It is not often, however, that the author of the book you are reading in English class visits your school. On Tuesday, February 8, Gordon Korman came to the Graland Learning Commons to talk with Grade 7 students in person about his work. According to Ms. Gaudet, "I was in my glory seeing Gordon Korman speak to the seventh grade. He spoke about writing his first published novel as a seventh grader, his writing process, and how he always seeks to answer the question 'what if?' in his writing. He also discussed the spectrum of research one can conduct in order to be an informed writer, and he dazzled us with synopses of many compelling novels. Were we excited to place a face with a name? Absolutely. But the power of hearing 'I started when I was in seventh grade,' coupled with 'I am on my 99th novel at age 58' was lost on no one. What better inspiration could there be for Middle School kids?" 

For Graland lead librarian, Ashleigh Finn, providing these experiences for students is not only special but extremely beneficial for their journey as readers and writers. "I think it's incredibly important for Graland students to have the experience of an in-person author visit. Students can see the books that they are reading come to life through the author's perspective and are able to ask firsthand questions about character development and plot choices," Ms. Finn said. "I hope that through building connections with the visiting authors and listening to their presentations, our students will realize that they can write a book someday too. It certainly humanizes the writing experience and makes the thought of publishing a book more accessible when you have a chance to meet someone so relatable who has done it before." 

For those looking for new reads for Middle School students, any book by Gordon Korman comes highly recommended by the Graland library team. According to Ms. Finn, "I love how Gordon Korman writes. He gives great respect for the Middle School experience through his writing and does so with honesty and humor - two qualities that kids can appreciate. Mr. Korman has an impressive ability to understand and capture the Middle School psyche, and I think our students find his work very relatable. I had reached out to Gordon Korman over three years ago, when a global pandemic didn't even exist, to see if he would be interested in visiting Graland, and I am so thrilled that we were finally able to make it happen."