Renee Wallace, author of Detective Bigfoot,
visited our Summer School Classrooms
Thank you to the hosting classrooms: Mrs. Galbreath, Mrs. Hedden, Miss Jones, Mrs.Weisenberger, and Miss Berkson. It was a Positively Perfect Presentation!
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| Renee reads Detective Bigfoot. |
Renee Wallace:
- talked about the job of being an author,
- discussed writing jobs our students might consider in the future,
- discussed the steps of the writing process,
- shared examples of alliterations, similes, fables, and illustrations from her books,
- helped the students practice some close reading in text,
- gave a sneak peak of her upcoming book called A Taste of Perfection,
- visited classrooms to chat with our students,
- and autographed copies of Detective Bigfoot.
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| A child follows along. |
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| A student gets her book autographed. |
Here is what a few of our students and teachers
had to say about her book and her visit:
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| This is a draft of a cover illustration for her upcoming book . |
"It was getting good. Seriously!"
(GASP) "Wolves EAT pigs!"
"You can draw!"
"My sister could read your book."
"The kids don't want me to stop reading at the end of our SSR teacher read aloud time."
"We had to miss a day of reading the book, and the kids were furious!
They couldn't wait to hear the next chapter."
Q: Who is your favorite author?
A: I like all kinds of books and read all the time, but I like Nicholas Sparks, The Hunger Games series, and science fiction books.
(GASP) "Wolves EAT pigs!"
"You can draw!"
"My sister could read your book."
"The kids don't want me to stop reading at the end of our SSR teacher read aloud time."
"We had to miss a day of reading the book, and the kids were furious!
They couldn't wait to hear the next chapter."
Three classrooms had their students write questions
for the author in preparation for her visit.
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| They had questions on sticky notes. |
Q: Why did you want to make books?
A: I have lots of ideas in my head, I like to create, and it makes me happy.
Q: How many books do you have published?
A: I started by co-writing a poetry book in 5th grade when I was 9 or 10 called 101 Poems. Detective Bigfoot was published on May 10, 2013, A Taste of Perfection will be available to purchase in August or September, and I am currently working on the sequel to Detective Bigfoot.
Q: Do you like writing?
A: When I am in my writing zone, I am happy no matter what else is happening in my life.
Q: How long does it take you to write a book?
A: Detective Bigfoot took 6 years, but A Taste of Perfection only took a couple of months.
Q: Are your characters based on real people?
A: The school in A Taste of Perfection is based on the last school where I was principal. One character I have created is based on a teacher I know. She wants me to find a way to have her on a motorcycle in the book. Another character in Detective Bigfoot is based on a student I had when I taught 5th grade.
Q: What was your inspiration for writing Detective Bigfoot?
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| Renee even brought bookmarks for the students! |
A: The book is based on a unit I taught in 5th grade on real life mysteries. I was trying to motivate reluctant readers, and they loved the unit.
Q: Did you travel to study the setting for the book?
A: Authors always need to research for their books. Sometimes you can travel to the place you are writing about, but that can get expensive, so sometimes you just have to research by reading books or searching online. I'd love to travel all the places I write about, but that isn't always possible.
Q: Do you enjoy camping, like Aden, for the novel does?
A: Absolutely! I love camping and being outdoors.
Q: Did you travel to study the setting for the book?
A: Authors always need to research for their books. Sometimes you can travel to the place you are writing about, but that can get expensive, so sometimes you just have to research by reading books or searching online. I'd love to travel all the places I write about, but that isn't always possible.
Q: Do you enjoy camping, like Aden, for the novel does?
A: Absolutely! I love camping and being outdoors.
Q: Will you ever write a picture book?
A: My target audience is 3rd-5th grade, so I write short chapter booksQ: Who is your favorite author?
A: I like all kinds of books and read all the time, but I like Nicholas Sparks, The Hunger Games series, and science fiction books.
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| Renee Wallace, Mrs. Galbreath, and the Swamp Walker hung out together. |
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