The students at Gwin Oaks were so fortunate to have 2 fantastic visits with Kate Messner in one day. Kate Messner is the author of several books including Capture the Flag, Eye of the Storm, and the Marty McGuire series.

Our morning with Kate started off with the 4th and 5th graders. They read Eye of the Storm and Capture the Flag in their classroom book clubs. To prepare for Kate's visit they discussed and wrote questions about her life as an author, characters, and plot choices. 

During the visit Kate shared her writing process. Students were shown one of her manuscripts as well as how she develops her stories. She even shared the cover for her new book Manhunt. She also put a lot of minds at ease when she explained the purpose of the green duffle bag in Capture the Flag. Her answer to this was surprising, but also funny.

The students who read Capture the Flag loved it so much that I bought copies of Hide and Seek, the next book in the series, so they could read it  for the next book in their book club. 

After the 4th and 5th grade Skype visit ended 2nd graders came down for their time with Kate. They all read the 1st Marty McGuire book in their book club. They were thrilled when Kate showed them the title for the newest Marty McGuire book, Marty McGuire Has Too Many Pets and also when she was able to answer the questions they wrote in their book clubs. The highlight of the visit for all of the students though was definitely when Kate admitted she actually kissed a frog, now that's dedication to research.

Thank you Kate for taking the time to talk and share your writing and stories with my students.

On October 17th Ingrid Law, author of Savvy and Scumble, took the time to talk to the 4th and 5th grade Cover 2 Cover Book Club students.

Students finished reading the book a few weeks ago. They also prepared questions ahead of time to make the most of the time they had with Ingrid.

During the visit Ingrid talked about why she became an author and what inspired her to write Savvy. She also encouraged the students to not give up on their writing and to take their ideas and turn them into their own stories.

She also answered all of their questions including what she would choose as a Savvy, how it feels to be a famous author, what she would change about the story if she could, which characters she connected the most with, and so many more. With each question the students learned more about her and the books. They also learned that there will be a 3rd book, Switch.

As our time was winding down students gathered around the SmartBoard to take a picture with Ingrid. We ran into a little technical difficulty, but Ingrid was very gracious and hung in there until we worked everything out.

Thank You Ingrid for a wonderful visit.

The Cover 2 Cover Book Club is in full swing. We meet every Wednesday during lunch and outside time from 11:15-12:00. Students bring their lunch into the media center and then we either break into groups to discuss the books or practice answer questions with buzzers in preparation for the Gwinnett Readers Rally. 

So far students have read and discussed The Lemonade Wars by Jacqueline Davies, Edgar Allan’s Official Crime Investigation Notebook by Mary Amato, Who Was Helen Keller by Gare Thompson, and Savvy by Ingrid Law. Students also wrote questions in preparation for the upcoming Skype visit with Ingrid Law on October 17th.

I love our weekly meetings and a chance to get to know these students better as we discuss books.

The Cover 2 Cover Book Club meet for the 1st time this week. Students ate lunch and selected the books they wanted to read. The Media Center was filled with excitement about reading! What could be better? 

The activities for the book club this year will include book discussion, a Skype visit with Ingrid Law the author of Savvy, and buzzer practice for the Readers Rally.

This books on this year's reading list are:
America Under Attack: September 11, 2001: The Day the Towers Fell by Don Brown
Boy on Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss by Kathleen Krull
Edgar Allan's Official Crime Investigation Notebook by Mary Amato
Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson
Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery by Jane Yolen
Masterpiece by Elise Broach
One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Touch Blue by Cynthia LordWho Was Helen Keller by Gare Thompson
Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt