We had the great opportunity to host Lisa McMann in our library yesterday. She’s touring with her new book, The Unwanteds. (It’s a great book. Make sure to check out my review (and then go buy the book)).
It’s interesting to compare author visits with some of the others that have come to our school. Lisa was definitely not jumping on tables. That may have been a unique characteristic of Frank Beddor. She did have some of the rebellious attitude of Heather Brewer, which was great. The students applauded many of her statements and had tons of questions for her.
One thing that stood out was that Lisa read the first chapter of her book to start her presentation. I know that authors do readings all the time in stores and coffee shops, but I’ll be honest: I thought reading aloud to 180 students might not go over well. I’ve presented to that many students, but I’m tall and loud. Lisa McMann does not shout, or at least she did not during her presentation. She read with a quiet intensity that I was afraid people would talk over.
Then I remembered that her book rocks. There were students in the audience who were reading along with her, which is pretty cool considering the book only went on sale at the start of this week.
She shared about her own kids and her husband helped run the PowerPoint. It allowed students to see that an author has a real life and is not a completely mythological creature, although hearing that she wrote Wake in seven days leads me to believe that she has some Olympian characteristics.
If you get a chance to have her speak at your school, take it. It definitely boosted interest in reading her book. Check her tour schedule here. It was a worthwhile experience for students and staff. Thanks to Changing Hands for the opportunity and Ms. Redden for making it happen.
Yes, I’m tall.
Yes, it looks like Ms. Redden is photobombing us.
