Book Giveaway: A GRAND IDEA by Megan Hoyt

Megan Hoyt’s new nonfiction picture book, A GRAND IDEA, illustrated by Dave Szalay, was published by Quill Tree Books on January 23, 2024. Megan has agreed to send a copy of the book to one lucky winner in the US.

All you have to do to get in the running is leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link, and you will receive additional chances to win. Just let me know other things you do to share the good news, so I can put the right amount of tickets in my basket for you. Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, or reblogging really helps spread the word about a new book. Thanks for helping Megan and Dave.

If you have signed up to follow my blog and receive it every day, please let me know when you leave a comment, and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Written by award-winning author Megan Hoyt, this thoughtful STEM picture book biography about the brilliant architect of Grand Central Terminal is a celebration of resilience in the face of adversity, creative problem solving, and, of course, trains!

There was once a place in New York City that had a tennis club, movie theater, and art gallery—all in the same building! It also had a secret passageway, a huge library, and even a ski slope.

This astounding building is Grand Central Terminal, and it was the work of one brilliant man: William J. Wilgus. When William, an experienced engineer, wanted to create a new electric-powered train system, he knew he needed to house this special fleet somewhere exceptional. His grand idea of a solution? An underground multilevel train station that would become an iconic New York landmark and one that is still an integral part of the city over a century later.

Acclaimed author Megan Hoyt pays homage to William J. Wilgus and his crowning achievement in this STEM-oriented picture book biography, with whimsical illustrations by Dave Szalay.

 BOOK JOURNEY

I would love to say I sat down one day, and A Grand Idea struck me like lightning on a dark and stormy night, but . . .

This book came about in an unusual way. An editor I had two books with already was having lunch with my agent one day and mentioned that she’d like to do a book about Grand Central Terminal. So my wonderful agent, Deborah Warren of East West Literary, said, why not have Megan write one?

LIGHTNING BOLT!

TADA!

What a grand idea!

When she told me, I was very excited. I put together a proposal with three versions—one in rhyme, one from the perspective of the building itself, and one that was part biography of the man who created it and part the story of the building. I sent my editor three rough drafts, and she chose the last one. The rest is history—the history of a marvelous era of growth and industry and engineering that I hope will keep kids curious. AND the history of a forgotten engineer who transformed a smoky, dirty, polluting coal-powered train system into a well-managed, smog-free electric one!

My sister was spending a year working with the Russell Sage Foundation in NYC and had an apartment there, so once my proposal was accepted, I went to visit her and see Grand Central for myself. It was magnificent, especially because it was Christmas time. The lights all over the city, the crisp winter air, the bustling station. It was absolutely mesmerizing!

Once I returned home, I got to work telling its remarkable story. Dave Szalay’s illustrations really brought New York City to vivid, colorful life, and I could not be happier with our beautiful book!

I also wrote a book about another NYC landmark, Carnegie Hall. It’s called The Greatest Song of All. I hope kids will enjoy both of these books and, at the same time, learn more about acoustics, construction and demolition, building preservation, and city planning. There are many gorgeous buildings all across the United States. Without the efforts of citizens around the country, they might all have been demolished by now. So I hope my books also inspire kids to become active citizens who work to keep our communities safe and beautiful!

MEGAN’S BIO: 

​Megan Hoyt first fell in love with reading on a cozy branch of the crabapple tree outside her home in Dallas, Texas. Her favorite reads in the leaf canopy behind her house were Madeleine L’Engle’s books—pretty much all of them—and Marguerite Henry’s “horsey books” which still remind her of the loud Texas cicadas at dusk.

Megan’s award-winning picture book biography, Bartali’s Bicycle, came out in February 2021 with Harper Collins’ new imprint, Quill Tree Books. Three more non-fiction picture books quickly followed: The Greatest Song of All: How Isaac Stern United the World to save Carnegie Hall, Kati’s Tiny Messengers: Dr. Katalin Kariko and the Battle Against Covid 19, and A Grand Idea: How William J Wilgus Created Grand Central Terminal. Her poem, “Thanksgiving by the Lake,” appears in the Millbrook Press anthology Thanku: Poems of Gratitude (2019), and her first picture book, Hildegard’s Gift, came out in 2014 with Paraclete Press. Tzimmes for Tzipporah is her first Jewish-themed picture book, with Apples and Honey Press, a division of Behrman House.

Megan’s daughter holding her book.

