First, I want to say thank you for all you are doing.
As the parent of four kids, I have spent many hours as a Scholastic Book Fair volunteer. These were the big events at our elementary school, extravaganzas that connected the entire school community – kids, teachers, parents. I loved working elbow-to-elbow with other parents, and the look of delight on our librarian’s face as we worked with her to transform her quiet library into what felt like a raucous celebration of reading.
Of course I have another connection to Book Fairs. I vividly remember the very beginning of my work on my I Survived series, and how the editors in Scholastic’s Book Fairs division were my biggest cheerleaders. They joined me in my mission to make big, complicated historical events thrilling and accessible to young readers. They put me in their videos and invited me to visit fairs around the country. They made me feel like I was the most important — maybe even the only — author in the world.
But of course, as I soon realized, it wasn’t just me or my series they were all excited about. Turns out the folks at Book Fairs make every author feel that they are a superstar. And they really do feel this way. There is a passion underscoring Scholastic Book Fairs, a passion for kids and books, for parents and teachers and librarians, for the importance of reading. I’m just (very gratefully) along for their happy ride.
And of course you are, too. As I celebrate the tenth anniversary of I Survived, it’s especially sweet that we can be together on this shared adventure.
Happy reading!
Lauren Tarshis
Photo: David Dreyfuss
