One of Those School Visits

I show up for school visits with a lot of energy and never know what's going to happen.

When the halls are bright and covered with student artwork, I know something about the school.  And when the librarian who invited me and the staff are friendly and welcoming, I know more.

Ms. Cruz, me and lovely librarian, Marie Smith

The morning I arrived at Hidden Oaks Elementary, parents were flooding into the library to participate in a monthly program to celebrate their children.  The librarian, Marie Smith, was coming from creating the morning news.  She was proud that every book in the library was chosen by her because she opened the library 8 years ago, when the school opened.

Don't even try to tell me librarians are anything less than the heart of a school. 

During this visit, I spoke to two large groups of students -- 4th grade and 5th grade -- in the music room.  It was a cozy atmosphere where I could be close to the kids and interact with them.

They were wonderful!

Jake got to hold Hammy the Hamster because he has a real hamster named Hammy.

These students were so enthusiastic about reading and writing.  They were nice not only to me, but to each other.  And they went out of their way to make me feel welcome. 

These girls made this terrific "Welcome" poster.  Don't you love the green Converse sneakers?

I loved meeting ALL the students, but two of them made an imprint on my heart.

Jackson, with Down Syndrome, was so excited to get his book signed that he hugged me for a long time and kissed the back of my head, then he turned and kissed the top of the head of the boy in line behind him.  "Best part of my day," I told the students.  "Best part!"  The kids were grinning like crazy.

A young friend, Ms. Cruz and Jackson

But the moment that slayed me -- and it was only a moment because that's the way these things happen -- a girl came up after my presentation to tell me something.  "My dad lived in Philadelphia, too," she said.  I asked her a question about where he lived, then said, "Tell your dad I said hi."  With students crowding behind her, she replied, "He's not here anymore.  He's up in heaven."

I gave this girl such a hug, then whispered in her ear, "My new book is all about that."  (It's about a boy in Philadelphia who comes to terms with the death of his dad.)

She looked up at me.  "It is?"

I nodded, then gave her an extra hug, because even if she didn't need it, I did. 

Winner -- Back-to-School Giveaway

Thank you for participating in the Big Back-to-School Giveaway! 

And thanks to random.org for selecting the winner of ALL of the following prizes:

• An autographed hardcover of OLIVIA BEAN, TRIVIA QUEEN
• Signed paperback copies of HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL and AS IF BEING 12-3/4 ISN'T BAD ENOUGH, MY MOTHER IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT!
• A FREE 30-minute Skype visit with the author
• 30 signed Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen bookmarks
• A $25 gift card for Books-A-Million 

Congratulations to . . . NATALIE DIAZ LORENZI, who happens to be an educator and an author and is working toward becoming a full-time school librarian.

If you were not selected, you can still schedule a free 10-15 minute Q & A Skype visit, arrange a fun-filled, memorable author visit, get FREE reading/activity guides, find election-themed links for students and more at my web site, WWW.DONNAGEPHART.COM.

Thank you for stopping by and here's hoping you have an AWESOME year!

School Visit in PA, Surprise Snowfall and Something SCARY

You know your school visit is going to be fun when the principal introduces himself . . . and he's dressed as a scarecrow!

I had the pleasure of visiting with some of the students at Newtown Middle School in PA.

Big thanks to media specialist, Jana Bovino, for pulling this visit together on short notice.

And the talented Selin, who created this welcome poster:

Selin is on the right . . . Beth is on the left.  (I'll tell you about Beth in a sec.)

Beth is the reason I was visiting Newtown Middle School.  I've been friends with her mom, June, since high school.  Beth has been a BIG supporter of my books.  When she e-mailed to ask if I could visit her school, I replied, "I just booked a flight to the area. I'd love to visit your school!" 

And it turned out to be a delightful visit!

Here's Beth at home with her new guinea pig . . .

And Beth's sister, Melissa, with her new rabbit . . .

After the school visit, it was off to Penn State -- Happy Valley to visit another high school friend, Monica, and her lovely family.

Here's Monica whipping up something delicious for breakfast . . .

I woke Saturday to something I hadn't seen in THREE YEARS!

This Florida girl really enjoyed it.  I drew pictures in the snow and threw snowballs and caught flakes on my tongue, but mostly I enjoyed it from inside . . . where the fireplace (and dog, Cocoa) was.  

Then I found out something scary.  There was a BEAR on the deck during the night.  A BEAR!  Fortunately, I slept right through it.  So no photos of the bear or what it did to the bird feeder, while trying to get at the seeds inside. 

As if that wasn't scary enough, I flew home on Halloween with my niece, Nicole. 

THIS is what we saw at the counter at Southwest. 

Reason #5938 why I LUV Southwest!

School Visit with Invisible Students

A big barrel of THANKS to Kim Maihack for inviting me to speak to the 5th, 6th and 7th grade students at ALL SAINTS.

I'd show you a photo of the 150 students sitting on the gym floor, but someone, ahem, forgot to take out her camera and snap said photo.

You'll have to take my word for it when I tell you this was one of the nicest group of kids I've ever spoken before . . . and I've spoken in front of some pretty awesome kids. They weren't only nice to me, they were nice to each other.

And they asked excellent questions when the presentation was over.

One girl asked, "Don't you ever get nervous speaking in front of so many people?"

I answered her honestly, "I was nervous before coming here to speak to you guys. But being nervous isn't such a bad thing. It makes me practice more."

I chatted with some of the students, signed books and finally remembered to get a snap of Kim, who runs the beautiful media center at ALL SAINTS . . .




And Eileen, who is Kim's assistant in the media center . . .




Thanks so much for having me. It was a real pleasure to spend time with your wonderful students, who are unfortunately, um, not pictured here.

12 3/4 Ways to Have a Successful Author Visit and Book Signing

Step 1: Work with a talented, dedicated media specialist like Lisa Petroccia, for example, who may or may not be mentioned in my next novel. :)



Step 2: Show up at the school's cafetorium and discover someone's forgotten lunch on the stage, along with a table displaying your books and a lovely purple orchid.




Step 3: Talk to 400 6th graders about the embarrassing things you did when you were their age. Throw in a story or two about how you sold your book. (Be sure to include all the hard parts like the, er, 9,756,832 rejections you've received.)

Step 4: Read the part of your book that includes Arnold Schwarzenegger. If your book doesn't include parts with the California governor, why not? Stop reading because the bell rings. Leave all the kids wondering what happens next so they HAVE to buy your book.

Step 5: Show up at Barnes & Noble approximately on time. Sit at a table piled high with your books. Direct people to the bathroom when they ask.

Step 7: Act a little bit like an idiot when your son's kindergarten teacher shows up.



Step 8: And when one of your besties comes to support you.



Step 9: And your husband . . . because he has to, plus he's really nice and likes hanging out in bookstores.

Step 10: Sign books for approximately 5,293,285 girls and one boy. The girls will want you to sign their books with a purple pen, if you have one. Have one. Sign the boy's book with black ink. Trust me on this.




Step 11: Have a great time talking with the kids and their parents, especially the parents who happen to be high school reading teachers or come from Philadelphia, like you. "Go, Eagles!"



Step 12: While chatting with the children, remember why you love doing this so much.

Step 12 3/4: When the books are gone, go home.