How Author Visits Inspire Joy in Young Readers
Are you looking to add educational value and inspiration to your elementary school's reading program? Learn why author visits can have a positive impact on children’s literacy and how virtual author visits make it easier than ever for schools to connect with authors.
Author Visits and Their Impact on Elementary School Readers
Part of my day job as a UX Researcher for an edTech agency is to seek out research on educational trends. This can range from investigating regional access to devices in schools, to curriculum adoption, to learning needs trends, and student achievement.
A few weeks ago, this research led me to student survey data from Pew Research Center that stopped me in my tracks.
The number of American tweens (aged 9 to 13 years old) who report reading for fun daily is at the lowest level since "at least the mid-1980s."
Rationally, I know this shouldn't be so shocking. I'm aware of the national data around our reading levels. I've followed the discourse around learning gaps and deficits. I'm a trained special education teacher with a specialization in learning disabilities, so I'm well versed in the challenges teachers face when teaching literacy across grade levels.
The more I reflected on this finding though, the sadder I felt for all of these kids.
I understand not loving the books you're assigned in school. I remember being forced to read Flowers for Algernon in eighth grade and resenting every page. Maybe it's good? I'll never know, because I hated being made to read it.
But the thought that less and less kids are choosing to read for fun? That's troubling. It's also understandable. Our attention spans are so short now. Full disclosure, I have a hard time reading fiction these days. I struggle to get into new stories, not because they aren't great, but because of my attention is pulled in so many directions.
It's sad, not only because I'm a writer and reading is a part of my job, but also because for most of my life, reading was my favorite escape. I think so many teachers, librarians, and authors feel the same way.
As an author of middle grade books, I feel I have a unique opportunity to do something to address this disheartening trend. For middle grade readers, school visits can have a huge impact on students.
Of course I'd love it if you invited me to visit your classroom [and I am booking visits for Fall 2023!] but I'd also be so happy if this post inspires you to coordinate any author to visit your school, because I do believe hosting a guest author at your school can have a lasting impact and combat this saddening trend away from reading for fun.
How do author visits benefit middle school readers?
Author visits can benefit middle school readers in a number of ways. First, they provide an opportunity for students to connect with the author of their favorite books or stories. This connection gives students the chance to ask questions and get advice from a professional who has been through similar experiences, giving them a sense of validation and understanding.
In person visits can have a powerful impact on reluctant readers. Of course, I don't mean that just because some wonderful authors visit students in their classroom they will suddenly begin reading for fun every day. But I do believe author visits provides kids with a new perspective on writing, and a new appreciation for storytelling. It personalizes writing and brings a level of tangibility to the vague notion many kids have about authors.
Why host an author visit?
When students hear directly from authors about their writing processes and the inspiration behind their books, they begin to see reading and writing in a new light.
I've seen first hand the way kids respond to the idea that when writing a book, the author controls what happens to each character and gets to shape their own little world however they want.
I'll never forget one particular Q & A exchange I had with a fifth grader at the end of an author visit.
He asked, with a skeptical tone, why a major plot point in The Ice House, my middle grade novel, unfolded the way it did. My answer: Well, because that's what I wanted to happen, and I wrote it, so I made the decision.
His response: Woah. Cool.
Hate to admit that I felt validated that a fifth grader thought anything I had to say was cool, but I did. More importantly, in that moment I could see a spark of creativity ignite.
Getting to meet someone who has written a book you've read is a memorable experience.
I never had an author come into my classroom as a kid, and I never thought I could be a writer professionally. There's probably a correlation of some sort there.
I want every kid to believe that they can be an author one day if that's what they want. I think the first step is for kids to meet a “real” author, and to get a sense of how the writing process works: why writers write, the fun and freedom that comes with storytelling.
I've gotten feedback time and again that my author visits have helped kids connect with books in a new way.
They've met and spoken to a real person who has explained the ins and outs of writing a book, and they begin to think about choices authors make in other books they've read. Not because they're being quizzed, but because they're interested.
It translates to their writing, as well. They begin to think about the stories they'd write and the decisions they'd make.
One of the most significant benefits of author visits is that kids read more as a result.
Teachers and school librarians have told me that The Ice House gets checked out repeatedly after my author visits. I've heard the same from fellow middle grade authors about their own books. My hypothesis? Meeting authors sparks kids' interest in stories in a unique way.
By hearing an author's personal story about the process of writing and publishing a book, students make connections between a book and an actual human being. This tangible example of how and why books are written from a writer of a book they've seen in person, maybe even read, engages young readers, including the reluctant ones.
I always explain that my love of writing goes hand in hand with a love of reading. When I talk about the impact my favorite books had on me throughout my childhood, kids begin to explore their own relationships with books, which leads them to seek out new stories in their classroom or school library.
