Helen Landalf's "Flyaway"

Helen Landalf’s debut YA novel, Flyaway, released on December 20, 2011 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Her other books include the award-winning picture book The Secret Night World of Cats (Smith and Kraus, 1998), illustrated by her autistic brother, Mark Rimland, and Movement Stories for Young Children (Smith and Kraus, 1996), a guide for teachers.

Here she shares her preferences for the lead actors in an adaptation of Flyaway:

In order to cast my contemporary realistic YA novel, Flyaway, which is about a 15-year-old girl struggling to come to terms with the fact that her mom is a meth addict, I’d need to find three strong actresses. For the main character, Stevie, who remains fiercely loyal to her mom in spite of mounting evidence that her mom is not only a drug addict but also a neglectful mother, I’d cast Abigail Breslin, who won an Oscar for her role in Little Miss Sunshine. Breslin, who’s now 15, would bring the necessary intensity to the role of Stevie.

Another strong actress would be needed to play Stevie’s Aunt Mindy, who takes her niece in and shows her – initially against Stevie’s will – how a caring parent actually behaves. For this role I’d choose the lovely Sandra Bullock, who has the combination of poise, warmth, and steel that the role demands.

And to complete my trio of powerful women, I’d cast Toni Collette in the role of drug addicted, narcissistic Mom. Collette’s work as a suicidal mother in About a Boy has me convinced that she could play Mom to a T.

Visit Helen Landalf's website and blog, and watch the Flyaway trailer.

--Marshal Zeringue