Five Reasons We Wrote a Fantasy STEM Story

There's a strong magical, fantastical element to Wendell. Parts of it are fun and whimsical even. However, there is also this side of it where he discovers the wonder of creativity and making and robotics. Those might seem like opposite worlds. However, so far our kids have embraced the illogical, magical and fantastical along with the scientific and logical (to be honest, the dichotomy between the two seems to break down in a child's mind -- maybe that's a good thing). On some level, these things were less intentional and more of a subtext of our household. On another level, I wanted to affirm the fact that fantasy and making stuff can co-exist. So, here are five reasons we wrote a fantasy STEM story:

1. I wanted my daughter Brenna to see a strong female leader who knew about robotics and programming.  However, I wanted to do this without being condescending or sending the message that boys can't do those things. So, I deliberately chose a strong female character who works with Wendell. 
2. I wanted all of my kids to be affirmed on their creativity. Wendell is a maker, a tinkerer, a designer. All three of our kids love having maker boxes (or "junk drawers in a box" as we call them). 
3. I wanted them to see that the magic they feel when they learn code or make a contraption can be exactly that - magical. 
4. I wanted them to see that sometimes talent doesn't look the way we assume. Doing well in school doesn't have to be the measure of one's mind. 
5. I wanted them to see that the false dichotomy of epic/fantasy/language versus cold/science/prose is false. This is a fantasy story and a STEM story. I want them to feel the freedom to embrace both worlds at the same time. We don't have to buy into the lie that you're a math/science person or a language/art person.