Megan speaks at SCBWI conferences and workshops for teachers in the US and Canada. When she is not writing for children, she has a unique side gig: tutoring child actors on movie and tv sets—Showtime’s Homeland series, Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes and Warner Bros’ Wonder Woman 1984, among others. The highlights? Meeting Obi wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) and the fabulous Judy Blume while teaching on the set of Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.

When she’s not writing, Megan enjoys traveling to Italy and spending time with her husband, children, grandchildren, and two feisty little dogs. You can follow her on social media at @meganhoytwrites and for speaking engagements: https://thebookingtree.agency/

DAVID’S BIO:

Dave Szalay is an author, award winning illustrator/designer based in Richfield, Ohio where he lives with his wife Krista and three cats. He is the illustrator of The Superlative A. Lincoln, The True Story of Zippy Chippy, and Travel Guide for Monsters. Dave is represented by Christy Ewers at The CAT Agency and his clients include Sleeping Bear Press, Charlesbridge, North-South (NordSüd, Zurich), Simon and Schuster, Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Harcourt-Mifflin, Cricket Media,  Highlights, and Jimmy Patterson at Little Brown. He is a Professor at The University of Akron and his work can be found in national editorial, advertising, and communications media.

Dave’s work has been recognized and awarded in many advertising and illustration competitions, including one of the SCBWI National Portfolio Showcase Honor Awards in 2018, 3 x 3, Creative Quarterly, The American Advertising Federation, and Highlights Pewter Award. His whimsical images are created in a vintage picture book-inspired technique using digital drawing and painting methods. 

Thank you Megan for sharing your book and journey with us. I loved reading this awe-inspiring book about the birth of Grand Central Station. It is such a beautiful, iconic building in New York City. It has been in so many movies, but there is nothing like seeing it in person. I think many people will want to buy this gorgeous book, not only to read the epic history, but also to enjoy the fabulous illustrations that David Szalay created to tell the story of Grand Central Terminal.

In 1902, People from all over the world came to New York City to stay in fancy hotels and eat at the rooftop coffee shops and restaurants, and a maze of coal trains chugged into the city, polluting the air and causing chaos on the tracks. Then, on September 11th, 1905,  the worst train accident on the New York City elevated railway happened on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan, resulting in 13 deaths and 48 serious injuries. Chief engineer William J. Wilgus rushed to the scene and stared at the damaged trains. He was considered one of the best train engineers in the United States and had designed train systems in Minnesota and Chicago. Wilgus, who had just made New York City his home, thought, how could this happen right under his nose?

He went to work to figure out a better system and came up with the grand idea of building Electric trains. There would be no more smoke, soot, or accidents, and it would ease traffic above ground. It was a big undertaking, but he knew his two-level train tracks underneath the city would work.

His plan required nearly thirty thousand tons of riveted steel—more than the steel in three Eiffel Towers. Railroad workers had to remove nearly two hundred buildings and millions of cubic yards of rock and debris. They excavated five square blocks of land, digging sixty feet underground.

It took over a decade, but finally, on a brisk February day in 1913, more than one hundred and fifty thousand sightseers poured into the new Grand Central Terminal and stood in awe.

However, railroad officials soon realized that maintaining an enormous train station costs a lot of money, and they would need more than ticket fares to pay for everything. Then William Wilgus had another grand idea.

I love this idea and I never heard about this before.

Wilgus said, “Why not sell the air above the building? It’s a gold mine. Wealth taken from the air!” The right to own the air sounded silly, but if William J. Wilgus was correct, air rights could be sold for any New York building! If someone wanted to build a skyscraper above the underground tunnels, they would have to purchase the right to the air above Grand Central from the New York Central Railroad and its owner, William Vanderbilt. 

Another thing I didn’t know and enjoyed reading was how the city wanted to tear it down in 1975 because they figured it wasn’t needed with all the airline travel. But New Yorker pulled together and famous people put a lot of pressure on the city to make Grand Central Station an Historical Landmark. I am so happy those people stepped up and worked to keep it for everyone to enjoy for years to come. 

Kids will love hearing that you can hunt for ghosts in the station, hunt for hidden acorns, see an upside down tree and enjoy tons of fun restaurants. Grand Central Station is a treasure, and so is this book. Parents and teachers will love the backmatter filled with wonderful other details about Grand Central Station. Everyone will want to keep this in their library. Good luck with the book.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy