My last week in Clear Lake, and I was asked to do two amazing author events!

Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) held the first annual Books on the Boardwalk in Kemah, inviting mostly local authors to meet and sign books for CCISD students and Boardwalk visitors. Ty Burns, Director of Library and Media Services for CCISD, and Jeanie Dawson, the librarian at Victory Lakes Intermediate, and many other volunteer librarians pulled this event together and made all the authors feel very welcome. The afternoon was filled with meeting book lovers. A pair of sisters, twelve-year-old Andrea and sixteen-year-old Natalia, came by my author tent and asked me to sign copies of Winnie's War and Shadow. They share their books with one another and frequently discuss the stories they’ve read. They said they know how fortunate they are to have one another. I also had the opportunity to chat with librarians Coy Schmitt, Judy Paulson, and Dawn and so many others. CCISD has a truly wonderful, kind group of librarians who know and love books for kids and teens. Next year, they hope to plan Books on the Boardwalk the same week as the Texas Library Association state conference and have asked me to return. Yay!

Today, I had a school visit at CCISD’s Ward Elementary. At NCTE in 2009, I’d met Alyssa Toomes, the literacy coach at Ward, and she invited me to visit her school. Upon my arrival, I was welcomed by teacher Stephenie Ruby and the student council, who led me to the cafeteria. There, I talked to six classes of enthusiastic, smart fifth graders – who had all read Winnie’s War! They asked me great questions about Winnie, Nolan, the 1918 Spanish influenza, the creative process, and more. I was especially touched by a character chart that six of the fifth graders (Thank you, Smiti, Elissa, Maria, Faiza, Bailey, and Andrea!!) had created for their classmates. Here’s a pic of it - (with some spoilers, so don't look too close if you don't want to *know* :) ):

Awwww!

GREAT week!