London-based author Sarah Lipman set a clear goal for her debut middle-grade chapter book: create a positive, relatable story for young girls. Her story, Sophia Starr and a Dog to Love, brings a young dancer to life along with her friendships, stresses, and her dreams (specifically her dreams about the perfect furry friend).
Sophia Starr and a Dog to Love follows Sophia, who wants nothing more than her very own dog. To convince her parents that she’s ready for the responsibility, Sophia starts taking care of other people’s dogs. Meeting new dogs is exciting, but Sophia quickly learns that each dog has its own personality (and its own unique challenges).
Plus, her doggy playdates aren’t the only thing she’s got going on. Sophia has to balance her master plan to get a new pet with school, ballet, her friendships, and a mysterious figure who keeps appearing on the edges of her day-to-day life. Responsibility means more than proving she can handle walks and keeping the dogs fed!
We caught up with Sarah to get an inside look at her book and discover what it means to love a dog, regardless of your age.
Showstopper Magazine Online: Hi Sarah! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Sarah Lipman: Hi! I’m London-based and live with my husband and two young daughters. We have a pet tortoise, Lassie. Although I’ve always enjoyed writing, I never planned to write a book until last year.
SMO: What inspired Sophia Starr and a Dog to Love?
Sarah: We love to host dogs for their “holidays” and have been doing this for approximately four years. It was my Mom who said to me one day, “You know, you should write about these dogs that come visit.” That’s essentially how it started. The book started as a diary of the dogs’ visits, full of little stories. Some of these inspired Sophia Starr and her adventures in this book.
SMO: Sophia is a busy kid! Tell us about your choice to give her so much to balance.
Sarah: I think lots of children nowadays lead busy lives. I wanted the story to flow with Sophia’s ballet and the events with her circle of friends. Her activities felt like interesting subplots to weave in. Hopefully, it’s inspiring for readers to see how Sophia works hard to balance everything alongside her quest to prove to her parents that she is ready to have a dog.
SMO: Sophia also does ballet. What role does dance play in her story?
Sarah: Sophia loves to dance. I think one of the most poignant moments in the book is when she dances happily on the beach in Wales with her Chow Chow guest and family looking on; her commitment to that activity is clearly exhibited. Sophia is also motivated to participate in activities with her friends as well as pursue the deal for a dog with her parents. Ultimately, her ballet is just one example of her focus and determination.
SMO: What are your real-life experiences with having and loving dogs?
Sarah: I’ve never forgotten my connection with a dog from when I was about age 11. This dog, half greyhound and half pitbull, belonged to my tennis coach and was the sweetest thing. And wow, could she run. I’d let her loose in the park where she’d run like a rocket through the trees and race back to me. She was my best friend!
My Mom and I had a chihuahua for many years, whom we loved dearly. Cosmo inspired the chihuahua character on the cover of the book.
SMO: What important lessons do you think we can all learn from dogs (or any creature we choose to take care of)?
Sarah: I think having a dog is a daily reminder to be kind, not just to dogs, but to everyone and all animals. The world needs more kindness.
SMO: Do you have a favorite part of the book?
Sarah: I really enjoyed creating the story around the dog Macy. Macy’s escapade involves all the family and reaches a tipping point when Sophia unexpectedly meets her friend Gemma, who helps her search for the dog. This is especially dramatic as the pair have not been in touch for some time.
SMO: Tell us about the illustrations in the book. What was it like to see Lily Liu bring Sophia and the dogs to life?
Sarah: I had a pretty clear idea early on of the direction I wanted the illustrations to take. I reached out to Lily, who was fortunately available and keen to work on the project. Lily quickly captured the visualisation of the characters and their situations. When Lily sent me her test images—one of Sophia and one of one of the dog characters—I was thrilled. I just felt like she “got it” from the beginning. Whenever I’d receive an email from Lily, I was increasingly excited to see how she had brought all these characters to life.
SMO: What do you hope readers take from Sophia Starr and a Dog to Love?
Sarah: I hope my young readers feel excited to turn each page. There is something so special about being engrossed in a book, and I have warm memories from my childhood of reading books I loved. Most of all, I hope they enjoy discovering and learn from what happens in the book and how Sophia succeeds.
SMO: Is there anything else you’d like people to know about you or your work?
Sarah: I started writing the book last September, and I just self-published it this October. I hope the alacrity of this experience is encouragement to anyone who wants to write a book but is hesitating to start.
