Young Author’s Day is the culmination and the beginning of a reading and writing process.  It is a special day to celebrate the fact that all students can read and write.  It is the culmination of a year’s worth of reading, writing, editing, revising and polishing various pieces.  It is also the beginning of the reading and writing possibilities that every child could experience if he/she chose that path.  Young Author’s Day is also a time of creativity and fun.  Besides meeting a published author, the children have the opportunity to experience skits, craft projects, and creating a special ice cream sundae.  This is a very special day when we can all help to inspire our students.

Young Authors Day 2008 - Mary Casanova

Baraga Area Schools is proud to announce this year’s guest author for the 2008 Young Authors Day.  Ms. Mary Casanova, author of “The Klipfish Code”, “Some Dog” and the recently released “Dog Watch, The Turtle-Hatching Mystery,” will join us for a day of reading, writing and creativity as students in grades K-6 become “Young Authors.”  

Mary Casanova is an award-winning children's author of novels and picture books. Many of her books stem from her life on the Minnesota-Canadian border; yet some of her stories have taken her as far away as France, Norway, and Belize for research. Whatever the setting for her books, Casanova writes stories that matter--and stories that kids can't put down.

Her book awards include: American Library Association "Notable," Aesop Accolades by the American Folklore Society, Parents' Choice "Gold" Award, Booklist Editor Choice, and two Minnesota Book Awards. Her books frequently land on state children's choice book master lists across the country. "The greatest reward for me," Casanova states, "is when a young reader tells me she or he loves one of my books. For me, it's all about communicating writer-to-reader through a character and story."

Casanova grew up in a family of ten children in St. Paul, Minnesota. In a bustling camp-like atmosphere, Casanova found that writing became her voice. "Words are my paintbrush," she explains, "my way of exploring the world around me."

Now, with 19 books published and many more under contract and forthcoming, she divides her time between writing and traveling. Nationally and internationally, at schools and conferences, Casanova shares her love of writing and reading with children and adults.

Her newest novel, The Klipfish Code, makes use of Mary's on-site research in Norway. The story explores an important facet of Norwegian history through the experiences of Marit, a 12-year-old Norwegian girl who finds a way to fight against the 5-year Nazi occupation of Norway. Marit and her brother Lars are separated from their parents (who are working for the Resistance) and sent to live on an island with their gruff grandfather and school teacher aunt. During the course of the story, Marit's aunt is one of the Norwegian school teachers that gets sent to a concentration camp for refusing to integrate Nazi propaganda into her classroom. With potential danger waiting every turn, Marit finds a way to help the Resistance and eventually reunite her family.

Mary's series, Dog Watch (Simon and Schuster) is based on her northern Minnesota village where dogs are allowed to roam free—as long as they don't get in trouble. If they get in trouble, they earn a sticker on their page at the village clerk's office; too many stickers and a trouble-making dog must remain at home. "I never know where the next story will come from. It’s a delight when the stories come right from this corner of the world I call home." She makes her home in a 100-year old house on Rainy Lake with her husband, Charles, and their three "above average" dogs and spends free time with their horses, Jay and Midnight.

- Bio courtesy of http://www.marycasanova.com/

Mary Casanova's website - http://www.marycasanova.com/

Previous Authors:

• Lisa Wheeler (2007) 
• Gijsbert & Robbyn van Frankenhuyzen (2006)
• Kevin & Stephanie Kammeraad (2005)
• Susan Stevens Crummell (2004)

Young Authors Day 2007 - Lisa Wheeler

One thing I remember about my childhood in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, was how much I loved books -- even the smell! We didn't have a library in our town, but we had a regular library class in my school, where I could check out books. In our home, we only had one children's book. It was called, YOUNG YEARS: Best Loved Stories and Poems for Little Children. I read its cover right off!

My first venture into writing was in fourth grade. I won a Halloween poetry contest. I was so surprised! I wish I had saved that winning poem, because I have no recollection of what I wrote.

My family moved to Michigan when I was fifteen. I was so shy, I spent my lunch periods in the library, hiding behind a book. My biggest fear was walking into that giant cafeteria and sitting alone.

Eventually, I married and raised three children. As the kids grew older, I started to think about the next phase of my life. I'd worked in various part-time jobs over the years, but there was one thing I'd always wanted to do -- write! In 1995, I began to 'get serious' about writing. It took nearly four years to sell my first children's book.

Writing books for children is definitely a dream come true. I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing with my life. Just like when I was a child in Pennsylvania, I love everything about children's books -- even the smell!

