February 28, 2025
Provided images/Suzanne Schenker/Penguin Random House
Bucks County native K.L. Walther has set her fourth YA novel, 'While We're Young,' in Philadelphia. The gender-swapped 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' riff debuts Tuesday.
The idea for K.L. Walther's newest book came to her in a dream.
The Bucks County native author, who's penned young adult novels like "The Summer of Broken Rules" and "What Happens After Midnight," was struggling with writer's block during the middle of COVID-19 lockdown, leaving little for her to do. So she put on one of her favorite movies, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Later that evening, inspiration struck.
"That night I literally had a dream that I had written a gender-swapped, contemporary retelling of 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off,'" she said. "That was the dream. I woke up and remembered that, and then I thought about it for the rest of the day. I was like, I think this could work. And I was texting my agent and I soft pitched it to her. She loved the idea. Then I had started thinking about the setting and I knew I had wanted to do a city to keep in line with the movie. And I thought about Philly."
That dream becomes a reality Tuesday, when "While We're Young" hits virtual and physical bookshelves. The teen romance follows three lifelong friends on a senior skip day across Philadelphia. Grace, the charismatic class president, fakes a nasty stomach bug and then springs an itinerary on her BFF Isa and secret crush Everett. Grace's brother James — who is, unbeknownst to her, in a budding relationship with Isa — grows suspicious as they vanish from school and sets out to find them. The story switches between their four perspectives.
"While We're Young" hits familiar beats from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." The trio steals a parent's car, grabs lunch at a fancy restaurant and dodges their principal. But Walther tweaks the circumstances, action and setting to suit her story. Instead of wandering through the Art Institute of Chicago, the teens visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Grace poses not as Everett's father, but the Phillie Phanatic, to bust him out of class. And after their planned meal at Jean-Georges goes bust, they compare cheesesteaks at Pat's and Geno's.
"I know it's a tourist trap, but it definitely worked with the scene I wanted to write," Walther said.
Their adventures were partially inspired by the author's own adolescent trips into the city for field trips, concerts and quality time with her cousins. One of them even took Walther on a scouting trip across Philadelphia for the book, though not all of their destinations made the cut. The Bok Building, for instance, didn't quite fit the characters and pacing. Reading Terminal Market and a third cheesesteak spot, Jim's Steaks, also failed to make the final draft.
Walther put a lot of herself into Everett, the not-so-subtle Mets fan grieving the death of his dad throughout the story. When she was young, the author and her family, who have roots in New York, cheered on the Rangers at Flyers games. They also suffered a loss. Walther's father passed from brain cancer in 2020.
"I loved writing Everett, but I got really upset before every Everett chapter because I was missing my father and I was in a very similar place to where Everett is in the book," she said. "So it was very cathartic to write him. But yeah, a lot of tears went into him."
"While We're Young" is her fourth book, but she already has two more on the way. "A First Time for Everything," concerning a girl's quest to land her first kiss and date, debuts June 3. Walther is also working on yet another take on an '80s teen comedy. This time, she's tackling "Risky Business," only it'll be a little less risqué. While her parents are away, artsy lead character Audrey drains a bank account to pay for a glass-blowing program, then puts the family home on Airbnb to make some money back.
Audrey also happens to be Grace and James' cousin, furthering the extended Walther literary universe. She connects her novels through subtle references to later protagonists; all of the characters in "A First Time for Everything," she says, are mentioned in "While We're Young." James and Isa will also appear in her forthcoming "Risky Business" riff.
Walther knows some readers are wondering when she'll write an "adult book," but she isn't looking to leave the YA genre, where she got her start nearly five years ago, anytime soon.
"I've just continued in YA because I think it's such a transformative time for all of us," she said. "From love to family, to rocky friendships, to pressures to get into the right school. I just think there's a lot to discuss. I haven't run out of things to say yet."
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