“It’s probably in the neighborhood of 50 or 60,” states Mrs. Davies. She’s talking about the number of authors she has met. Have you met that many authors? I haven’t!

Mrs. Davies says she has two favorite authors that she has met. They are Jason Reynolds and Laurie Halse Anderson. Jason Reynolds is “so passionate about honoring kids and their stories and telling stories that are meaningful,” according to Mrs. Davies. Laurie Halse Anderson writes many kinds of books. She wrote Speak, which Mrs. Davies used to teach at the high school, and she also writes memoirs and poems about her life experiences.

When Mrs. Davies met Matt de la Peña, she asked him a question that one of her students at the time had asked. “He was really impressed with the level of question my student had come up with,” mentions Mrs. Davies.

“I think it adds a whole new level of understanding to the books you’re reading when you have a personal connection with the people who have written the books” Explains Mrs. Davies. She likes to meet authors because they bring honesty and joy to the books that they write.

Mrs. Davies doesn’t only meet authors for the fun of it, she learns too. She learns about the struggles of publishing, and why the authors write the books they do. She also learns what stories that were never told that they wanted to tell.

Mrs. Davies adds, “I can’t wait until we get back to the point where authors can have the kind of events where people can show up and show their appreciation”.