Invisible Emmie Becomes Visible for RAWKers

It's no secret that graphic novels are extremely popular among middle school students. When I first came to Maple Street, one of the fun activities we hosted was an arts-based summer camp. I spent one summer working with a Michigan graphic novelist who taught our kids about comic art. Later, he worked with me and a social studies teacher to create an elective class based on graphic novels and she fully integrated comics into her regular classroom curriculum. The kids were reading graphic novels, drawing their own comic strips, and we developed a massive book collection. When the elective ended, that collection was moved into the library's ever-growing graphic novel section where there is extensive traffic and I am always looking for the best new books to add to the collection.

With this background, I was thrilled when our local independent bookstore, BookBug, offered us a visit from Terri Libenson. The sixth graders in the RAWK program began preparing for the visit by learning about and writing their own graphic novels. Even so, it's hard to tell how these events will go: will the kids be engaged and polite? Will the author be comfortable with the nature of middle schoolers and their probing questions? It turns out that, yes, Terri was extremely comfortable with the nature of sixth graders and the students loved her presentation.

My favorite moments included a story that she told at the beginning about the inspiration for her story. Terri took the most humiliating day of her life and turned it into something positive: the book Invisible Emmie. It's so rare to meet people who have a sense of humor about themselves and their past experiences--especially when they are particularly embarrassing. Middle school kids often feel like they are alone in their experiences, so hearing a story they could relate to was fantastic. Terri also had a drawing contest with the students where they each drew a character and then exchanged the pictures at the end. It was fun to have the students participate and interact with such enthusiasm. In fact, later in the day when he back for his regular library time, a student was reading Terri's book and trying his hand at drawing the characters--the impact was definitely visible.

I would recommend booking Terri for an author visit. We have never had a graphic novelist as our author guest before, but the change of pace was eye-opening and well worth the time it took to organize and prepare the students. A huge thanks to BookBug, Terri Libenson, and Harper Collins for making our week!

Terri Libenson introducing herself to our students.

Terri and Invisible Emmie

Terri sharing part of her book aloud.

This scene cracks me up!

Terri drawing with one of our students--I loved that she interacted with our students.

Later, during library time, one of our students read part of Invisible Emmie and then worked on drawing one of the characters.

The Amazing Jason Reynolds

Just before spring break I received an email from the public library teen department. They had scheduled Jason Reynolds to visit and, due to state testing requirements, he was not going to be able to go to the high schools. I was asked if he could come talk to my students right after break. I wanted to say yes, but had to check with my principal and also find out if I could get staff members on board. Thank goodness, on both accounts, that the answer was YES. On that very day, 80 copies of All American Boys were delivered to the school and the eighth grade general English classes began reading it soon after.

I'm never certain as to how author visits will take shape--or how things will go on the actual day. My biggest worry this time was the week-long spring break looming ahead with our state M-STEP testing to follow. Would the students get engaged enough with the book to be ready for our guest? Would testing run over and make it hard for kids to come and meet the author? So many unknowns that any control freak would worry about were all coming together at once! However, after hosting many author visits over the past several years, I should know enough to trust my staff and our students--they always come through and this time was no different.

KPL and KPS librarians with Jason Reynolds. We are fortunate to have a partnership between the public and school libraries.

Mr. Reynolds arrived in the afternoon with the teen librarians from the public library. He was immediately comfortable--open and friendly in ways that make him magnetic. The kids were finishing lunch, so we had time to chat about his projects, as well as forthcoming books by other authors that he is excited about. I could have spent a whole day talking books with him. He also made a joke about my red hair (it's a superpower!) which made me instantly like him. I knew right away that the students were going to be on the edge of their seats--and I was not mistaken.

When the students arrived, they settled in and he began telling his side of where the idea for All American Boys came from. He also told Brendan Kiely's story. I won't spoil it because I genuinely hope everyone gets to see Jason speak, but I will say that the students were immediately engaged by his honesty and his storytelling ability. After talking about the book, he also spoke in general about the choices one makes and how they might impact future options. One of our staff members asked him about the moment when the "light went on," and he decided he needed to get his business in order as he had been a teen with little direction. He gave three heartbreaking instances that were pivotal for him . . . and you could hear a pin drop. It's hard for anyone to see into the future, particularly as a teen. I'm hoping that my students were able to take something from Mr. Reynolds' advice and that they will apply it to themselves. I see students every day who have limitless potential, but yet are backing themselves into corners where they will not have as many options as they might otherwise.

