Reading Intervention: It’s Not Too Late
April 12, 2024
8 Tips for Motivation
April 29, 2024
Each year, Springer invites an author of books for young readers to come to speak to our students about the writing process, where they get their ideas, and what it’s really like to be an author.
This April, we welcomed Dustin Brady, the Cleveland-based author of World’s Worst Time Machine, Escape from a Video Game, the Leila and Nugget mystery series.
Dustin writes books for reluctant readers. Books about video games or where you can choose your own adventure get kids who otherwise do not enjoy reading excited about finding out what happens next. Dustin’s books hook reluctant readers with playful humor and cliffhangers at the end of each chapter. Dustin says he guesses that a large number of the 2 million books he’s sold come from parents searching Amazon for “my kids like video games, what books should I get for them?”
Dustin spoke to students about finding motivation and avoiding distractions when writing. Students were surprised to learn that even professional writers sometimes struggle to stay on task or come up with ideas for their writing. He shared that he named the part of him that gives into distraction “Doug”. Dustin and the students shared ways they could quiet Doug’s voice - like having a routine, establishing an accountability buddy, and putting away distracting devices.
Author visits are meaningful for students, to actually meet and interact with someone (a famous author!) with similar challenges, who has grown up to be successful and having fun in their career. When students see that the skills they are learning at Springer are the same as those used by authors or other professionals, they know that these skills have lifelong value.
Blogger Clare Barkley is the Springer's Library Media Specialist. Through her innovative programming, students learn to utilize the library in many different ways, and meet professional writers to spark their own creativity.