- Bio courtesy of http://www.lisawheelerbooks.com/

Lisa Wheeler's website - http://www.lisawheelerbooks.com/

Young Authors Day 2006 - Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen was born in the Netherlands in 1951. With his seven brothers and sisters, he grew up exploring nature and his sketch pads were filled with observations from those family outings. Always drawing as a young boy, his father encouraged Gijsbert to make art his career. After high school, he attended and graduated from the Royal Academy of Arts in Arnhem, Holland.

Gijsbert, or "Mr. Nick" as many children affectionately call him during his school visits, immigrated to the United States in 1976 and worked as Art Director for the Michigan Natural Resources Magazine for 17 years. In 1995, he illustrated his first children's book, The Legend of Sleeping Bear, finally fullfilling his dream of illustrating children's books.

Residing in Bath, Michigan, Nick and his family share their 40-acre farm with sheep, horses, dogs, cats, turkeys, rabbits, chickens, pigeons and a revolving door of orphaned and injured wild life. The family's nature journals logged 20 years of wild life rehabilitation on the farm and it is through these journals that the popular Hazel Ridge series was created. The farm, the land and the animals make great subjects for the artist to paint.

Mr. Nick travels to schools and conferences to share his passion for drawing — encouraging kids to make their hobby their career.

- Bio courtesy of www.sleepingbearpress.com

Gisbert van Frankenhuyzen's website - http://my.voyager.net/~robbyn/

Young Authors Day 2005 - Kevin Kammeraad

In December of 1994, Kevin's grandmother gave him a notebook for Christmas. At the time he was a freshman at Grand Valley State University and for some reason, he began to use it as a journal. He filled that notebook with thoughts, feelings, and ideas regarding his life and continued on to fill four more. Those notebooks are the source from which The Tomato Collection was created.

Over a period of four years Kevin wrote almost 700 pages of thoughts, poems, and stories, while continually revising those drafts, deciding which selections to include in the book, and adding titles. To create the illustrations, he looked through art he had already created, selected photographs from old family photo albums, drew and painted new stuff, and built some sculptures. At the same time, he was gradually assembling the book on his computer and asking many people for their suggestions and opinions.

In addition to working on the book and attending GVSU, Kevin worked for West Ottawa Public Schools in the video department as well as for GRTV, Grand Rapids Public Access Television. He graduated from GVSU in May of 1998 with a Bachelors of Science in Film and Video Production and worked over the summer and fall to complete the book. It was published in the spring of 1999.

About half way through creating his book, with the help of some friends, Kevin also began producing an audio CD. After many years of work, in October of 2000, Kevin was proud to release The Tomato Collection: the Big Album CD. With the help of over 50 musicians, most of them from West Michigan, each poem was transformed into a song. With a variety of musical styles and ideas, the album was an exciting way to bring the poetry to life.  Lastly, Kevin enjoys spinach dip.

- Bio courtesy of Cooperfly Books, © Copyright 1999-2002

Kevin Kammeraad's website - www.tomatocollection.com

Young Authors Day 2004 - Susan Steven's Crummell

Hi, I'm Susan Stevens Crummel. I write picture books for children, and in 2001, Cook-a- Doodle-Do! won the Texas Bluebonnet Award!

Writing books for children is a new career for me. I was a math teacher for 31 years! I taught in the Fort Worth Public Schools for 11 years and at Fort Worth Country Day School for 20 years.

When I was growing up, my family lived all over the United States because my dad was a Navy pilot. I came back home to Texas to go to college and earned a Bachelor's Degree (major in Mathematics; minor in Physics) and Master's Degree (Education) from Texas Christian University. I still live in Fort Worth.

My husband, Richard, is a high school principal, and we have three grown children, Christie, a teacher, Jason and Courtney (college kids). A black fluffy cat named Tweeter also lives at our house. We have a horse named Dallas -- but he doesn't live at the house!   We recently lost a very old *censored*er spaniel named Tiffany, our pet for 16 years.

My parents, Jack and Frances Stevens, live on a ranch in the Hill Country of Texas near a tiny town called Hunt. My older brother, Jack, and his family live nearby. He is the "Jack-of-all-trades" in And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon.

My sister, illustrator Janet Stevens, and I began writing together in 1997 and have published several picture books together. 

- Bio courtesy of www.balkinbuddies.com

Susan Stevens Crummell's website - http://www.susanstevenscrummel.com/