During my author visits, I talk about my own favorite books from when I was the students' age, but I also cover my favorite current children's books. I give a little review and explain what I liked about each of them. The result? Kids check those books out right away.
Successful Visits
Whether you book an author for a virtual visit or an in person visit that includes a longer author presentation, there are some key aspects of an author visit that will ensure it is a wonderful experience. Make sure that you coordinate with the visiting author to make sure that your students have time for questions and receive some writing tips. Some authors are happy to provide a presentation that is more of a writing workshop format for a smaller group of students, like individual classroom visits. As a writer of middle grade novels, I recommend this for middle schoolers especially. They respond really well to getting insight into how authors approach a writing project, and tend to become especially enthusiastic about their own stories as a result.
Resources
I’m providing some links to resources to support you as you research how to best facilitate author visits for your class.
My hope is that by partnering with teachers, librarians, and families to increase author visits in elementary schools across the country, we'll begin to reinvigorate a love of reading in kids and encourage a new generation of lifelong readers.
If you're thinking of arranging an author visit at your school, please learn more about my author visits here and email me with any questions. I'd be so happy to provide a memorable learning experience for your students!
Explore New Worlds: Top Climate Fiction Picks For Middle School Kids
Are you looking for an exciting new way to help middle school kids explore climate change and environmental issues? Check out our list of the best cli fi books designed specifically for young readers!
Middle Grade Books Environment + Climate Change Cli-Fi Picks
Not too long ago, a good friend of mine asked me a question.
“Did you know that The Ice House is a clif-fi book?”
The funny thing was, I’d only heard about Cli-Fi a few weeks earlier.
Climate fiction, or cli-fi, is a genre of literature that explores the effects of climate change on our planet and society.
So yes, I retroactively learned that my debut middle grade book, The Ice House, is not just magical realism, it’s also Cli-Fi. As I’ve learned more about climate fiction, it’s been fascinating to see the connections between middle grade books and climate fiction, especially when it comes to themes.
What are middle grade book themes?
Typical middle grade books have themes that lend themselves well to climate fiction. If you think about some of the most popular middle grade books of the moment, you notice a pattern in terms of themes: friendship, change, grief and loss, family, and community.
When I was writing The Ice House, its themes were ones I felt were really important for middle school young readers: change, grief, community, hope.
These themes lend themselves well to the message I’d want to impart on young readers when it comes to climate change, the environment, and activism. In a world where it’s reported that so many kids face anxiety over climate change, I am proud that The Ice House serves a message of hope toward readers grappling with the impact climate change may have on their world.
Middle Grade books, Climate Change, and Activism
Middle grade books about environmental issues allows readers to explore the potential effects of climate change on the world around them through stories. Cli-Fi offers middle schoolers an understanding of what is at stake when it comes to climate change - but more importantly, it gives them hope for a better tomorrow if we act today.
Climate Fiction offers a range of advantages for middle schoolers, giving them an entertaining way to learn about the consequences of climate change and relate to protagonists in these stories. It can provide kids with an opportunity to become knowledgeable about environmental matters, sharpen their problem solving abilities, practice empathy, stimulate creativity and imagination, and comprehend the significance of taking action on climate issues.
Middle grade books about the environment provide readers with new perspectives on the world around them, showing them how their actions can have an impact and why it’s so important to take action now. Cli-fi books give young readers a chance to cultivate empathy by connecting with characters who are dealing with adverse effects due to global warming or other factors outside of their control. Through this they can gain a greater capacity for compassion towards others as they explore climate change through a different lens. Cli-Fi books encourage imagination and inventiveness among readers; vivid descriptions of futuristic worlds inspire readers to conceive innovative ideas for our future world—something that will be beneficial when it comes time for students to come up with projects or essays at higher levels of education.
Why do Climate Change Focused Cli-Fi Middle Grade Books matter?
While middle grade nonfiction books about the environment can be a great choice when looking for ways to better teach and help kids understand scientific research around climate change, Cli-Fi offers exciting stories that involve environmental issues in a relatable way, often through action-packed survival stories featuring elementary school kids. In addition to learning about the potential impacts of climate change, Cli-Fi books offer relatable protagonists who are dealing with similar issues as readers themselves: making new friends, dealing with the anxiety that comes with being the new kid starting at a new school, or fighting with a best friend. This allows young people not only to understand the topics discussed but also to see themselves in these characters - which can make all the difference when trying grasp complex concepts such as global warming or rising sea levels.
