An award winning children’s author has been booked to visit Galesburg in the spring.
Jack Gantos, author of such children’s book titles as, “Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key” and “Dead End in Norvelt” for which he won a Newberry Award for, will visit with Galesburg middle school students in April.
His visit is organized by an initiative of the Galesburg Public Schools Foundation, called Reading at the Crossroads.
The same organizers who have brought renowned children’s authors, such as Avi, Christopher Paul Curtis and Sarah Weeks, in past years.
The aim is to bring an author every three years to give each junior higher the chance to meet an author.
Committee Chair, Juanita Scott tells WGIL they work to do this to make books come alive for kids.
“I don’t think that the kids think that books are written by real people that have had the same experiences and have had to overcome the same kinds of problems that they have,” Scott says.
She says between the promotion and funding of the visit, these author visits are an exercise in community work together.
“It’s fabulous to see the community pull together to provide this kind of an opportunity for its middle school students.”
Gantos will meet separately with each grade at both junior highs and is scheduled to present at the Orpheum Theatre, which will be open to the public.
