Wendy Mass

Author Wendy Mass visited virtually with some of our Elementary and Middle School students. Students had read Wendy's book A Mango-Shaped Space, and Wendy thanked them for reading the first book she ever wrote and had published. She said, "When we read the same stories, we all have a bond."

Wendy shared with students that her favorite book when she was their age was the Narnia chronicles. She reminded them that the books we read at this age inform "who we want to be and how we want to be."

Wendy taught students that ideas come from 3 places: 

1. Experiences (so keep a writer's journal and interview people).

2. Observations (so keep your eyes and ears open when you're out in the world).

3. Imagination (so ask "What if?").

Wendy spoke of the importance of perseverance and not giving up on your dreams. She showed students all of her 48 rejection letters for A Mango-Shaped Space and reminded students that if she'd given up on that first book, all of her other 30+ books would not be in the world. Wendy told students, "The people who don't give up are the people who succeed."