Amber McBride's The Leaving Room (October 14, 2025; Feiwel and Friends) takes place over the span of four minutes. It's a countdown, "inching us towards a decision that must be made," she says. "Four minutes is a critical amount of time in the medical world." Take the next four (or more!) minutes to read our exclusive interview with McBride about creating spaces for young people to talk about death, grief, and identity; bringing new life to old family recipes; and more.

Where did you get the idea for The Leaving Room?
The idea really grew out of this question of what happens in the direct moments after we pass away. I remember thinking, "Surely it takes a moment for the brain to catch up." So, infinite questions and hypothetical answers until the story of Gospel, the Keeper of The Leaving Room, came to life!

Why did you feel that verse was the best way to tell this story? What challenges and opportunities did writing in this format provide for the story?
For me, the decision to write in verse always comes down to the question of feeling vs. thesis. By this I mean, do I want young adult readers to feel their way through reading, or think their way through? Yes, with reading there is always a little bit of both happening, but which one is the focus? Gone Wolf, my middle grade novel that is not in verse, has a thesis: what happens when we tell history incorrectly?

The Leaving Room is saying: forget time, forget logic—what does safety feel like? You know when we all get goosebumps at a live concert? That’s verse. The brevity of verse helped me think of creative ways to set up the narrative in The Leaving Room. Using the stages of grief and a countdown helped highlight all the extended metaphors wrapped up in the story without having to use too many words.

What is your favorite part of the story (no spoilers!)?
The recipes included. They are real old family recipes used with permission. I adore that these recipes get to live on the page. They are also all very yummy.

What do you hope young readers will take away from The Leaving Room?
I hope reading the book helps conversations about death and grief come up more organically. I don’t know that we have enough spaces for young people to talk about death, grief, and identity.

What do you like most about writing for young readers? 
Young people are so creative, they just have this ability to “get” verse so quickly. I like that writing for them keeps challenging me to be more creative.

What do you have coming up next? What are you working on now?
My debut picture book, Magick Hoodoo Child, comes out in January. I am also working on writing verse for adults (because adults deserve novels in verse too) and an adult gothic novel.