Author's Day Throughout the Years

Due to the pandemic, Author's Day in March 2020 was cancelled.

Luckily on December 11, 2020, author/illustrator Victoria Jamieson was able to visit with students in grades 3-5 virtually for an author visit. She spoke about her books and where she gets her ideas. At the end of the presentations, she showed the students who to draw different characters.

On Wednesday March 20th , students in grades three through six at Deerfield School in Mountainside, New Jersey got to spend time with author bestselling Wendy Mass. School media specialist, Sharon Bradley, organized the day to give the students the opportunity to learn about how she became an author, along with the writing process. Wendy Mass, author of the popular Willow Falls series and the new Time Jumpers series, told students that writing ideas come from three places; experience, observation and imagination. She also shared a video of the 49 rejection letters she received for her first book, Mango-Shaped Space. These letters on served to motivate her to not give up on her dream of becoming an author. Students thought her presentation was very entertaining and engaging and enjoyed getting her to sign the books they purchased. Author’s Day was funded by a generous grant from the Mountainside Education Foundation (MEF). Overall, the day was a huge success and Miss Bradley is looking forward to hosting other authors and illustrators in the future.

On February 28th and March 1st, students in grades three through six at Deerfield School in Mountainside, New Jersey got to spend time with authors Gordon Korman and Chris Grabenstein, respectively. School media specialist, Sharon Bradley, organized the day to give the students the opportunity to learn about how they became authors, along with the writing process. Gordon Korman, author of the popular Swindle series and Restart and Slacker, asked the students to ask themselves “what if” when writing. The students commented in their evaluation of Gordon Korman that they loved hearing him read the first chapter of Slacker. They enjoyed it so much that the library had to order additional copies since it has been very much in demand. When evaluating Chris Grabenstein, the students said they enjoyed watching the commercials he wrote, the movie trailer for Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and how funny he was when presenting to the students. Author’s Day was funded by a generous grant from the Mountainside Education Foundation (MEF). Overall, the day was a huge success and Miss Bradley is looking forward to hosting other authors and illustrators in the future.

On Friday, March 17th, students in grades three and four at Deerfield School in Mountainside, New Jersey got to spend time with author Alan Katz and author/illustrator Lee Harper. School media specialist, Sharon Bradley, organized the day to give the students the opportunity to learn about the writing process. Alan Katz, author of the popular silly dilly songs books such as Take Me Out of the Bathtub and the new Mustache series, emphasized how the revision process begins when you think you are finished writing. When evaluating the day, the students said they enjoyed watching the commercials he wrote and how funny he was when presenting to the students. Lee Harper, who illustrated Turkey Trouble and Woolbur, spoke about how his illustrations are frequently rejected but he doesn’t give up. The students enjoyed the step by step drawing tutorial that Mr. Harper offered during his presentations. Author’s Day was funded by a generous grant from the Mountainside Education Foundation. Overall, the day was a huge success and Miss Bradley is looking forward to hosting other authors and illustrators in the future.