Author Skype with Laurel Snyder

On Tuesday, students in the Curtis Book Club were able to Skype with the author of the book we have been reading, Bigger Than a Bread Box.  During the summer, author Laurel Snyder posted on Twitter that she would like to do Skype visits with students this fall. Bigger Than a Bread Box was being released in paperback in September, so I thought this would be a perfect book to read with the book club.  The book club, consisting of 5th and 6th graders, has met most every morning at 7:30, beginning October 1st and continuing through to November 6th, when we Skyped with Snyder.  Our fabulous PTA purchased the books for the book club, AND the author went by the book store to personalize the books!  The students were very excited about their signed copies of Bigger Than a Bread Box!
 
As we met and read each morning, the students would share questions and connections they were making with the characters and the events in the book.  On average, we would have 12-15 members of the book club each morning, some  bringing up their breakfast so that they wouldn't miss anything.
 
Finally, our day to meet the author arrived!  The students were in the library and ready to go, questions prepared for Snyder to answer.  She spent about 20 minutes sharing with the students about her childhood, her escape into books, and her goal to become a writer.  Snyder recounted how she submitted her first manuscript many times before it was finally accepted, talking to the students about not giving up, and how she learned from each rejection.

Students were able to come up and ask their questions of Ms. Snyder.  Some students asked about advice on becoming a writer, while others asked wonderful questions about aspects of the book.  I was so very proud of the students' questions!  You could tell they had connected with the book, and it was great to see their interactions with the author! 

This was such a fun way to spend our mornings!  Looking forward to the next book club!