I Did A Reading at Oxford Public Library

Had my first official book reading at Oxford Public Library on Monday!  It was great fun.  About 35 people came out (maybe 20 kids, plus their parents) to hear a dramatic reading of LFT.  Leanne, the children's librarian, did a wonderful job with the decorations too (see above photos).  Afterward, everyone enjoyed a delicious lunch together (featuring macaroni and cheese and cupcakes, my favorite!)

Everyone seemed to like the book and I sold a few copies.  The age range was wide though, from toddlers to about 9 years old, so that made me a bit nervous--I definitely lost some of the babies' attention around page 30!  But the middle-range kids listened and actively participated once I remembered my tried-and-true method of asking questions and pointing stuff out as I went along (this works wonders when reading to my classes during substituting).  The older girls pictured above are budding writers and were very curious about my writing/publishing method, which I was more than happy to share!

The main librarian, Ken, said he thought maybe I can come back and do it in the summer.  That would be fun, and now I know more what to do too (I'd like to engage the audience more beforehand--this time I introduced myself and just jumped right in, but I bet it helps to establish some sort of rapport first so they have more of a reason to listen).