Clik here to view.
Thank You, Arizona Library Association!
Good News! I received an email from Kerrlita Westrick and Shirley Berow, co-chairs of the Grand Canyon Reader Award, organized by the Arizona Library Association. Instead of telling you about it, you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fan Mail Wednesday #184: Highlights & Thank You’s & Student Art
Often after a school visit I’ll receive a large package of thank you letters. Usually I’ll respond with one “thank-you-for-the-thank-you letters” letter, but not always. Especially this time of year,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Writer’s Workshop Photos
Here’s a sweet shot from a writer’s workshop I conducted during a school visit last week in Virginia. After my prefatory remarks, in which I endeavor to focus & rally the troops, there’s always...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How to Tip the Chambermaid
Over the past five years, I’ve traveled a lot to visit schools in far-flung places: Oklahoma, California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Virginia, South Carolina, Massachusetts, etc. Mostly I stay in the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sign in a School Hallway
This photo was snapped by my friend, author Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, on a recent school visit. Stephanie is a great talent and an even better person. As S. A. Bodeen, she’s written The Compound, The...
View ArticleClik here to view.
PREACHING TO THE CHOIR ABOUT SCHOOL LIBRARIANS: So We Can All Sing Together,...
PHOTO: Tom Gralish. - I’m primarily writing to pass on a link about school libraries. Maybe the article states the obvious. Essential stuff we already know, or certainly sense. I realize that I’m...
View ArticleClik here to view.
School Visits: Thank You, Virginia!
- “It was such a great day for us that I wish he could go to every single middle school!” = I received a kind note in the mail yesterday regarding a few school visits I made to Virginia back in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
School Visit: Messages on the Wall
- When I visit schools — which is often, and always gratefully — if time allows we’ll arrange for me to enjoy lunch with an intimate group of students. It’s always relaxed and informal, just talking,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Fan Mail Wednesday #210: Sometimes Even Moms Write Letters
When I was in college, back in ’81 or so, an English professor drove me and a couple of other aspiring poets to Hudson Falls, NY, where we got to visit with the poet William Bronk. It was an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Photos from My Last Visit of the School Year
This one cracks me up and sort of terrifies me at the same time. (Somehow, I realize now, that sentence summarizes the middle school experience for every educator and parent I’ve ever met.) I have an...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Hilarious Way One School Librarian Achieved 100% Book Returns (Almost)
Her name is Alanna Almstead. She’s a librarian at Ichabod Crane in Valatie, NY. And at the end of each school year, Alanna faces the same vexing problem: Unreturned library books. Because kids tend...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Great News from a Young Writer I First Met Three Years Ago
- Three years ago I wrote a post titled, “I May Have Just Met the Best 6th-Grade Poet in America.” Her name was Erin, and she was in 6th grade, and I was lucky enough to meet her during a school visit...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Whirlwind Trip to Long Island & Warwick, NY — with Photos!
- I figured I’d share some snaps from my recent trip down to my old stomping grounds on Long Island. On Wednesday night I drove to New London, CT, to take the ferry to Greenport, Long Island. That’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
NOW AVAILABLE: Free Teacher’s Guide to THE FALL and BYSTANDER, Using Common...
I suppose this is a good thing. Right? Any teacher seeking ancillary materials for either Bystander or The Fall, can now download a free PDF file by clicking here. I get asked about this by teachers...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Shuffling Off To . . . Rochester?
I’m headed out on Thursday, the long drive to the Buffalo area for a school visit in Newfane, NY — way out there! — then over to Rochester for the fabulous, 19th Annual, Rochester Children’s Book...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #226: Word from an Aspiring Author
- Here’s a kind note from an aspiring writer. Hi! My name is ___ and I am a fifth grader from Sacandaga Elementary school. I was sick when you came and I was so sad. I love to write and your books...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Few Snaps from School Visits: A Typical Day on an Elementary School Visit
- There’s nothing particularly outstanding here, but I thought I’d throw up a few snaps from recent school visits and walk you through a typical arrangement. Yes, that’s truly “a good sign” for any...
View ArticleClik here to view.
RE-POST: The Hilarious Way One School Librarian Received 100% Book Returns...
NOTE: I am reposting this because it’s that time of year for school librarians. Enjoy! Her name is Alanna Almstead. She’s a librarian at Ichabod Crane in Valatie, NY. And at the end of each school...
View ArticleClik here to view.
23 Random Images from Recent School Visits — Just for Fun
I’ve been visiting schools lately as a guest author, speaking to grades K-8, traveling from Buffalo to Binghamton, Rochester to Wallkill, and places in between. Here’s a variety of images from those...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Three Rapscallions All In a Row
Avast, me hearties! This photo below was sent to me in anticipation of a school visit. These rascals must have been inspired by A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade and/or the sequel, A Pirate’s Guide to...
View Article
