Florida Round 2

I had so much fun on my tour of schools in Florida. What a whirlwind! To my surprise, I had butterflies before my first school visit at Starkey Ranch in Odessa. But I think the nerves were simply the excitement that this was my first in-person visit in 2 years (Thanks, Covid). But the butterflies quickly flew away once I picked up the mic and started talking to a passionate group of third graders. Then some absolutely brilliant fourth graders. And then fifth graders who had started writing stories themselves.

Kids always quickly remind me how much they love reading and writing and talking about reading and writing. Stories matter. And they inspire me to write more and read more. Because where do I get ideas for stories? Kids. Who tells me what I should read next? Kids.

So, energized and ready, I’m going back in November. I’ve been checking in with teachers, making sure they’re ok after Helene and Milton destroyed so much of their communities. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Floridians are getting better and better at managing life with increasingly frequent and increasingly destructive hurricanes. THE GIRL WHO BUILT A SPIDER is about just that, so talking about Theresa Brown segues nicely into conversations Floridian kids want to have about their ever-changing environment.

I’ll be going back to Jacksonville first. And then, most likely, I’ll be making a trip to Orlando in the spring. If you are a media specialist at an elementary school in the Orlando area, please email me at [email protected]. I will do my very best to drop by and meet your students!!

(Maybe I’ll get ideas for my next book while I’m down there, too. I think it’s gonna be about axolotls.)