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RED ALL OVER: Windsor Terrace authors
Finn and Michael Buckley will
read from their picture book “Lenny
the Lobster Can’t Stay for Dinner,” at
Books Are Magic in Carroll Gardens
on April 6. Photo by Trey Pentecost
Read lobster
Local dad and son write a dinner dilemma
COURIER L 24-7 IFE, APRIL 5-11, 2019 59
CBy Julianne McShane all it a family-style serving of
lobster tale.
A Windsor Terrace author
teamed up with his preteen son last year
to write a pick-your-own-ending picture
book about a dapper crustacean who
finds himself in hot water.
Writer Michael Buckley, who will read
from “Lenny the Lobster Can’t Stay for
Dinner” at Books Are Magic in Carroll
Gardens on April 6, alongside his now
11-year-old co-author Finn, said that the
published story came from a game the
pair played, in which the elder Buckley
would give his son a silly title and ask him
to pen an accompanying story.
“When we were doing it, we didn’t
think it’d be a book,” said Michael
Buckley, who is a bestselling author for his
“The Sisters Grimm” and “N.E.R.D.S.”
children’s book serials. “I thought it was
so cute that I got my phone out and videotaped
myself reading it, and a couple
days later we had some phone calls from
publishers to turn it into the book.”
The story follows the titular lobster,
who is delighted to be invited to a fancy
dinner party — until he realizes that he is
slated to be the main course. Readers can
choose whether Lenny lives or dies — but
if young carnivores pick the fatal option,
the book directs them to go back to a version
in which Lenny makes a break for
it — a change the dad-and-son duo said
they made after editors panned the original
ending for being too grim.
“The first draft was kind of
dark,” Finn said.
“Lenny initially decided that he was
going to burn the house down, and then
eats the people who invited him to the
party,” Michael added. “We had to make
it more friendly, so we made it that Lenny
has a chance to escape.”
The younger Buckley prefers the
new version, he said, but now refuses
to eat lobster in solidarity with his
pincered protagonist.
“I like the ending where he lives — I
sort of feel bad for lobsters now that we
created an adventure for one,” Finn said.
The youngster wrote all the jokes
and made most of the edits, according
to his dad, who focused on the structure
of the story. Working with Finn helped
him see his son in a new light, said the
more established writer.
“It was sort of awe-inspiring to watch
these ideas come out of his head,” Michael
said. “When it was over, it was less like I
had written a book with my son, and
more like I had written a book with
another author.”
The pair are already working on their
next book, “My Pet Pickle,” which Finn
pitched to their publisher on his own.
“Finn talked himself into a two-book
deal — he pitched an idea that I didn’t
know much about, and the editor loved it,”
said Michael.
Story time with Michael and Finn
Buckley at Books Are Magic (225 Smith
St. at Butler Street in Carroll Gardens,
www.booksaremagic.net). April 6 at 11
a.m. Free.
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