Maysoon Zayid’s online bio offers an inspiring range of credentials: “co-founder of the Muslim Funny Fest,” “disability advocate,” and “recurring character on General Hospital.” Clearly, Zayid is one of those individuals who excels at taking on new challenges. Shiny Misfits (Graphix, 2024), her debut middle grade book just published on April 16, is one of her newest accomplishments. The graphic novel is already proving it can hold its own alongside her other impressive feats, having garnered starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus Reviews. The story features Bay Ann, a character whose ambition to become a star is sidetracked when a classmate exploits her disability to turn the spotlight on himself. But Bay Ann—much like her creator—isn’t content to sit on the sidelines.
Here, Zayid talks with Lisa Bullard about the role social media took in shaping Bay Ann’s story, what she hopes everyone will understand about being a disabled kid, and her best tips for young people who want to write humorous pieces.
Your character Bay Ann shares many parallels with your own life: her love of dance, her Arab American heritage, her cerebral palsy, and her persistence. Yet it is also clear that Bay Ann is uniquely herself, separate from you. How is Bay Ann most different from who you were as a young person?
Bay Ann is who I would have been at ten years old if I knew then what I know now. I was a lot more emotional than Bay Ann. I was kind of a hot mess, and I really wish I hadn’t taken life so seriously as a kid. I’m the youngest of four girls [and] having sisters very much informs my personality. Bay Ann is an only child; they are completely different beasts.
Maysoon doing ballet to Wind Beneath My Wings
What changes did you bring to the story given that Bay Ann is growing up in today’s world as opposed to when you grew up?
I didn’t grow up with social media, and I’ve often said I would not have pursued a career in entertainment if I had dealt with online bullying as a child. I only experienced that as an adult, which was a much easier experience because I didn’t care what haters thought. I was successful, they were losers, who cares. But as a kid, I think that would have destroyed me, and a big part of telling this story is to give children the armor they need to deflect hate and shine on.
Childhood photos of Maysoon with her family
A big part of telling this story is to give children the armor they need to deflect hate and shine on.”
What attracted you to the graphic novel format? What was your process for putting the story together?
I am a lifelong comic book fan. I also loved comic strips like Peanuts, so the format is something I’ve always dreamt in. When my editor approached me about writing a middle grade novel, I immediately pitched a graphic novel. I wrote the book the exact same way I would write a screenplay. I described the panels the way I would describe scenery or action in a movie. My illustrator, Shadia Amin, is such a genius that she perfectly drew what I imagined. What I enjoy most about the graphic novel format is the ability to show the nuances of cerebral palsy. Bay Ann’s visible disability is visible in every panel, but depending on her mood and her level of exhaustion, it is depicted differently, and I think quite beautifully.
Spreads from Shiny Misfits
In the origin story you share on your website, you say, “No human being has ever learned to walk without falling.” How does that reality inform how you talk with young people who have a disability? What would you like to share with students and educators based on your experiences as a disability advocate?
I think that a lot of disabled kids believe that they are the only ones to fall or to fail or to have their dream turned into a nightmare. What I’m trying to explain to everyone is that being a disabled kid is a lot like just being a kid, and people forget that. It’s important for both parents of disabled kids and disabled kids themselves to remember that there’s something bigger happening than their disability. Being palsy is part of my identity, but it is not my entire identity. However, it could become that if I spent my entire life focusing on healing myself instead of living. The characters in Shiny Misfits have visible and invisible disabilities, but the obstacles they face are universal regardless of ability.
What I’m trying to explain to everyone is that being a disabled kid is a lot like just being a kid, and people forget that.”
Lucy the cat plays an intriguing role in the story. How did that come about and what inspired you to give Bay Ann’s pet a starring part?
In some of the darkest and most trying moments of my life, my cat was my confidant. I wanted Lucy to be the friend for kids who have no friends. I wanted Lucy to symbolize the fact that we’re never alone, even when we are. Imaginary friends are sometimes the most real. When I wrote Lucy, I knew that the audio book was going to go live the same day as the print version, so I always had Dave Matthews’ voice in my head while I was writing this cat. It’s the reason I chose these Shakespearean/hip-hop rhymes as their language. I knew one of the greatest singers in the history of the Earth was going to be voicing this cat, and I wrote them accordingly. Being able to voice Bay Ann opposite Dave was absolutely one of the most hilarious and precious moments of my career. He is Lucy.
Maysoon’s favorite writing/dictation place
Maysoon’s cats giving feedback to their author mother on Shiny Misfits
What do you hope that young readers will take away from Bay Ann’s story?
I hope readers limp away from Shiny Misfits feeling better about being different or weird or whatever label they’ve been given. I hope they give their parents a break and realize that being perfect only exists in movies and definitely not in this comic book or in reality. I hope they learn to laugh at themselves and be okay with losing. I am a lifelong baseball fan. I love the Mets—we’re the most losing team in baseball. Playing the game is where the fun is. I love to win. I am very competitive, much like Bay Ann. I also can take a loss gracefully when it is fair. Bay Ann’s losses aren’t always fair, and that is a huge lesson also.
I hope readers limp away from Shiny Misfits feeling better about being different or weird or whatever label they’ve been given.”
What’s your best advice for young readers who want to be writers, dancers, comedians, or pursue some other creative activity?
Be really good at whatever your art is. Practice, practice, practice.
Your deftness with writing humor is one of the standout elements you bring to Shiny Misfits. Can you share some tips and techniques with students who would love to write their own humorous pieces?
You have to laugh at your own jokes. If you don’t laugh at them, neither will the reader. Comedy is not easy. I really believe you should read anything you think is funny out loud. If it’s not funny out loud, it won’t be funny when others read it. Don’t steal jokes. You either have to make it funny yourself, or it’s not funny.
I really believe you should read anything you think is funny out loud. If it’s not funny out loud, it won’t be funny when others read it.”
Do you have other books for young readers in the works?
Kazu Kibuishi, the creator of the Amulet series, said he chose to do nine books because that would occupy an entire kid’s bookshelf. My goal is for Shiny Misfits to also be a nine-book series. I am already working on Shiny Misfits Book Two, and I also really want to do a picture book that is from the viewpoint of Lucy the cat on a snow day. It would be a primer for younger readers to get ready for the Shiny Misfits series.
What are the best ways for educators and librarians to connect with you or to follow you on social media?
Maysoon.com is the best. It has links to all my social media, and you can watch everything I’ve ever made because all my clips are all there in one convenient viewing location. You can email me, you can shop Shiny Misfits merch, you can book some standup comedy coaching with me, and of course, you can connect to shinymisfits.com, which has a bunch of cool stuff.
