Author and Advocate Dhonielle Clayton Wants Kids to See Themselves in Books: 'We Have to Protect the Right to Read' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Dhonielle Clayton and the cover of ‘The Deadly Fates’.Photo:Jess Andree; Henry Holt and Co.

Jess Andree; Henry Holt and Co.

Dhonielle Clayton saw more of the world as a child than some people may see in a lifetime. The bestselling author, a Maryland native, grew up traveling to the places where her father lived growing up in a military family, including Guam, Korea and Germany. During the summers, Clayton visited her grandparents in Mississippi, or went on exchange program trips across Europe.“I would just have my calling card and my books and my suitcase,” Clayton tells PEOPLE. “[My father] would ship me off, and it was great. I got to meet so many different kinds of people from all over the world, and it helped shape my worldview.”Her travels, along with her childhood love of novels likeA Wrinkle in TimeandThe Hobbit, also helped to shape theConjureverse, Clayton’s hit middle grade fantasy book series; the third novel,The Deadly Fates, was published on March 4.

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But theConjureverseseries was also born out of an encounter that happened in Clayton’s adopted home of New York City. For years, she worked as a school librarian in East Harlem where, one day, a fourth grade student asked for a book about a “magic school for all of the kids,” including American students and students of color.“I took that challenge very seriously,” Clayton says. “Every kid on the planet deserves magic, and deserves a magic school that they could get an invitation to, no matter where their country of origin, where they were born, who they are, who their parents are.”

Centered on the Arcanum Training Institute, a school in the sky for kids around the world with magical abilities, the series centers young protagonist Ella Durand. Originally from New Orleans, Ella is the first Conjuror to attend the institute, which had previously only taught Marvellors.Though Ella immediately feels like an outcast in her new environment, with the help of her friends Jason and Brigit, she comes into her abilities over the course of the series.The Deadly Fatesfollows the trio during their third year at the school, as they navigate the growing tensions among the magical population.

“I realized that when you don’t see yourself on the pages of books, even in secondary characters that have prominent roles, even within the fabric of the universe, you believe that you don’t belong,” Clayton adds. “How do we inspire the next generation of readers and writers if we don’t include them?”

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When asked about the challenges of writing for that new generation, Clayton says that one hurdle can be getting into the mindset of a young reader.

“Adults forget what it’s like to be a child. We lose our childlike wonder and innocence and excitement for the world. Everything becomes stale and old and we become grumped,” she says. Clayton turned to the journals she kept as a kid, and looked back on the “petty grievances” she had with the world when she was younger.“I like to reread those to remind myself, ‘What was I actually worried about as a kid? What are the things that bothered me? What was my internal temperature and the rhythm of my emotions when I was young? What was the stuff that I loved?’” she says. The author also notes the “very fractured world” that kids are growing up in today.

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!“I try to really respect the imaginations of children, respect how they feel and try to think back,” she says. “The challenge for this next generation [is] that they just have a lot going on, so I’m hoping to meet them where they are.”

Though theConjureversenovels are Clayton’s middle grade debut, she’s written over a dozen books for young readers over the past decade, beginning with her 2015 young adult debutTiny Pretty Things. Uplifting underrepresented voices, however, has been a priority for the author beyond her own work. That ethos shaped her entertainment companyCake Creative, which creates intellectual property for kids books; Clayton is particularly interested in stories with BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and culturally diverse protagonists, as well as characters with disabilities, as she toldThe New York Times. Her entertainment companyElectric Postcard Entertainmentchampions diverse YA and adult stories.Clayton is also a co-founder of the nonprofitWe Need Diverse Books, which focuses on making diverse stories accessible to readers.

Dhonielle Clayton.Jess Andree

Jess Andree

“We have the books, we have writers who are writing the books, who are excited, who have now stepped out of the margins and have been given opportunities,” Clayton says. “But now we have to make sure that those books get in the hands of readers, educators, teachers, librarians. We have to protect the right to read.”

“We’re just trying to make sure that everyone has the knowledge,” she says of the coalition’s mission. “Look at who’s on your school board, what is their position on books, research them. Show up at those meetings to get the lay of the land, and then ask teachers and librarians how you can help them.”

WithThe Deadly Fates, Clayton also hopes to write a universe “where everybody can find themselves.”“It is the magical world where it doesn’t matter who you are — there is a place for you. There’s something marvelous about you,” she says. “I just really hope that readers, adult and young, older and younger, will find their childlike wonder there.”The Deadly Fatesis now available from Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, wherever books are sold.

source: people.com