IRL - "In Real Life"

   

There's this special group of girls who keep showing up places in my life. Sometimes they drag the brother along. Just kidding. LOVE these girls! You will probably see lots of pictures of them as this blog progresses. I thought about trying to tell you the story sequentially, but that would just take too much time. I am going to start here and if the other parts filter in as we go along great. Otherwise, just know these girls are amazing. This group of girls are the core members of "The Book Club". Other girls have come and gone over the almost year that The Book Club has met. They are quite OK with that because they just love having book club.
See that girl in the middle? We call her A. It was her birthday and she is very difficult to surprise. Around her birthday the third and final book in the Wondla series was being released. The Book Club had read The Search for Wondla last summer, and A was hooked! She loved the story so much that she had to read A Hero for Wondla.

http://goo.gl/1QpSnr

When she finished that she was so heartbroken that A Battle for Wondla wasn't available that we had to distract her with the Harry Potter series (which she loves). Then I go the best news a mom could have! A Battle for Wondla would be out on May 6. Yes! I can pre-order a copy for her for her birthday! Then I found out that Tony DiTerlizzi was going to be in town on May 8! This couldn't be more perfect! Her favorite author in town for her birthday (give or take a couple of days as she pointed out).
As I was talking to L (girl on the left) and E's (girl on the right) moms, they told me they planned to take their girls to see Tony D as the girls call him. A plan was in the making! I would go pick up each girl from school and we would surprise A with an outing to see Tony D for her birthday. We would eat out somewhere downtown while one of the other moms held our spot in line. It happened almost like that. Picked up each girl and a brother, met the mom at Book People. There was no line forming so we all went to eat at 24 Diner. The girls were not impressed with their $20 burgers, but it was a nice place to eat. I think it's more of an adult place. They loved being together. A loved being picked up from school by her besties and a brother. That's really all that matters.

It was really difficult to wait for Tony D. to arrive, but the girls were like kids in a candy story. Not sure the Book People knew what to do with 4 kids super excited to meet their first LIVE author and get a copy of the book they've been waiting for - FOREVER! They were checking out every nook and cranny. They were so serious about the book that they each grabbed a copy but wouldn't start reading it. They are faking for the sake of the photo - love the tongue sticking out? I loved how they watched the stairs and would come back and report, "Not Tony D.". They've seen him on Facebook as they watched his sneaks reveal.

Of course, as children do, they had to check out the bathroom. I was humored at the nerd graffiti in the stalls. Why wouldn't there be lines from books written on the walls? I was shocked that A didn't find this little gem. Roald Dahl is her other favorite author of all time. The other girls enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but not enough to go out and buy the entire box set of Roald Dahl's works. Some days I go with, "She is such a nerd."

Finally, Tony D. arrives! The girls grab front row seats. They are so excited I half expect one of them to fall out of their seat during the presentation. They listen to every word, answer questions when asked, and ask questions when they are given the opportunity. I'm sure they forgot all the other people were in the audience. It was a magical moment for them. I was surprised at how kid friendly the presentation was. I loved how he talked about the progression of his writing and sharing stories from his own life. Tony DeTerlizzi is the most dynamic and personable children's author I have ever seen present (and I didn't have to listen to a hokey song he made up to peddle his books). I was captivated sitting on the back row.

Original concept sketch of Eva Nine.

In the audience is a not so little boy. My little boy, Z. He is what I call a non-reader. Long story there, but he does not enjoy reading. He is the odd man out in our house since the rest of us are big readers. He is the reason we have so many audio books. It was a way into his world, while connecting him to others. See, Z had difficulty reading. Real difficulty. He was also in advanced classes at school. His friends were talking about all these amazing stories and he could not read them. He couldn't join the conversations of his friends because he had no idea about the book. He was embarrassed and would just stay away from the kids as they talked about books. It was socially isolating him in a world he so desperately wanted to belong to. Tony talked about being a non-reader as a boy, but in 5th grade a teacher made a difference in his life. The teacher realized that Tony was not connecting with the text and would do any number of cheater methods to just survive the book reports. The teacher gave Tony the opportunity to access the book on his playing field. The teacher told Tony that instead of the traditional stand in the class, give a summary book report; Tony could illustrate something from the book. It couldn't be copied from the book, but had to be an original work. Tony was on it. He read that book seeking what would make the best piece of art. As he read there were so many ideas and opportunities to share his talents as well as demonstrate that he read the book. The teacher took the assignment from demonstrating knowledge to synthesizing the story. Huge jump on Blooms Higher Order Thinking Skills. When talking to Z after the presentation he said that this made the most impact on him. He said that if teachers moved to allowing students to do this he would read more. He also said that if more authors understood the importance of art in their works it would allow him to access books more. He needs help seeing the images and building from there. Tony D. says "A book asks you to participate", but for Z it doesn't. Tony D.'s books invite him because there are helper images allowing him to better understand the text.
 

This night was just further affirmation that reading is a social thing. The girls from the book club have an amazing connection because of the books they have read. They have so many things to chat about because of their experience together. Then to meet an author - IRL. It was the icing on the cake. Someone who shares their passion with the world. A way to make writing more real for them. They also feel this friendship with Tony D. despite only meeting him at a book signing. They really do feel like friends for life with Tony DeTerlizzi.

It also brought a non-reader closer to the reading world. He found how he fits into this network of readers who can see the images through the words. He sees that books want him there despite how difficult it is to get there. Most importantly he can be part of the reading community, and that he is not alone. In the community we live in people read. They read a lot. They read books way before it becomes a movie. They talk about the books as if they are real worlds and real people. It is difficult to be part of those conversations when you are not a reader. Finding ways to connect is essential to being part of the social community. It's a start of a journey, but it will prove to be epic.

The Book Club and Tony D.