Author Spotlight: Marissa Koons and 'The Christmas Pageant'
Author Spotlight & Literary Feature
Today Marissa Koons joins Peter Okonkwo in conversation around her children’s book, The Christmas Pageant. Click here to access the review
Peter: Natalie faces bullying and pressure from the "cool kids". As you wrote her struggles, what did you want readers to feel the most; anger, sympathy, encouragement or something else?Marissa: My first feeling I’d like the readers to revisit within themselves is exclusion. No one likes being left out, especially at school, where children should feel comfortable and treated equally. Favoritism occurs more than we realize and can leave others wondering if they did something wrong or that they aren’t good enough. Often honest and loyal people are treated like dirt. Anger is a natural reaction and while Natalie’s friends always try to encourage each other, the mean girls like to judge others and talk behind their backs.
Peter: Natalie eventually learns that other people's opinions don’t have to define how she sees herself. Do you think she genuinely changes by the end of the book or finally discovered the strength she already had?Marissa: Yes, Natalie didn’t have to change who she was because she was never the problem and she knows that her light inside shines brighter than others. The pressure from The Cool Kids almost forces her to look inward. By the end of the book, she isn’t a completely different person. She is simply a version of herself that has finally shed the weight of other people’s opinions and stepped into her own existing power.
Peter: Natalie receives support from her friends and teachers as she navigates the difficulties surrounding the pageant. How important was it for you to portray supportive relationships in the story, and what do you want young readers to understand about the importance of asking for help when they are struggling?Marissa: Natalie learns from almost every book in The Cool Kids series to surround herself with others who are positive and encouraging, not judgy and nasty. Let’s be honest, we all know who those people are! Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. By confiding in her friends and teachers, she’s allowing herself to shed some of the internal disappointment caused by people she once loved.
Peter: The story takes a seemingly simple school Christmas pageant and turns it into an opportunity to explore bullying, friendship, confidence, and resilience. What made the pageant the right setting for these lessons, and what do you think makes the setting relatable to young readers?Marissa: A Christmas pageant is the perfect setting for young children who feel insecure or unsure of themselves, which Natalie most certainly feels when the bullying happens. In that type of environment, everyone is watching the chaos backstage, the bright lights, and they all have the desire to do well. School events carry high visibility and immense social pressure.
Peter: The Christmas pageant becomes more than just a school performance. In your view, what does the pageant ultimately represent in Natalie's journey; belonging, courage, self-expression, friendship, or something else?Marissa: Ultimately, the Christmas pageant represents courage and self-expression. Natalie chooses to stand up and be seen on her own terms. She finally decides to stop hiding in the shadows of The Cool Kids and claim her right to belong. I think she also realizes they were never her true friends after all. She no longer cares about their opinions, secret digs throughout the years or being ignored at parties.
Peter: Beth plays a major role as an antagonist in creating conflict for Natalie. What do you think motivated this character's behavior, and did you intentionally make the antagonist someone readers could understand rather than simply dislike?Marissa: I think everyone has some good in them, even Beth. I wrote her as a three-dimensional character instead of a villain for a reason. I wanted readers to understand that bullies are often acting out of their own hidden hurts and fears. Beth needed to be relatable to understand that the cruelty directed at Natalie wasn’t about Natalie at all.
Peter: Natalie goes through quite a lot in this story. At any point while writing her, did you find yourself thinking, “Girl, please stand up for yourself !!!" What made you have her respond the way she did?Marissa: Real growth takes time. Sometimes a lifetime. Natalie is a rule follower and logically can’t figure out the reason for wronging someone because she would never intentionally do that for her own personal gain. If Natalie had fought back aggressively right away, it wouldn’t have been true to her character. Her slow deliberate journey toward finding her voice makes the final payoff even sweeter.
Peter: After finishing The Christmas Pageant, what is the ONE question you would love a young reader to ask themselves about their own life? And what do you hope they take away from Natalie's story when they close the book?Marissa: The only opinion of you that matters is your own! Whose opinion are you letting define your self-worth? We do not need the mean girl’s approval to be extraordinary! The light inside all of us shines so bright! Everyone should lean into that and not the need to be accepted or desire to one up someone else. We all put our pants on the same way. No one is better than anyone else!
Inside ‘The Christmas Pageant’
Every story in The Cool Kids Series provides children and parents a shared space to discuss meaningful values. In this latest piece, Marissa shares what inspired her holiday-centered narrative and why building genuine empathy early in life creates lifelong impact.