How impactful was this visit? We had to have Mr. Reynolds speak at the end of the day due to our testing schedule. Though the final bell had rung, I had students who stuck around to keep asking questions and chatting. As if that was not enough, even more students arrived at the evening presentation to hear him speak again. The boys were especially taken with everything he shared--and wanted to ask even more questions. I know that there is a lot of talk out there about transforming boys into readers. I have always thought that good collection development and reader's advisory both make a difference. However, this visit convinced me that making connections can also be powerful. I like the idea of authors becoming heroes and role models . . . but also for my students to discover their own strengths chart a path for themselves. I am grateful for every opportunity to expose students to new books, new ideas, new people . . . we are fortunate to have a relationship between the schools and the public library that offers our students so much more than I can do on my own.

These boys had follow-up questions for Mr. Reynolds. Two of them also attended the evening presentation to learn more.

Our staff members also took time out to join the presentation and ask questions after Mr. Reynolds was done.

Our Visit With Jacqueline Woodson

When I first started my job here, I began working with several teachers to bring diverse books to the library and classroom shelves. We created core collections that every classroom would have, focusing on authors that displayed diversity and addressed our students' interests. All of the collections included several Jacqueline Woodson titles, and I wrote an article for Knowledge Quest about how this transformed our school. We dreamed of one day having Jacqueline visit and talk to our students. It seems crazy that ten years later, our students were gifted a visit that we had spent years hoping for.

Several groups of sixth and eighth graders read Brown Girl Dreaming in anticipation of Jacqueline Woodson's visit to Kalamazoo. She spent an hour with us last week and her words continue to resonate with me. During the visit, Jacqueline read from Feathers and Brown Girl Dreaming, as well as referencing Each Kindness. She wove stories of her life and how her books came to be between questions from the students and passages from the books. Jacqueline's responses to the questions created a space in which the students could connect to the stories, as well as her life.

One of the students asked about perseverance in the face of doubt and she encouraged the students to believe in themselves--that way it does not matter if anyone else believes in them. What powerful thinking. She also talked about just having time to do nothing--or, "being bored." Having grown up as a Jehovah's Witness, she had hours of religious study each week. This became time to think and create stories. I wonder if my students have time to just do nothing--to think, create, daydream, play, and just be? This time is invaluable. I hope they do.

I was not able to attend the evening presentation at KPL or the seminar at WMU due to a conflict with the AASL National Conference. However, I've already heard lots of positive feedback about Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds, KT Horning, and Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan. We are so fortunate to have a public library that brings amazing author guests to speak to our students and community. I am thankful for KPL's ongoing service to Kalamazoo.

Jacqueline reading to us from Feather

A few students had books for Jacqueline to sign. We limited book signing so that the students could enjoy the experience and learn more, rather than just standing in line.

Gary Schmidt at Bookbug

Signed to the Maple Street Readers

The owners of Bookbug, a local independent bookstore, invited me to have dinner with Gary Schmidt last week before he did a reading of his new title Orbiting Jupiter at their store. Bookbug is a special place. It opened about eight years ago as a book store for children and has since expanded to include adult titles as well. I can go in and get lost for hours among the books and unique book-related items they stock. I was thrilled to be included among a group of local librarians and educators and enjoyed conversation with Gary about obscure picture books, the class he teaches at Calvin College, and his day visiting several local schools.

After our dinner, we arrived at the store and Schmidt told us about his inspiration for Orbiting Jupiter (an article he read years ago combined with a visit to a juvenile prison in Northern Michigan) and read a chapter from the book. He also told about the incredible experience of editing his late wife's picture books. I always find audience questions add depth to an author visit and this time was no different. Schmidt was asked about how he finds the voice of his protagonists and he shared some experiences that have helped him bring his characters alive. I like to make not of quotes when I hear a speaker and my favorite of the evening was definitely, "Everyone remembers middle school vividly, but no one wants to relive it." As I have interacted with middle schoolers each day of the past 16 years, I tend to agree with that sentiment. However, the fodder for character development is rich and plentiful!

I purchased a copy of Orbiting Jupiter and had it signed for our library. I read it in a couple of days and the characters remain with me a week later. I'm thinking about kids who fall through cracks and how one act could be the action that changes the course of a person's life. It's interesting that this theme finds me again: G. Neri had me thinking similarly earlier this month--and he named Gary Schmidt as one of his favorite authors and inspirations. The world is a small place indeed.

Ed Spicer took this picture of me and Gary Schmidt at Oakwood Bistro. I enjoyed getting to catch up with Ed and hear stories about his first grade classroom, as well as his experiences on the Printz and Caldecott committees.

