About 18 months ago, I started messaging back and forward with Arizona author Dusti Bowling asking if she’d be interested in visiting our students at Shanghai American School. Now she’s finished her two week visit and is ‘safely’ back in the land of tarantulas, scorpions and rattlesnakes. I’m so glad I reached out to her.
Students on both campuses from Prek-8th grade enjoyed spending time with Dusti; in assemblies, in writing workshops and as she made time to visit classrooms just for a chat.
In-person Author Visit and Book Sale
On Friday March 4th, Puxi Elementary 1st grade teacher Noah Flesher is going to be our one and only in-person visiting author for this school year.
Noah has written a book about a former Kindergarten student he taught at Saigon South in Vietnam, which he then had illustrated by a different former Pre-K student Noah taught in 2003 in Shanghai, at SCIS.
Not only will our students see themselves in his book “Hally and the Sideways Tooth”, they will also be inspired to know where their art and creativity can take them.
The hardcover version of the book is for sale in our library starting Thursday February 24th for 100 rmb.
If you would like a signed book for your child or a gift for a friend, please send in 100 rmb per book in an envelope with your child’s name and class on it between now and March 4th. Your child should bring that envelope directly to the library please.
We look forward to welcoming Noah on campus as he shares his story of not only Hally, the main character, but also the journey of his idea to the end result of his book.
This year we’ve been so lucky to have so many wonderful authors, illustrators and poets visit Shanghai American School.
David Greenberg, Steve Swinburne, Steve Jenkins, Robin Page, Sara Holbrook and Michael Salinger have entertained and educated our students. They’ve shown them insights into a world that often didn’t exist when they were children, a career path that not many of them as students were exposed to. But now our students HAVE been exposed to a life where you can make a living being creative, where following your passion, following your dreams can give you opportunities and experiences you never imagined.
Thank you Shanghai American School for backing up our Mission, and bringing these amazing presenters into the lives, and hearts, of our students.
Shanghai American School inspires in all students:
A lifelong passion for learning
A commitment to act with integrity and compassion
The courage to live their dreams.
David Greenberg is in his final session now, with 7th grade. He has presented to almost every student in our school this week; an incredible flurry of sessions including poetry, writing workshops, civil rights presentations and assemblies from Prek-12th grade.
Thank you David for your contributions and I hope you have a wonderful week at Puxi campus; we truly loved having you here and I recommend you highly for other schools.
Seriously, didn’t we just have two amazing authors at SAS?
Well from April 18-22nd, we have TWO more! Margaret Peterson Haddix and Laurie Halse Anderson are coming to Shanghai. Come to our Assembly in the PAC on Monday 18th to welcome these two ladies to SAS Pudong. We have many books on sale in the library by these authors; first in first served.
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danville, Illinois.
She has since written more than 30 books for kids and teens, including Running Out of Time; Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey; Leaving Fishers; Turnabout; Takeoffs and Landings; The Girl with 500 Middle Names; Because of Anya; Escape from Memory; Say What?; The House on the Gulf; Double Identity; Dexter the Tough; Uprising; Claim to Fame; The Always War; Game Changer; Full Ride; the Shadow Children series; the Missing series and The Palace Chronicles. She also wrote Into the Gauntlet, the tenth book in the 39 Clues series. Her books have been honored with New York Timesbestseller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award; American Library Association Best Book and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers notations; and numerous state reader’s choice awards. They have also been translated into more than twenty different languages.
Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, and they are the parents of two college-aged kids.
Margaret will be in the Elementary School all day on Thursday April 21st as well as for an hour or two every other day that week.
Laurie Halse Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author who writes for kids of all ages. Known for tackling tough subjects with humor and sensitivity, her work has earned numerous national and state awards, as well as international recognition. Two of her books, Speak and Chains, were National Book Award finalists. Laurie was honored with the 2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award given by YALSA division of the American Library Association for her “significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature…”. Mother of four and wife of one, Laurie lives in Northern New York, where she likes to watch the snow fall as she writes.
American history has been a life-long passion for Laurie. If she were to become a teacher, it is what she’d teach. Like Speak, her first historical fiction novel, Fever 1793, published in 2000, is used in schools all over the country. After receiving multiple national and state awards, Fever 1793 was adapted into a stage play in May of 2004 and performed at the Gifford Family Theater in Syracuse, New York.
In 2008 Chains was released, the first in a trilogy set in the Revolutionary War time period. Laurie was blessed and honored when the book was named a National Book Award finalist, her second. Chains also received the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and the ALA Best Book for Young Adults award, together with multiple media and bookseller recognitions. Forge, the sequel to Chains, was published in the fall of 2010 and we are eagerly awaiting Ashes, coming October 2016.
