When I heard that Alan Gratz, a New York Times Bestselling Author, would be visiting Buffalo for the WNY Book Expo, I knew he would be a great candidate for an author visit to Iroquois Middle School. Thanks to Kim Krug (organizer of WNY Book Expo and owner of Monkey See, Monkey Do Children's Bookstore), we were able to secure Mr. Gratz for a visit! Not only would Mr. Gratz visit the Middle School, but he would visit the fifth grade Intermediate School and select high school students as well.
Visit Preparations
At the Middle School, preparations and publicity began for the visit as early as September. As part of library orientation, all students visited the library for a video scavenger hunt. One of the videos featured the "fun stuff" that the library had planned this year...it was a perfect opportunity to announce the author visit. From this point on, there was a LONG waiting list for all of Mr. Gratz's books.
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| A screenshot from the library orientation video announcing Alan Gratz's visit. |
In the weeks leading up to the visit, Ms. Chernowski and I hosted an Alan Gratz trivia contest for all fifth grade through eighth grade students. Interested students picked up an entry form and used Mr. Gratz's website to find the answers to the trivia questions. Eight lucky students won a copy of
Grenade, Mr. Gratz's latest book!
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| Entry form for the trivia contest |
The students weren't told of this, but we had embedded an extra perk into the trivia program. Each student who chose to enter the trivia contest was invited to an exclusive meet and greet after Alan Gratz's author assemblies. There were approximately 50 students that entered the trivia contest. Each of these students received an invitation to the meet and greet event.
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| A copy of the invitation to the Alan Gratz meet and greet. |
On the afternoon prior to Mr. Gratz's visit, students worked on getting welcome signs ready for both the front foyer and the library. Sixth grade students in the library for study hall were eager to help with this!
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| Working on decorating the library's whiteboard. |
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| Making a welcome sign for the front foyer. |
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| The completed library whiteboard! |
Author Visit Assemblies
When Alan Gratz came to Iroquois, he was scheduled for two assemblies in the Intermediate/Middle School: one for fifth and sixth graders, and another session for seventh and eighth grade students. During each assembly, Alan Gratz was introduced by a student. The students who were chosen to introduce him were students who had read (and loved!) a number of Alan's books. This made for a special experience for these two lucky students.
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| Alan Gratz's introduction during the 5th/6th grade assembly. |
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| Two Alan Gratz fans were chosen to do the assembly introductions. |
Keeping the attention of hundreds of middle schoolers is no easy feat, but Alan Gratz's presentations kept the audience engaged from start to finish! The "choose your own adventure" format that Mr. Gratz used to structure his presentation gave the students ownership over the content of the assembly, and kept them interested in seeing what would be discussed next.
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| Alan Gratz's "Choose Your Own Speech" was a huge hit! |
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| Students voted on which story they would like to hear more about. |
After the speeches, students were invited to have their books signed by Alan Gratz. A number of books were purchased prior to the event, so students were happy to get their books signed personally.
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| Alan Gratz met with students after each assembly. |
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| Students were excited to get their books autographed. |
The special meet and greet for the trivia participants took place after the second assembly. The students were provided with snacks and the opportunity to have a casual chat with Alan Gratz. He graciously answered the questions students asked him about his life and books.
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| Students met in the Middle School Library for a meet and greet. |
After the meet and greet session, Mr. Gratz was off to the high school to speak to a select group of students. His high school session was as well received as the middle school assemblies were!
A Really Wonderful Day!
Looking back on the author visit with Alan Gratz, I cannot think of enough great things to say. His presentation was one of the most engaging and thought-provoking author sessions I have seen in my twelve years as a librarian. The feedback Ms. Chernowski and I received from students and staff was overwhelmingly positive. It will definitely be difficult to top this year's author visit. Thank you Alan Gratz for your willingness to visit Iroquois.
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| It was great to meet Alan Gratz! |
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| Mr. Gratz and Ms. Chernowski during our 11/7 visit. |