G. Neri Visit

85 chairs squeezed in and ready to go--no small feat in our library space

Greg Neri visited Maple Street last week and it was fantastic. Last spring, I was contacted by our public library and asked if we would like to have an author visit. My answer was definitely a yes, but I wanted this visit to be different. I have always partnered with English Language Arts teachers or let students self-select into a book clue when we have had author visits in the past. This time, I discussed the visit with a colleague in Library Services before making any decisions. I wanted to have kids who might not otherwise meet an author get the chance to read one of Neri's books and connect with his story. Fortunately, my colleague gave me some great ideas and I ultimately chose to have five of our READ 180 classes read Ghetto Cowboy in preparation for the visit.

Yummy, the subject of one of Neri's books, was based on a real boy

Neri's stories come from life and headlines

Greg is a fantastic speaker who connected with the students well. He showed a video about urban cowboys, spoke about how he came to write his stories, and shared a bit about several of his published books and future books. He also answered dozens of questions from the eager students. After the visit, two statements resonated with me. First, he said he likes to, "Give a voice to the stories that aren't being told." I like the idea that a book might teach me about something I had never dreamed about. I read Ghetto Cowboy on a plane from Chicago to Seattle and I joked afterwards that I was a good thing I didn't have any Wi-Fi because I would have ended up doing a bunch of research on urban cowboys instead of becoming immersed in the story. This was definitely a story that had not been told in a book for teens and I'm glad my students got to experience it.

Mr. Neri interacting with our students

The second idea that has stuck with me is the statement, "Can a book save a person's life?" I had not done much research on Neri prior to his visit. However, I did read one article about Neri connecting with a struggling student and his librarian that I shared with the teacher who had prepped the kids for the visit. I always hope that our students will connect with that one book which will be a springboard to a love of reading and literature. What if a book could truly save a person's life? We can only imagine.


I highly recommend an author visit featuring Greg Neri. If you have an opportunity to see him speak, you will not be disappointed.

The students were captivated

  A sequel to Ghetto Cowboy may be in the works--imagine a polo team set in Philly

Welcome Back!

We're off to a great start for the 2015-2016 school year. There are several key literacy initiatives happening throughout Kalamazoo Public Schools and the libraries are working to make sure all students have access to high-quality books that fulfill their personal interests and curricular needs. In order to connect our students to books and authors, teachers and families are encouraged to have kids meet two visiting authors who will be in Kalamazoo in the coming months.

G. Neri will be in Kalamazoo on October 1, 2015. He will speak with patrons at the Powell Branch Library 5:00-6:00PM--this is a free event and all are welcome. Students from Maple Street's READ 180 classes will have a special chance to meet G. Neri during school on October 1 as well. All of Mr. Unangst's classes will be reading Ghetto Cowboy in order to prepare for the visit.




In addition, Jacqueline Woodson and Jason Reynolds will be in Kalamazoo as part of the 2015 Youth Literature Seminar "Mirrors and Windows." Jacqueline will be presenting to students from Mrs. Hampton and Mrs. McKee's English Language Arts classes who are reading Brown Girl Dreaming and will also speak at the KPL Central Library at 6:00PM on November 5, 2015. Teachers and librarians are encourage to attend the seminar which will include a presentation from each author, as well as some great book suggestions for middle and high school students.

                                     
Maple Street was the recipient of 65 new books from a grant received by Kalamazoo Public Library from the Friends of the Library in order to support this visit. We are grateful for our partnership with KPL and the wonderful service they provide to the children in our community.

Each of the middle school libraries will be receiving new books throughout the year which will include both fiction and non-fiction related to student interests and curricular needs. Please take the opportunity to visit your library and see what's new for 2015-2016.

A Visit from Dr. Marc Aronson

Author visits always seem like a good idea--and I never back down from the opportunity. Over the summer, the MAME listserv received a post about Dr. Marc Aronson being available to visit schools during his time in Michigan for the MAME fall conference. I jumped at the chance--despite not actually knowing how I would get students prepared. It turns out I worried for nothing. Two wonderful teachers stepped up and did a great job of getting students ready for the visit and Dr. Aronson made two presentations: one to about 45 eighth graders and one to about 35 sixth graders.

I was most impressed with Dr. Aronson's ease with my students. Although many authors say they like large groups and lots of questions, that is not always the reality. It seemed to me that Dr. Aronson is most comfortable when he is interacting based on student questioning. He talked a lot about asking questions and curiosity as the way good research ends up happening and told our students that, "Behind every answer lurks a new question."

I love the idea that research is about curiosity. This makes me think that we need to spend even more time in schools encouraging kids to ask questions. It's not enough for them to learn content and have answers. Being able to think critically and ask questions that make them want to learn and know more are the skills we want to be fostering in order to prepare students for college and beyond.

What strategies are you using to get students asking good questions regarding topics they care about?