The plots within Cli-Fi books span a wide range, from dystopian tales set in post-apocalyptic landscapes, to cautionary tales about the dangers of ignoring science and technology, and even humorous stories about adapting to new realities due to climate change. Through engaging narratives that focus on current environmental concerns, Cli-Fi books can help young people increase their understanding of climate change. They also have potential to hone problem-solving skills as readers encounter difficult predicaments in dystopian futures which characters must work around. This can benefit students far beyond middle school years when they need to develop solutions or complete projects down the line.
When we think about using Cli-Fi books to talk to kids about climate change, there are some clear connections we can make for young readers and how they can take action.
We want to empower tweens through middle grade books. Middle grade books about the environment, Cli Fi or not, can be a helpful tool to approach topics like global warming and climate change. Her are some ideas to get you thinking:
One way to do this is to use cli fi books to discuss steps young readers can take in their own home and daily lives in terms of sustainability and recycling.
Another could be to tie a cli-fi book to a science lesson, discussing endangered animals and reflecting on how extinction of animals in the past has impacted the environment.
Assigning a writing reflection for students to note the impact that the natural world around them has on their daily lives.
This works pretty much anywhere — I live in Brooklyn and certainly encounter the natural world on a daily basis. This prompt can help kids in cities to pay special attention to the way nature plays into their neighborhoods.
Cli-Fi helps middle schoolers understand the importance of taking proactive steps towards protecting our environment from climate change; characters often demonstrate how one person’s actions have tremendous power when it comes to making positive changes in our world—from reducing waste consumption, using the recycling bin, or transitioning toward renewable energy sources like solar power or wind energy.
It’s April, so in honor of Earth Day, today I’m going to share a bit about writing climate fiction, why middle grade books about environmental issues are so important, and share several other cli fi books for younger readers that I’ve explored since joining the cli fi author club!
Climate Fiction, The Environment, and Activism
3 of the Best Cli-Fi Middle Grade Books To Read Right Now
The Ice House by Monica Sherwood (Yes, me!)
The Ice House is set during an unexplained climate event: an unending, world wide snow storm.
As a result, our protagonist, sixth grade Louisa, has had her life turned upside down. This climate change fueled event is the catalyst at the core of the book. Louisa is a middle schooler experiencing grief for the first time. She’s also dealing with the anxiety of shifting middle school friendships, and being stuck in her apartment with her annoying little brother underfoot.
Louisa strives to change her situation despite the overwhelming unknowns she is facing. She decides to fight against the hopelessness that comes with environmental disaster and grief stricken parents. In searching for a sanctuary to escape the overwhelming reality of the world, she reconnects with her former friend and current neighbor, Luke.
In imagining an alternate reality where weather makes life as we know it impossible, The Ice House explores the impact that our climate has on our daily lives.
It asks the question: what if everyone across the globe suddenly had to face the impact of climate change?
My hope is that Louisa’s decision to resist accepting the dismal projections of Earth’s future is one that that will inspire middle grade readers (and the adults that read with them) to take action.It explores how with persistence, determination, and hope, kids are capable of creating change — something I believe, and something I hope readers will take to heart as well.
Ultimately, I view it as a story of hope. Louisa and Luke connect through their shared mission to forge their own reality — one where the future they see can be shaped by those who believe that Earth is worth fighting for.
The Infinite by Patience Agbabi
Make it stand out
Elle is a Leapling – she can time travel. She leaps to the Time Squad Centre in 2048 and is immersed in a world where everyone is actively working to combat climate change. Or are they? Leaplings keep going missing and everything is not as it seems…
The Infinite is a fun and entertaining read, jam-packed with adventure. It will give readers pause for thought on environmental and climate issues and what the future could look like.
Make it stand out
Front Country by Sara St. Antoine
The world is not okay. Now what?
Ginny Shepard is glad to be in Montana for a month of backcountry camping before she starts high school. The world is on fire. That’s the awful truth. And Ginny would much rather be hiking in the mountains than doing the summer college prep classes her parents think will help her future. Because, the future? Who even knows what that is anymore.
Set in Montana’s sweeping alpine wilderness, this epic adventure captures the tremendous heartbreak of realizing the world isn’t okay at all and shows how that knowledge, and what we choose to do with it, shapes us into who we are.
Buy Now
Earth Day Ideas for Middle Schoolers this April
Climate Fiction + Environmental Resources
Whether you are looking for Earth Day ideas for middle schoolers in your classroom or you’re in search of some resources to explore environmentalism with your middle schooler, I’ve compiled some additional resources here:
I hope that this blog post has given you an insight into how Cli-Fi books can serve as a powerful for middle schoolers to learn about the implications of climate change and take meaningful action.
