Thursday, March 21, 2013

A Literary Experience - Chelsea, Michigan

Chelsea House Victorian Inn - home away from home for
Authors who visited Chelsea for the Authors in Chelsea event.
The Bed & Breakfast is a 1880's Queen Ann Victorian Home.
Chelsea, Michigan
The Chelsea District Library held its fourth annual Authors in Chelsea event on March 20, 2013.

Three nationally known authors were invited to Chelsea to present workshops for 2nd, 4th, and 6th graders.  The day long event culminated at the public library where parents and other community members, along with students of all ages were able to hear each of the authors read from one of their books and to have their books signed by the book's author.

Along with Tim Smith, Michigan author of the "Buck Wilder" series; and Kenneth Oppel, author of many adventure/fantasy books for middle grade readers, including the popular trilogy Silverwing, Sunwing, and Firewing, and the novel Airborn, and its sequels, Skybreaker and Stairclimber the line-up included Dori Hillestad Butler, author of the chapter book series, "The Buddy Files" and 2011’s Edgar Award winner for Best Juvenile Mystery.
The first day Dori sent back this picture of the Bed and Breakfast the authors stayed in.  Dori had thought she wanted the attic room, however, the bathroom that adjoined the room she was given, included a secret passageway -- a passageway she was cautioned against entering.  It's a dangerous thing to say that to a mystery writer.  So did she go into the passageway -- ummm well she got this picture.  Wonder if she explored.

My thoughts about the passageway -- "Setting for a library ghost story? Perhaps his old haunts - secret passageway to the library. Oh, so much fun to think of the possibilities -- or maybe a passageway for the underground RR or smugglers to bring in their cache of booty. What fun!"  Dori Hillestad Butler won an Edgar award for the first book in her Buddy Files series.  In 2014 (originally scheduled for 2013), her new series about a haunted library will be released by Grosset and Dunlap.   The chapter book series (four books projected at this time): The Haunted Library will feature a misfit ghost boy and "solid" girl who come together to solve mysteries.  
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McBookwords has a dozen or more authors that speak with young readers.  If you would like to investigate having an author visit your school or library -- for an author appearance please contact us at McBookwords.  Each of these authors often speak  in schools with young readers, and at all types of groups that are interested in literacy and  books.

 smc