Tag: scholastic

Cuthbertson MS and Winterkill

The final virtual visit for 2022 was with Cuthbertson Middle School’s 800 grade 6, 7 and 8 students in 29 different classrooms. Check out this pic!

Michele Bost had done an amazing job prepping the students and they were visibly engaged in the discussion. There were oodles of questions and we could have continued for quite some time but the school day was ending. Here are more pics from the other side of the screen:

New Sarepta AB, presenting to a single class of older students

One of the things I like most about presenting is that no two audiences are ever alike. This single class of grade 7/8 students was quite a change from the big groups of younger students. Different questions, but also more time for discussion. We talked about the kind of research an author does to write a book like Winterkill and how to find resources when the historical event has been hidden or suppressed. I am so grateful to HREC and HREC ED because their databases of resources are a great starting place for Holodomor research. This page on Rhea Clyman is one of my favorite places to send students. And this page is another superb resource that I used myself extensively. I particularly like the report to Congress because the massive database of survivor testimonies is searchable by word.

Books of Wonder virtual event

Thank you, Books of Wonder, for hosting this chat! Not only was it an honor to speak about Winterkill but it was so interesting listening to Jennifer Chambliss Bertman, Anika Fajardo, and Sara St. Antoine speak about their books, their writing process and their inspiration.

Winterkill in-person launch at Brantford Public Library

Thank you, Brantford Public Library for hosting Thursday evening’s launch of Winterkill, in the midst of Holodomor Memorial Week. This was the first in-person book event for me since the pandemic began and I was a little bit nervous. A small but mighty group of people came out, including students from Laurier Brantford (this pic was taken by student Ayse Aras), mothers and daughters, a friend from CFUW Brantford, friends from the Brant Historical Society, and one of my fellow kidcritters. Thank you, Zile for the intro and set-up. And thank you, everyone who came out for the great conversation.