Thomas County Upper Elementary students welcomed author Lois Ruby to their media center on Wednesday, September 25. The fifth grade students have been reading Ruby’s novel Steal Away Home during their first unit of study in Language Arts this school 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. One fifth grader, Katie Cleveland, was excited to meet Ruby as she recently read and created a project on one of her other novels, The Secret of Laurel Oaks. She was able to talk with the author about specific parts of her novel and how she came up with the idea for writing it. Some of the questions asked by students in the meetings included, “What inspired you to create these characters?” and “Why do you like to write about history?” Gail Trotter, fifth grade language arts teacher, said, “It is inspiring for students to meet an author, especially when they have read the author’s work. It makes the reading experience personal to them, and they feel invested in the story. It encourages students to know that professional writers go through the same writing process of writing and rewriting several times to get the finished product.”
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.
