Five Questions for Tony DiTerlizzi

by Roger Sutton
The Horn Book | August 18, 2026

Publishers’ Preview: New & Noteworthy: Five Questions for Tony DiTerlizzi

Even the nicest among us have something like The Wump in our psyches, but what happens when that dark and vengeful shadow takes on a life of its own?

1. Why is Tim’s school named after Jeff Kinney?

TD: Like Tim I was a scrawny, bespectacled wimp in middle school. I couldn’t imagine that an awkward kid like me could become as beloved as “Wimpy Kid” Greg Heffley. I wanted to pay homage to my pal Jeff for not only creating generations of readers, but also helping to make us wimps recognized, accepted, and possibly even cool.

2. Who, what, or where was your sixth-grade safe space?

TD: Whether I was camping on Boy Scout trips, snorkeling off South Florida’s beautiful beaches, or birdwatching, nature was the place where my middle school anxieties evaporated.

3. Are you, like Tim, a friend to the six-legged community?

TD: Absolutely! My passion for insects began in sixth grade. I collected them, drew them, and reread my field guides until the pages fell out. Insects are often perceived as small, insignificant, and ugly — which is how I saw myself. But in truth, they are mysterious, ­fascinating, and misunderstood. I’ve celebrated bugs in books from The Spider and the Fly to the Spiderwick Chronicles and Search for WondLa series.

4. In creating an illustrated novel, how do you know when it’s time for a picture?

TD: As an illustrator, I cherish key scenes that I envision at inception before any text is written. As my story line develops, I create as much art as I can. Some illustrations help convey emotion to the reader, while others act as diagrams to clarify what is ­happening in the text. But all are meant to act as an oasis from pages full of text that can often overwhelm a young reader.

5. My friend Bruce Brooks wrote that the only thing to be done about bullies is to punch them in the nose. What’s your advice?

TD: I vividly remember the morning I punched Jimmy Fisher in the nose for stealing my Snoopy wallet in seventh grade. I did not feel better afterward. In fact, I felt worse. In that moment I was faced with a choice: give in to my anger and become a bully, too, or deflect and deflate conflict with humor. From that day on, I chose the latter.

Never Abandon Imagination Tony DiTerlizzi: Never abandon imagination.

Imagination is a world of possibility that exists within each of us. It is what makes us uniquely human. It is our creative fingerprint that touches and influences the world around us. Imagination is essential to art and science; to innovation and prosperity. It gives us hope, calls us to action and leads to change.

Whether it’s fairies, dragons, robots or aliens, all of my children’s book characters are siblings born of my imagination – an imagination strengthened through years of encouragement from family, teachers and friends. While so many others abandoned it during their transition from childhood to adulthood, I fiercely held onto mine, hoping for a day when I could share it to inspire the next generation of dreamers. Innovators. World changers.

Imagination empowers us to envision and create a reality of what could be. We must hold it dear, foster it and never abandon it.