Five-Minute Interview with the Author of Dragons in a Bag
by Traci Swain
![]() |
Did you know that author Zetta Elliott carries dragons in her bag?!
Okay, so they’re super-small and made of plastic—but they still magically inspired Jax’s fantastical adventure in Dragons in a Bag! This week, we were thrilled to speak with Zetta and ask her some probing questions. Watch her Scholastic Book Clubs–exclusive interview to discover:
• The gift that inspired Dragons in a Bag
• How Zetta’s characters go against convention
• Advice Zetta has for kids who are interested in writing fantasy fiction
If your students had dragons in their bags—like Jax and Zetta—what would they look like? What would their stories be? After watching Zetta’s interview, have them check out the draw, color, and describe activity in this week’s Cooked Up from a Book to create fantastical dragons of their own!
![]() |
Zetta Elliott was born in Canada and moved to the United States in 1994. She is the author of over 25 books for young readers, including the award-winning picture books Bird and Melena’s Jubilee. She is also a contributor to the anthology We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices, published by Crown Books for Young Readers. Elliott is an advocate for greater diversity and equity in publishing. A longtime resident of Brooklyn, she currently lives in Illinois. Learn more at zettaelliott.com and follow her on Twitter (@zettaelliott) and on Facebook (@ZettaElliottAuthor).
![]() |
This Book Is Available from Scholastic Book Clubs
![]() |