My daughter, Catherine, and I went to see Gennifer Choldenko when she spoke at Powell’s Books in Portland on Monday. She gave a wonderful presentation, and she talked about how she writes her books as well as gave details about Al Capone Does My Shirts and her new book, If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period. She also read the first chapter of the latter book.
Three of the six girls in our group made it to the reading. They loved it! They got to meet one of their favorite authors and have her sign copies of their books. They asked questions, and they got to know a little bit about the person who created the story they had read and loved so much.
It was interesting to hear Gennifer say that she writes about middle school, because she remembers those years so vividly. “Anything can happen, because everything is changing,” she said. “I give my characters a lot to deal with because life is scary sometimes.”
Indeed. Here’s a group photo we took that night:
Attending an author appearance makes a great outing for your group. Check listings in your local paper, or look for flyers at your favorite bookstore to find out about upcoming appearances. You can also check the author’s Web site, which often lists places where she will be talking.
