Back to School, 50 Years Late

My first school visit of the 2014-15 school year was worth the wait! I returned to my home elementary school, Pawnee Elementary, on December 3. Pawnee and I were born the same year—1965—and we’ve both aged gracefully, if I say so myself. I was proud to help my school celebrate their 50th anniversary (the celebration is going on throughout this school year).

I attended Pawnee in the 1970s for my second through sixth grades. Back then we had blacktop beneath the monkey bars (the safety warnings consisted of: Don’t fall off), tornado drills in the civil defense shelter, and open doors throughout the school day. Things are a little different now. The brand-new office is a high-security operation with cameras and a buzz-in system outside the locked front doors. The playground has new equipment and something soft to land on, as well as a fence around the whole area. Kids don’t walk home for lunch anymore.

But in so many ways, it’s the same old Pawnee. The teachers care deeply about students. The kids laugh a lot. The library still has all the magic of storytime. The school secretary collects names of students who earn Panther Pride through their achievements; their names are read during the morning announcements. Some kids dream of making movies or studying dinosaurs. Some even dream of writing books and seeing those books in print on someone’s shelf. I can’t wait to see what they achieve. Go Panthers!

To make the visit even more special, librarian Cheryl Roberts and art teacher Lorie Sjostrom had the kids do projects related to The Key & the Flame, and presented me with several gifts:

Lorie Sjostrom's castles:

Some of the student artwork displayed in the front-hall trophy case:

 

Pawnee pride and Key & the Flame pride!

For more photos and a writeup about the presentation, check out the news story at the district website.

Thank You, Wellsville!

A huge thank you goes out to the Eagles of Wellsville Elementary in Wellsville, Kansas! I loved visiting their school last week. The students there are smart, attentive, and apparently really good readers. (One class finished the book only minutes before my presentation.) I had a fantastic time.

Barring any last-minute surprises, the Wellsville visit wraps up my school year. I've loved visiting with all the students I've seen this year--over a thousand and counting! This fall, I'll be making an appearance at my alma mater, Pawnee Elementary School in Overland Park, Kansas, to help celebrate their 50th year anniversary. I hope to visit several more schools and festivals in the coming months. If you're interested in scheduling a visit in person or via Skype, email me at claire [at] cmcaterer.com (substitute "@" for the [at] ) or visit the web page here.

Fun with the Grizzlies

I was pretty zonked by the time I finished all the presentations and then drove 4 hours back to the Kansas City area on Wednesday, so I think I can be forgiven for taking a day to breathe before blogging about my fantastic visit to Vandergriff Elementary School in Fayetteville, Arkansas. As I mentioned the other day, I stayed in a marvelous old inn, where I retired to watch Downton Abbey and old reruns of Sherlock after hanging with the Vandergriff Grizzlies.

But the highlight of the trip really was visiting the school. In five presentations to almost 400 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, we talked about why stories are important to us and why some stories are more interesting than others. The kids also did some brainstorming of their own, using some idea worksheets I provided on creating their own characters and settings. And of course, we had a Q&A session with each group. That's by far my favorite part of any presentation, because kids ask the best questions. Some memorable ones:

Q: How did you come up with the idea for this book?
A: I love to hike and walk in forests, and one day I was doing just that and I realized how old some of the trees are. Some trees can actually stand in one place for hundreds of years. That got me thinking about how trees witness a lot of history, and that makes them natural portals. What if you could pass through a tree and visit it when it was younger? It would be the same tree, but everything around the tree would be different.

Q: What made you want to become a writer?
A: I've always loved stories, both reading them and having them read to me. I was probably six years old when my mom or dad told me that someone was responsible for writing those stories, and that person got paid to do that. I couldn't think of a better job than that!

Q: What was the hardest part about writing your book?
A: Probably the middle. The beginning is exciting, because the story can turn into anything, and near the end you just race along, but in the middle sometimes you've created problems in the story that are hard to solve.

Q: Do you ever get stuck when writing a book?
A: Yes. All the time. I can't figure out how to get characters out of the mess I've put them in, or I just don't know what words to put down next. Usually if I get stuck I go for a walk or do something else totally different. I need to get away from my computer and my office and let my mind wander.

Q: Who drew the illustrations and cover?
A: His name is Karl Kwasny. The publisher hired him, and he did a fantastic job. First he drew the cover in pencil, and the editor and I looked at it and made different suggestions, like I said the girl in the picture has to wear glasses, and the younger boy has to have his hair sticking up. So then he revised the cover and added color to it, and we looked at it again, and they added it to the book.

Karl Kwasny's early sketch of the cover

Karl's final, gorgeous cover art

Q: What other books have you written?
A: This is the first book of mine that has gotten published. I've written other books that didn't get published. I've also written the sequel to this book, which is called The Wand & the Sea. It isn't in the bookstore yet; the publisher is still doing work on it, and it should come out next spring.

Q: How old are you?
A: I'm 48.

Q: What's this book about again?
A: It's about three kids who find themselves trapped in a fantastical kingdom where magic is outlawed, and they have to use magic to find their way home.

Passing Time at the Johnson Mill

Hello from Fayetteville! I'm looking forward to visiting with the Vandergriff Elementary Grizzlies tomorrow! And I'm excited to visit a state I've never seen before--Arkansas. Not only is Fayetteville lovely, but its citizens are some of the nicest folks in the U.S.

I can't say enough about the gorgeous place I'm staying at, the Inn at the Mill, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.


This photo of Inn at the Mill is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This beautiful mill, now an inn, was actually restored after the original was destroyed during the Civil War. The historical plaque reads:

Both soldiers and civilians used gristmills to grind wheat and corn into flour and meal. Confederate troops destroyed mills to keep Union armies from using them. Union troops destroyed them to keep C.S. guerrillas from using them as gathering points. This caused much suffering for civilians. Many starved, became refugees, or settled in farm colonies, protected by Union forces. Sutton's Mill, which once stood here, was lost in the war. Former U.S. soldiers Jacob Johnson and William Mayes bought the site in 1865 and built the mill that stands here today.

The rooms are fantastic, and the staff serves up wonderful food as well. Thanks go to Marci Tate, Vandergriff's librarian, for finding me this little piece of history to enjoy.

More tomorrow on my visit to Vandergriff!

Visit to Stilwell

It's a little bit mad to schedule author events the week after New Year's. But school schedules can be tight, and I didn't want to miss the chance to visit Stilwell Elementary, home of the Mustangs, on January 10.

The kids and I had a fantastic time. First, I spoke to the 3rd-5th graders about how I came to write The Key & the Flame--my early writing, lack of art talent, early failures, and the eventual publication of the book. We also talked about what makes a good story and keeps readers turning pages.

With the kindergarten, first, and second graders, I took a different approach, assuming that 6-year-olds wouldn't be keen on hearing about all my rejection letters. We talked about story in general--how to brainstorm characters and setting--and then we created a story right on the spot with several talented actors from the audience.

 In both groups, I was amazed at how attentive the kids were and what great questions they asked. Thank you, Stilwell, for such a warm welcome!



Next month: Off to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to visit with the Grizzlies of Vandergriff Elementary! Find a complete listing of upcoming events here. For info on arranging an author visit to your school, click here.