Navigating Tough School Years with SEL: How Middle Grade Books Empower Kids to Thrive and Belong
Why are Teachers in Search of Social Emotional Learning Activities for Middle School
In recent years, there’s been a growing emphasis on the importance of SEL in education. As a former teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how integrating SEL into your classroom and into your interactions with your students can positively impact your relationships and your overall classroom environment. You can model these really important skills in a way that students might not see from other adults in their lives.
In my opinion, social emotional learning lessons in middle school can present a specific challenge. Middle schoolers want to be treated like adults, and if they feel lectured through sel lessons for middle school students, you lose buy in. So naturally, many of us are looking for social emotional learning activities for middle school that are easy to integrate cross curricularly and that will truly engage kids instead of leaving them feeling talked down to or lectured. That’s where middle grade books come in!
What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Really?
The term gets thrown around a lot these days, so let’s go to the experts. The Committee for Children defines SEL as the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
Wow, that’s a lot! At its core, when we are integrating SEL into our interactions with our students or our children, we’re focusing on the development of the whole child. Not just their academic skills, but those critical emotional, intelligence and interpersonal skills.
The five key components of SEL
CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning defines the five key components as of SEL as:
Self Awareness: Recognizing one’s emotions, values, strengths, and limitations.
Self Management: Managing emotions and behaviors to achieve goals and maintain a positive mindset.
Social Awareness: Understanding the perspectives of others and demonstrating empathy.
Relationship Skills: Establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, and effectively communicating with others.
Responsible Decision-Making: Making constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions.
These are all skills that we continue to work on as adults, so when you think about it, why not really start to build that foundation for kids in the classroom from early on? Now, in a world where we are being prompted by school admin and others to craft social emotional learning activities for middle school students, teachers have a new challenge. Creating your own sel lessons for middle school or discovering a social emotional learning curriculum middle school students will take seriously.
Benefits of implementing Middle School Social Emotional Learning Lessons into the Classroom
So research shows that incorporating SEL into the classroom has numerous benefits for students as well as teachers and the overall learning environment you build. Some of these benefits include:
Improved academic performance: Studies have found that students who participate in SEL programs show significant improvement in their academic performance, as well as increased motivation to learn.
Enhanced mental health: SEL programs have been linked to reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among students.
Improved behavior: Students who are taught SEL skills tend to exhibit fewer behavioral problems and have lower rates of suspension and expulsion.
Better relationships: Students who participate in SEL programs develop stronger relationships with their peers and teachers, leading to a more positive and inclusive classroom environment.
And in an ideal world, there would be plenty of time for you to dedicate to SEL in your classroom.
But in the real world, teachers have more expectations placed on them than ever, and less time to live up to those expectations. Maybe you are one of the lucky few teachers that work in a school that has a dedicated SEL curriculum. Even then, though, ELA is a place to put those SEL competencies into practice, and to provide students with opportunities to understand these skills in a different context.
Middle School Social Emotional Learning and Middle Grade Books
Middle grade books are really optimized for cultivating social emotional learning activities and lessons. As someone who loved teaching writing and literacy and then went on to write a book for kids, this is my wheelhouse.
I get really excited about this idea because books provide an opportunity for you to support SEL skill development without middle schoolers feeling like they are being patronized on how to be a human being. With middle grade books you’re able to explore themes, explore situations and conflicts that resonate with young readers and create natural buy in.
When reading middle grade books, students engage with stories that reflect their own experiences, emotions, and challenges. When they are reading books about experiences different from their own, they can gain valuable insights and develop empathy for others.
Popular middle grade books that promote SEL
I think the majority of middle grade books actually provide great opportunities to foster SEL skill development.
This realization really hit me when I was editing my middle grade novel, The Ice House. While building a connection to sixth graders Louisa and Luke, neighbors trapped inside for months due to an inexplicable climate disaster, readers will explore self awareness, empathy, and resilience. They can also begin to process some of the universal trauma they experienced during COVID.
I have actually heard really positive feedback from adult readers of The Ice House as well, who have expressed the ways the book helped them begin to acknowledge the trauma they experienced during COVID and how it helped them start conversations with others about the way COVID changed them.
I wrote an for Nerdy Book Club you can read here that discusses how editing The Ice House during the height of COVID in Spring 2020 impacted the overall trajectory of the book, and helped me develop new hopes for it’s message.
Some of my other favorite middle grade books that can be used to incorporate SEL into ELA lessons are:
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
As you can see, when we integrate books into middle school social emotional learning activities, we can empower children to thrive during their tough school years and beyond! The ideas I’ve shared here have led to some really positive feedback from middle school ELA teachers.
I also invite you to grab the FREE guide I created with questions and prompts you can use with any middle grade book to engage your students in social emotional conversations here.
I hope you try them out with your own kiddos. Comment below with any questions!