Thomas County Upper Elementary students welcomed author Lois Ruby to their media center on Friday, September 29. Fifth grade students have been reading Ruby’s novel Steal Away Home during their first unit of study in Language Arts this school year. For the third consecutive year, students were able to meet with Mrs. Ruby in the school media center in an event hosted by Erin Rehberg, Library Media Specialist at TCUE/TCMS.
During the meetings with Mrs. Ruby, students were able to learn how authors create characters, stories, conflicts, and plot lines. She explained to students that many times she begins a story with a character and lets the story flow from that character. Mrs. Ruby discussed the central theme of courage in Steal Away Home and helped students think about how different characters in the novel are courageous in their actions. Students also learned of the challenging process of getting a book published. “I had to write the book twelve times,” said Ruby as she encouraged students to listen to their teachers when asked to revise their own writing. She even told students that one publisher sent the book back with 150 sticky notes containing suggested changes to her work. Mrs. Ruby introduced students to some of her other novels as well.
In leading up to the author’s visit, many students prepared comments and questions to ask Ruby. After listening to her speech, fifth grade student Cason Dennard said, “I was encouraged to write and she made me want to use my creativity.” Another student, Marshadron Hollis commented, “She was so nice and her books are encouraging.” Some of the questions asked by students in the meetings included, “Why did you become an author?”, “Why did you make James (a character in the novel) a Quaker?”, “How do you develop your vocabulary?”, and “How do you gather your research for your books?” Courtney Warner, fifth grade language arts teacher, said, “It's great for Lois Ruby to visit with the students. They get to interact with a real author and understand how she comes up with the characters in her story. In the process of reading Steal Away Home, the students start to feel like they know the characters and are eager to ask questions about her novel. The kids truly love listening to her and it is a great experience for everyone!”
Lois Ruby is the author of Steal Away Home as well as several other novels including The Secret of Laurel Oaks, The Moxie Kid, and Strike! The Story of Mother Jones and the Colorado Field War. She makes her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Pictured: Student Logan Baxter meets Lois Ruby and shows off his autographed copy of her novel