That inspired Dory’s character, and then everything started to fall into place. And my father said, “If Abby said ‘no’ to you, that would be the height of her immaturity!” Family conversations always seemed to come back to me being the baby and immature – even after I became an adult. What sparked the idea for Dory’s character?Īctually, the initial spark came at a dinner with my parents and two older siblings, after my husband asked my Dad if he could marry me. (Hint: the author didn’t have to look too far to find her!) Hanlon, who lives in Brooklyn with her husband and their eight-year-old twins, talked to PW about how Dory came to be. First-grader Dory makes an actual friend in a sequel, Dory and the Real True Friend, a July release from Dial. The illustrated chapter book made an immediate splash, receiving four starred reviews – including one from PW – and landing on five “best books of the year” lists. Nuggy, a gnomish man who announces he is her fairy godmother and turns her into a puppy. Fans of Ramona the Pest will particularly love this, and adults looking for a rib-tickling readaloud selection will find Dory fills the bill.In last fall’s Dory Fantasmagory, Abby Hanlon introduced a six-year-old who calls on her vivid imagination when her older brother and sister refuse to play with her because she’s a “baby.” For companionship, Dory conjures up Mary, a monster friend, and Mr.

Dory’s palpable longing to be part of her siblings’ activities adds just the right amount of heart-wrench to the story, and the family dynamics are humorously true-to-life. 'To say that six-year-old Dory is imaginative is an understatement. Dory ultimately finds a way to prove her bravery to her brother and sister, and readers will laugh at her entertaining antics.' School Library Journal, Starred Review 'Hanlon creates a successful transitional book for new readers ready for longer stories. Time spent with Dory is time well spent.' Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review Hanlon’s (Ralph Tells a Story) loosely scrawled illustrations, speech balloons, and hand-lettering are an enormous part of the story’s humor, channeling Dory’s energy and emotions as emphatically as the narration. 'Reality and fantasy combine hilariously in a story that, at heart, is about a girl who wants little more than to spend time with her brother and sister.

'Often just on the edge of out of control, this inventive child is irresistible and her voice, convincing. Author Abby Hanlon has taken a universal childhood desire (the wish of the younger sibling for the older ones to play with them) and turned it into a magnificent epic fantasy complete with sharp-toothed robbers, bearded fairy godmothers, and what may be the most realistic 6-year-old you’ll ever meet on a page.' Betsy Bird, New York Public Library Youth Materials Collections Specialist

'Perfection of tone, plot, pacing, art, you name it.

Abby hanlon author