Hello there my long lost bloggy friends...goodness, I have missed this! I hope this post finds you all well and happy.
I am excited to share my latest author adventure with you. To say that my kiddos were stoked that I would be meeting Mr. Gordon Korman would be an understatement. I mean THE Gordon Korman...Schooled and Ungifted, Gordon Korman! Swindle, Gordon Korman!
If you cannot already tell, I was super stoked myself!
April, my student teacher, and I attended Harding's Young Adult Author Series. You may remember me talking about this series before, here.
Mr. Korman was a great speaker, and I had not realized just how long he has been writing.
Over the years, one of the ways I have tried to impart a true love of reading is to meet and introduce as many authors as possible to my kiddos. Showing them that these incredible writers are people just like you and me, well, that just opens a lot of little eyes, usually followed by ohhs and ahhs. Students begin to realize that many of these authors began forming the reading and writing habits that would mold them to become the writers they are as early as fourth grade. In Mr. Korman's case, it was a seventh grade writing project that would later become his first published book. The kids loved hearing that story.
One of my biggest dilemas when meeting a new author is deciding which of my favorite books to bring to have autographed. I always ask authors to sign their books, "To Mrs. Dunn's Readers and Writers."
Of course I had to get Schooled signed...I just had to decide if I would get a new copy signed or bring in my own dog-eared and well loved copy. In the end, I went with a new copy. Schooled is one of my laugh-out-loud favorites, and I could not wait to bring back a copy to do a book talk with for the kiddos.
What struck me most while listening to Gordon Korman was how much humor plays a key role in reading and writing.
Some of my favorite quotes from the night:
* "humor is in the best places"
* when asked about writing he said, "lighten up"
And my favorite...
* "laughter is a signpost for what is good in our lives"
As we listened to Mr. Korman speak, I couldn't help but to think of a number of boys that would fall in love with some of his books, and I couldn't wait to get back to make quite a few recommendations!
Now....I have a sweet little picture to share with you.
I fell in love with this beauty after our last book fair. Oh my....cuteness overload, I tell you! Extraordinary Jane by Hannah E. Harrison is beyond precious. Little Jane is a little dog that finds that she is quite ordinary when compared to her extraordinary family....but in the end, she finds that might be just enough!
I would have bought this book for the illustrations alone, nevermind the fact that there are endless things I can teach with this.... character traits....themes in literature....believing in yourself! Love, love, love this book! I cannot wait to find more beauties from Hannah E. Harrison..jpg)
Happy Reading, friends!
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