Shown in the photo, Edmund W. Miles Middle School English Language Arts (ELA) teachers Janine Katsigiorgis and Dawn Attanasio join students in a photo with visiting author Tony Abbott, who wrote “Firegirl.” Amityville English Language Arts (ELA) students met with the author of a book assigned during class. Students at Edmund W. Miles Middle School had an assembly with prolific and popular author Tony Abbott, who not only lectured about his books Firegirl and The Postcard, but also read the first chapter of his newest book, Lunchbox Dream.

Abbott spoke about his childhood growing up in Ohio and his family’s surprise reaction to segregation during a trip to the South, an experience that he writes about in a couple of his books. He showed the students a slide show that included photos of his home and family, his writing space and his pet corgi. He also explained that reading and sleeping can spark an idea, and that he must always keep a notebook to record ideas that pop into his head.

“You can get ideas from family and neighbors and the world you exist in,” Abbott explained about the writing process. “I am always refreshing myself with other people’s stories and my own experiences.”

Themiddle school teaching staff and Director of English Judith Riordan purchased Firegirl, autographed by Abbott, for each of the students. Teachers Janine Katsigiorgis and Dawn Attanasio explained that each student was required to write a thank-you note to Abbott using the school’s laptops. Some students felt that the ending to Firegirl should be different, so the students wrote alternate endings to the story. One additional writing assignment called for the students to write an essay or poem based on a memory of their own.

Riordan explained that an author visit is an important experience for students, because placing a face to an author’s name can instill greater enthusiasm for the literature they study. “A book comes from an author’s dreams, experiences and relationships,” Riordan stated. “Humans need personal relationships. An author visit is an experience whereby the students have learned the process behind writing a book, and the author has become a mentor. The author also lets the students know that they, too, can become authors.”