Origami Yoda in Our Neck of the Woods

Or ... our neck of the suburbs, really, is more appropriate. Welcome Tom Angleberger!

Had a third grade class in the library all day Wednesday to work on a research project and when they found out I was going to dinner with him and several other librarians? Immediate thoughts that Ms. O was awesome (-ly lucky but I'm going to stop it there).

I wore my Nerdy Book Club hoodie. It was too hot. I really should have gotten the t-shirt! But the hoodie is so nice and soft. We moved all the tables and chairs and pushed out the shelves. (More exercise than I've gotten lately ... maybe that's why I overheated! ;]) Tried our fancy shmancy new mic system and ... the range wasn't far enough for him to stand in front of where all the kids were going to sit. So we got out the ugly bulky one and then I went to meet him and the morning school librarian at Smashburger. (I am going to post this ... but I HATE having my picture taken. :[ I had to do it, though. The guy behind Origami Yoda! And Darth Paper!)

I should have used Picnik's skinny-fy function before it goes away. Oh and removed the glare from my glasses. But I didn't.  This is me. And Tom Angleberger! (On an unrelated note, I keep accidentally typing Anglerberger. Just noticed the library copy of The Fault in Our Stars that I checked out last week had an Hanklerfish!)

Never been there before. Mistakenly ordered the plain fries but they were still YUM-MY. As was the avacado club chicken sandwich that I got. Tom had the veggie burger and Missy (the other librarian) the mushroom and swiss. Oh. That sounds really good right now. Need to try that! But I get sidetracked.

First group came in and sat down. YES! They all fit and we weren't even quite as crowded as I thought we'd be. Tom didn't use the big ugly mike. Guy can project his voice just like a teacher who's been working in a classroom with no walls in the middle of a major school thoroughfare for years. But I know how exhausting that can be. Not a clone or storm trooper, but a trooper just the same.

This is the only pic where I just got the back of kiddos heads. Have to be so careful about that and it's hard!

Kids were so excited. SO excited. They laughed and laughed and now our hold list for the two books (and Horton Halfpott! which even though I would tell them was by the same author just didn't seem to move like it should have until this week!) is a mile long again. We sold more copies than we usually do for a Title I school, too.

He called most of the kids Larry or Lady Larry. Great idea. I have the hardest time remembering all 700+ names. This was one way to make it funny when he couldn't call them by name individually. He folded as he talked and drew as he talked and told them stories and thoughtfully answered questions. And donned a fake mustache. Younger kids walking by wished they were sitting in (they'll get Jerry Pallotta next week!) and asked me later (;]) why he was talking about peeing in pants. Because Origami Yoda saves the day, my friend. How many of us have not accidentally splashed water where no water should be?

And then he talked to a small group of kids. Made their day. Made some of their teacher's days. And then did it all again!

Gotta hand it to authors. I know it helps them, too, getting their books in the public eye. But so many of them really go the extra mile to connect with the kids and make a difference. The travel must be difficult. Must be really difficult. We had a MONSTER Texas thunderstorm one night that I bet kept him up. (We needed the rain. Serious drought. But we needed sleep, too!) It's really cool for the kids to get to meet an author. When did this tradition start? I remember going to something at an auditorium on the Johns Hopkins campus, I think (lived on the East Coast for a bit as an Army brat) and heard Louis Sachar speak. Still remember that.

Well. All day Friday people were telling me how much they enjoyed it and how they think he might very well have been their favorite author visit ever. Hooray! Success.