Skye is the author of the Leven Thumps series as well as the Creature from the Closet series.
Most recently published, Skye's latest book is Witherwood Reform School (Macmillan, 2015). The publication date for Witherwood Reform School was March 3rd, so this made Skye's timely visit extra special. I was fortunate enough to get an ARC from MacKids Books.
Mr. Skye also signed my ARC with a very kind and lovely inscription:
Prior to his visit, I read parts of the first chapter of Witherwood aloud to 4th and 5th grade classes. With just the first few pages, they were hooked!
Mr. Skye's presentation was absolutely fantastic! He talked about Witherwood Reform School using humor and wit, and with volunteers from the audience, the whole group interacted. Perfect!
Most pleasing to teachers (and me!), Skye talked about the writing process. He spoke about the importance of reading, brainstorming, and revising. "Revision changes writing to something magical," said Skye. I thought that was a very good point to make. Skye listed these steps to the writing process: "1. Read. 2. Brainstorm. 3. Write. 4. Revise. 5. Finish."
My most favorite part of Mr. Skye's presentation was a story he told about a librarian he had when was a child. He described her as very persistent in sharing books with him! He saw her everywhere and she always had a book for him. I loved that story!
I was so happy to have Obert Skye visit our library! We talk about books so much in our library, and we read so many of them. To have an actual author in our midst is such a valuable learning opportunity!
Many thanks to MacKids Books for coordinating the visit and for creating this experience for our readers!