Today we had the pleasure and privilege of welcoming a special mystery reader into our class…via Skype! Her name is Savannah Whitson and she is a grade 1 teacher and also a published author! She was so delighted to be invited to share her first book with us. Prior to her Skype chat, she gave us a few clues about where she is from:

• English is the main language spoken
• Corn is a major crop grown in her area
• There is a major car race that takes place annually in her area (The Indianapolis 500)

When we first met Savannah on Skype, we wanted to know exactly where she was skyping from, as the clues just weren’t enough. We retrieved an Atlas and with a few more clues, we learned she is from the state of Indiana in the city of Indianapolis.

The book is called “I Wish i Were a Superhero”.  It tells the story of several characters who imagine themselves as superheros with superhero powers such as being able to fly, have super strength, lightning speed, and so on. Towards the end of the book, the characters realize that they only need to look within themselves to see that each one of them already have superpowers such as the strength to help others. All kids have superpowers!

Savannah walked through the process of writing her book (she started writing it 3 years ago) and told us one of the most important things we can do as authors is to read and re-read our own writing, carefully listening for it to sound just right. She told us that even though her book is now published, she can still find small things she might change.

The illustrations by Clark McReynolds really brought Savannah’s message to life. The pictures are colourful, expressive, and fun to look at it. They are done in what some might call a ‘comic book style’.  There are even a few colouring pages at the very back of the book to encourage students to draw themselves as a superhero. Savannah is going to send us an order form for the book so we can add it to our class library and she will also give us a copy of the colouring pages.

Our Skype call with Savannah lasted 30 minutes and was a great opportunity for the students to ask questions directly to her and enjoy listening to a story written by the author herself!

We asked Savannah if she is planning on another book and she said YES! The next one will be about dogs (she has a Jack Russel) and what kinds of things that dogs might be thinking. Sounds interesting!

If you’re interested in ordering a copy of her book ($15 USD) before it hits the stores, click here

The link provided expires Feb.10th at midnight.

You can pay by credit card or pay pal. Savannah will personally sign each copy!