On Oct. 6, 2008, the TSCPL hosted an author visit by Jacqueline Woodson.  This author has written 29 books that have been published ranging from picture books, chapter books, young adult novels, and adult books.  Most of her books target a young adult audience so middle and high school students attended the three sessions throughout the day for a total of 434 students.

To prepare for the author visit, USD 501 middle school librarians and teachers collaborated to form an eighth grade book club called “Book Connections.”  Multiple copies of the book “Miracle’s Boys” were purchased so students could read and discuss the book.  They also connected with other schools reading the book through an online blog on the TSCPL website.  Some groups looked at the author’s website as well and others watched the video to go along with the book.  “Miracle’s Boys” is a novel about three brothers dealing with the death of their mother.  It is told through the point of view of the youngest sibling. 

During the presentation, Jacqueline Woodson shared her experiences and inspirations as a writer.  From age seven, she told her family she wanted to be a writer.  Her first book was a poetry book about butterflies she kept in her back pocket.  She said telling her family she was going to be a writer was like telling them you want to be homeless.  They didn’t believe someone could make money writing books.  Jacqueline Woodson has not only been able to successfully support herself, she has also won over 100 awards ranging from the national Newbery Book Award, Coretta Scott King award, lifetime achievement awards, and many others.  A full list of what she has won can be found on her website:   www.jacquelinewoodson.com 

The author lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her two children.  She talks fast with a short attention span.  She says she likes to have three or four projects she is working on at one time so if she gets tired of one, there is always something else to switch to.  Instead of needing silence to write, Jacqueline prefers listening to music and it gets incorporated into what she is working on.  Being a huge Tupac fan, she chose to write a fictional story but incorporate the real Tupac singer in the book “After Tupac and D Foster.”  She also read excerpts from her books “Miracle’s Boys”, “I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This” , and “Locomotion.”  She explained after writing a modern version of “Romeo and Juliet” for the book “If you Come Softly”, she created a sequal in the aftermath of 9/11.  Being from New York, she had friends who worked in the towers and was filled with the emotions of losing someone suddenly.  That inspired her to write “Behind You” capturing those feelings of someone dying suddenly and how others deal with the situation. 

Once Jacqueline Woodson had shared about her writing and answered questions from the audience, she quickly signed books for students before the next session.  Having the author come to TSCPL helped students connect more with her, the books she writes and with others who read the same books.  It was great for students to have this type of experience. For an overview of Jacqueline's visit see this pdf.

Marla Lambert
Chase Middle School Library Media Specialist
Part Time TSCPL YS Public Service Specialist