It's always good to end the week on a positive note. Sometimes we concentrate on the negatives. We have a choice. Choose positive. Choose to celebrate. I will be joining Ruth Ayres and her weekly link-up, Celebrate This Week. Check out all the other celebrations HERE
This week I am going to take the time to celebrate authors and when they come out to travel the country and see us. It's been a couple of weeks since I've Celebrated and during that time my daughter and I were fortunate enough to meet two authors. For me, it's like meeting a celebrity. I'm so in awe of them, I don't think a lot of them even realize the pedestal we put them on!
A couple of weeks ago, my daughter and I went to a local library to meet Liesl Shurtliff, author of Rump. Her presentation was geared towards middle grade students and she talked to them about publishing and the writing process she goes through. Liesl was extremely patient with the kids and answered all of their questions. I think many of them left dreaming of writing the next bestseller! My daughter at least said she would let me have the first copy of her published book :) This was my daughter's first author visit, and she is very excited to see Liesl at NerdCamp Jr. this summer!
A few days after that my school district brought in the author, Tim Green. His book Unstoppable is on the Caudill list this year and I really enjoyed it. I like that his books touch on hard subjects that make kids think and be aware of what is going on around them. The short chapters make for a quick read and I was always surprised how even though it was not a suspenseful novel, I always felt the need to read "just a little more". I also liked that although his novels revolve around sports, they do not center around sports. This makes the books readable for a girl audience as well.
Tim was an excellent speaker for both parents and kids. I loved how he talked about reading books on the team bus. He made a big point of saying education is first with him, then sports. I loved that he talked about how important it was for kids to choose what they are reading. I was sitting by some of my 4th grade students and one turned around at that part and smiled at me... he knows that I believe in choice!
Tim answered so many questions the kids had and took the time to really chat with every child that had a book signed. I was impressed with how personable and genuine he was with everyone.
Thank you authors everywhere for taking time and meeting with us!
I love this celebration! Authors are rockstars and it is awesome that they are able to come and share some of their wisdom with us. How nice that you had two great visits in such a short amount of time!
ReplyDeleteGreat author celebrations. I know authors are human, but sometimes I wonder whether some magic is involved, where do they get their ideas and words.
ReplyDeleteI love when we get to meet authors -- it makes it so real and possible. Thanks for sharing this celebration and reminding us to take the time to arrange these visits.
ReplyDeleteClare
What a wonderful celebration! Meeting authors and writing about great books. What could be better?
ReplyDeleteI love hearing about author visits, and now yours in particular, Michele. The part about your daughter being inspired to write a novel is inspiring itself. What an experience for her! Have a wonderful rest of the weekend.
ReplyDeleteAuthors are inspiring! I love to meet them and introduce my students to them. For the most part, they are generous and kind spirits.
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