Laurie will be in the Elementary School all day on Wednesday April 22nd.
I can’t believe it was only a few days ago that Kwame Alexander was here in Shanghai, dazzling us with his Poetic Skills. Students loved seeing Kwame on stage, where he performed his poetry and told his stories, and many of them have been inspired to write by meeting the Newbery Winner up close and personal.
Thanks for the Memories and Congratulations on Booked, I loved it, and can’t wait to share it with the kids once it comes out TODAY, April 5th.
Surrendering to holiday down-time, sees me relaxing, and taking time to reflect on the meaningful memories of our time with Todd Parr. Todd was a real treasure to have as a visiting author and artist; he ticked all the right boxes being loved by the students, teachers and parents. Come back soon Todd Parrty!
Four weeks from now, SAS Pudong will host two wonderful authors, Kwame Alexander and Todd Parr for the week of March 14-18. Hooray! More about Kwame later; you will certainly be enthralled by the presentations of last year’s Newbery Medal winner for The Crossover.
We are fortunate to have Todd all to ourselves for the week in our Elementary School, whereas Kwame will be presenting mostly in the Middle School, and also to our Upper ES students.
Todd is a renowned author and illustrator originally from Wyoming, and more recently San Francisco and I can’t wait to see how much fun our students have learning from his many creative experiences. Todd has written a gazillion books for kids, truly, a gazillion, and even has his own TV show. Wow!!!
We already have many of Todd’s books for sale in the Elementary Library, they are priced from 30 rmb to 80 rmb. Thanks to our generous PTSA Eagle Store, every Elementary Student will also receive ONE Todd Parr book free of charge; aren’t we lucky? Thanks Pudong PTSA More details on the available books will be sent home with your child in the coming weeks; we want to make sure you have the opportunity to pick up some wonderful Todd Parr books, as an autographed book makes a wonderful keepsake or gift.
For now, start counting down…the Todd Parr experience is on its way!
So much excitement in Shanghai this week, on top of the regular day to day thrills of living in a city with over 20 million others.
The weekend started with me reading more about the HUGE children’s book fair happening at the Shanghai Expo Center. Once I discovered that Erin and Philip C. Stead would be presenting, there was no stopping me. I called on my friend Amy to ‘GRAB EVERY “STEAD” YOU CAN’ from our library and raced down to be at the Expo in plenty of time. Being able to meet Emily and Phil, hear them present, listen to Phil READ their Caldecott winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee, and then having them sign a dozen books to our Pudong Elementary Students was worth battling the crowd of thousands.
Then on Monday night, our Shanghai American School librarians were thrilled to catch up with our favorite visiting authors, Sara Holbrook and Michael Salinger. I’ve lost count of how many times they have visited SAS, at least 5-6, and every time they are such a huge hit with Teachers, Parents and most importantly, Students. Michael and Sara never disappoint, have their finger on the poetry pulse and know their stuff. We had a great dinner, with lots of laughs and travel stories, and were thrilled to hear Sara is finished with her first novel, coming out in 2017, stay tuned for “The Enemy-Detroit, 1954”.
Tuesday saw Yong Zhao, another frequent visitor to SAS for the past 7 years, taking time to eat lunch with a keen dozen educators to talk design, perception and all things education. I was one of the keen, and thoroughly enjoyed chatting it up, listening and learning, for 90 minutes with someone who has a finger on the pulse. We have all of Dr. Zhao’s books in our libraries, and I reference him frequently.
I couldn’t let Wednesday go by without seeing someone famous and wonderful, so I began the three hour trek out to Nanjing at 6 am to visit Nanjing International School as their librarian Michelle Rinker had told me that Emily Gravett was visiting for the week. Emily has been writing and illustrating children’s books for just ten years, and already has a huge body of wonderful award winning work. She has won then Kate Greenaway Medal twice and this year celebrates the 10th year anniversary of the wonderful Wolves.
Seeing Emily present to three grade levels, K, 3rd and 5th, on three different books, Wolves, Bear and Hare go Fishing, and Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears, was so cool. She is certainly an adaptive presenter with an ability to engage children, and staff, of all ages. Her talk was interactive, informative and inspirational. Thanks so much to the friendly and welcoming staff of NIS for making me so at home. Brian Lockwood, Michelle and John Rinker and Emily Johnson, thanks for sharing your space, time and stories.
the barefoot librarian 