His first graphic novel, The Cardboard Kingdom, is a series of short stories by different writers, all illustrated by Sell.
[He] grew up as an awkward gay kid in central Wisconsin, and treasured any queer representation [he] could find in books, movies, and comics. [He knew] how important it was to see [himself] in the works that [he] loved, and [he] hopes that readers of every race, ethnicity, ability level, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status can find themselves in the books they read.”
– Publishers Weekly
Chad’s first full-length solo project, Doodleville, is set in our very own hometown of Chicago, where he lives with his husband and two cats.
You can read more about him, his books, and his artwork on his website www.chadsellcomics.com.
Conversation
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