How cool would it be if you had the chance to meet with the editors of your favorite book series? Last week, I had the opportunity watch this happen when Ellie, a 4th grader from Watkinsville, Georgia, spent her spring break in New York and had lunch with Harry Potter editors Cheryl Klein and Arthur Levine!
Ellie won the grand prize in Scholastic Reading Club’s National Polyjuice Potion Writing Contest, an essay contest that asked 2nd to 6th grade students to write about who they would become and what would they would do if they took a sip of Polyjuice Potion – a magical potion from the Harry Potter series that allows the drinker to transform from one person to another for a short period of time.
When you think about it, it’s a tough question to answer. You only have a few hours, so who would be the most interesting person to be? Ellie decides she would choose to transform into First Lady Michelle Obama for the things she could do and the people she would meet!
After reading her essay, we were all excited to meet this girl! What a brilliant way to do all the things you want to do! When I first met Ellie, she was down in The Scholastic Store, debating which books to pick (part of her prize included a shopping spree at The Store.) A girl who loves reading and writing, she was not distracted by the craft kits or puzzles – her attention was on Harry Potter books and historical fiction! At lunch, Ellie pulled out a notebook of questions and started firing away, asking them about everything from their career path to J.K. Rowling's personality to their experiences editing this amazing series. I have to admit, I may have geeked out a bit while hearing the tidbits of the process of editing Harry Potter – like the fact that everything was so secretive, they had to fly to The U.K. to pick up the manuscript!
The lunch ended with a pinky promise between Arthur, Cheryl, and Ellie. They agreed when Ellie writes her first novel, she’ll send it to her new friends at Scholastic first!
You can read Ellie’s winning essay on the Scholastic Reading Club website, and be sure to check back – there are new contests each month with awesome prizes!
