What Kids Taught Me at My First School Visit
At the risk of sounding downright hokey.
Announcements
Before we get to the small* people—at long last, I have announcements!
D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. will be published on August 5!!! Woohoo!
It is now available for pre-order from every major retailer—including Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Target, and Amazon—as well as many indie bookstores!
If D.J. isn’t available at your local indie, you can call or email the store to ask them to stock it. Just give them the title, author, and ISBN: 9781646145652.
My book is also listed on Goodreads and Storygraph (thanks, Katie!). If you use these platforms, you can mark D.J. as a “want to read,” leave an optimistic five-star rating, or—if you’re one of the lucky few who’s read a draft—write a review. (I’ll do my best not to take it personally.)
*Yes, a couple kids were taller than me, and no, we will not be discussing this fact further.
Pre-orders are extremely important for debut authors. They count as part of first-week sales, contribute to books’ rankings, and show the publishing industry which books are worth watching. So, if you haven’t yet, I would so appreciate you pre-ordering a copy of D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. If I see you with your copy in person, I promise to sign it!
Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming…
A slide from my recent presentation at Maret School.
If you check the New York Times’s homepage as often as I do, you might have noticed a rare non-chilling article: “Teen Tiny Memoirs.” For the third year in a row, the Times invited children around the world to submit 100-word narratives about their lives. Out of 12,000 submissions, 120 became finalists, and 20 winners were published in the Times.
I beg you to read each and every memoir. Seriously: Click away from this newsletter now. (Then, please come back. <3) I loved hearing from these young people—the contours of their lives, the voices in their language, all the empathy they exhibit. It was the cherry on top of an exciting week, since two days earlier, I got to do my first-ever school visit.
WHAT A DREAM. If you know me, you’re probably thinking, “Oh, yeah, obviously Abby had an amazing time talking to kids about writing.” To that, I can only say: yes. I spent two hours with a group of brilliant seventh and eighth graders taught by Lesley Younge (a wonderful fellow author) and Alexandra Flores at Maret School in Washington, DC. Allegedly, I talked about writing a book; the steps of the publishing process; and key factors to consider in revision. Allegedly, I even read them the prologue and first chapter of D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T., and they enjoyed it. (!!!)
Days after my visit, though, I’m thinking less about what I taught them and more about what they taught me. I know, I know, that’s a huge cliché. But bear with me—because these kids deserve our attention.
Kids engage seriously with the world around them—and want to be taken seriously in return. When I’ve told people about D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T., occasionally, I’ve faced pushback: “Geez, Abby,” Unnamed Person has said. “That sounds pretty dark for a kids’ book.” Y’know which people didn’t have that reaction? Kids. I dunno if you’ve read the news recently, but our world sucks! Kids experience that suckiness in every aspect of their lives—from the desecration of our environment to the deterioration of mental health. I was nervous raising issues of health, grief, and hardship in D.J. Rosenblum. But the kids responded to them. They want stories that recognize their lives. Stories that respect them for the smart, deep thinkers they are.
Every kid in that room could be a writer, should they choose to pursue their stories. Admittedly, this was a self-selected group: all kids who love books and asked to learn more about writing. But, seriously, guys. Their free writes were so freakin’ good. Each one had the buds of voice; each one drove toward thoughtful, heartfelt themes. I loved seeing the ways the kids incorporated their own lives and interests into their ideas, from British spies and rocket ships to immigration and intergenerational narration. I told each student how much I liked their free write, and I hope they know I meant it. Afterward, Lesley and I agreed: kids should have more spaces to write and workshop their ideas—and turn them into the books they deserve to be.
Even—or especially—in the new digital age, kids are still interested in stories. There’s no shortage of headlines about how young people don’t read anymore. And, yes, today’s kids have more options for entertainment than previous generations did. But all those options—movies, TV shows, and video games, TikToks, YouTube shorts, and Instagram reels—still tell stories. And that, ultimately, is what kids still want. Stories open doors to much-needed escapes; they help readers understand themselves, and the world. The curiosities and connections stories spark allow people to chart their paths forward. Call me an optimist, but books remain one of the most powerful vehicles for storytelling. And if these kids are any indication, great books still have readers waiting for them.
I also learned a personal lesson from this school visit: I love being a young adult author. I love writing for and about kids. I love interacting with them. I love trying to see the world from their perspectives and pulling out their snarky, sincere wisdoms. This week, I made a pretty big life change. (Out of respect for others, I’m going to keep it vague.) But the school visit reassured me I’m doing the right thing. If I love anything as much as I love this work, I have to give myself the chance to do it.
Abby’s Pop Culture Pop-Up
A certain song has been playing on loop in my head.
Specifically, one verse—from one of the great works of children-centric cinema:
This is not what I want
This is not what I planned
And I just gotta say—
I do not understand!
Sharpay Evans is not the fictional character I expected to live rent-free in my head during Trump’s soft coup. Yet I hear her voice on a nasal loop every time I read the news. Turns out, sometimes, the status quo is the lesser of two evils.
***
D.J.’s Digest
We’ve had an actual winter in Briar this year. Thank God: I had started to worry Mom’s stories of about snowy recesses were a myth. (#ClimateChange!) Indianapolis has also had tons of snow. I know because every morning, Eva sends me a voice note about a different cold-water sea creature. Krill last week; icefish on Saturday; the flapjack octopus twice; you get the picture.
My friends in Briar aren’t quite as thrilled. Char’s younger brothers like to pummel her with snowballs; Matt hates the long johns his mom makes him wear. And Tori keeps insisting she has to redo her hair. (As if she’s ever looked not-beautiful. Crazy, right?)
Me, I’m closer to Eva’s end of the snow spectrum. I love a real winter: the way its cold awakens me, the way white cushions my feet. Rachel told me snow made the world seem gentler. “See?” she said, pressing a blanketed bush. “See how soft it is now?” And she laughed.
God, her laugh. I remember it like my own name. That sound was even brighter than the snowflakes. I wish it could come back, too.
***
Miri’s Music
“California Dreamin’” – The Mamas and the Papas
Stopped into a church
I passed along the way
Well, I got down on my knees (got down on my knees)
And I pretend to pray (I pretend to pray)
You know the preacher like the cold (preacher like the cold)
He knows I'm gonna stay (knows I'm gonna stay)
California dreamin' (California dreamin')
On such a winter's day…
To stay, or not to stay? A question Miri Gould may or may not be asking herself…
***
This Month’s Favorites
PRECIOUS BABY. Photograph from the Oregon Zoo.
Coziest Coffee Shop goes to… Coffee N’ Comics in Reno, Nevada. This is a bit of a cheat, since I went here last month. But they lent me and my friend Hayden scissors when we really needed them (don’t ask), so I have to give them a shoutout. Coffee N’ Comics is far more than a coffee shop: It’s also a bar, café, board game center, and home for nerds of all stripes. Thank you, dear coffee shop, for the role you played in keeping me sane on January 13.
My Kind of Kidlit goes to… my friend Angela Hsieh’s debut graphic novel, Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology. This book is the best kind of whirlwind—between different landscapes and magical creatures, between heartbreak and heart-filling relationships. All so gorgeously illustrated, it will give you a new appreciation for visual storytelling. Lu and Ren’s Guide to Geozoology will be published May 27—so in the meantime, zip between tabs to preorder your copy now!
The Most Excellent Elephant goes to… Tula-Tu, the newborn Asian elephant at the Oregon Zoo. (Pictured above; I’d never hold out on something this important.) When in doubt, yes, I absolutely do want to see a photo and/or video of her.
We need more earnest reminders of good things!