The Carnegie Public Library is inviting the community to join them as New York Times best-selling author Margaret Peterson Haddix visits Miami Trace Elementary School on Tuesday, Dec. 15.
“She (Haddix) has been coming to the library and doing programs for us for close to 20 years and comes each December,” head of children services at Carnegie Public Library, Anne Quinn, said. “We have changed venues every now and then, utilizing local churches and other locations. After talking with Pam Thornburg at Miami Trace, we thought what a great idea since she went to school at Miami Trace.”
The special program will be held in the MT Elementary Media Center at 5:30 p.m. Haddix will be speaking about her newest books and will then take questions from the crowd. All community residents are invited to attend and Quinn is encouraging Haddix book lovers of all ages to come and talk with her. Additionally, Books ‘N’ More from Wilmington will be on hand during the event, selling Haddix’s novels. Haddix will also be available to autograph books during the event.
“She usually talks about her two current books for a brief time and then opens the discussion up to the floor, which is great because then the kids, and adults, can ask all kinds of wonderful questions,” Quinn said. “A lot of kids then get in line to get books signed and pose for pictures with her. It is all pretty cool. This is an incredible opportunity for the community to come out and visit someone from our community who has gone on to have a lot of success in her writing. She is also so warm and friendly. She is always so interesting and we would really like to have the community to come out to support her.”
Thornburg, parent mentor for Fayette County, said this is a great opportunity to meet this beloved author. She said she believes that Haddix coming back to talk to the community can show kids that it is important to have dreams. She said that someday with hard work, the kids will hopefully follow their own dreams and find success.
“Haddix is a Miami Trace alum and that is one of the reasons we are excited for her to come here,” Thornburg said. “If some of the kids are not familiar with her, I think it is important to recognize that if they have a dream of being a writer or illustrator that those dreams can come true. It is also great that she has good communication with Anne Quinn at our local library, where she has been on several different occasions to hold special readings and to talk to students and staff there. She is very kind-hearted and incredibly humble with a huge following here in the county of not only teens and children, but also adults. Reading is important…..a motto on my wall says, ‘Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.’”
For more information about the event, contact the library at (740) 335-2540 or visit Haddix’s website at haddixbooks.com where a more detailed bio and information on her books is available.
