"J. Scott Savage"

(this post won't be nearly as interesting or funny to most of you as it was to me, but just try to read everything Aaron said with as much excitement, passion, and youthful exuberance as possible, and you'll at least get the general idea.)

Yesterday when I picked Aaron up from school he said,

"MOM! TOMORROW AT 7:00 WE HAVE TO GO TO THE LIBRARY!

Me - Why?

"'BECAUSE J. SCOTT SAVAGE IS GOING TO BE THERE AND I CAN GET A FREE POSTER AND HE WILL SIGN IT AND HE WROTE A WHOLE BOOK - A REAL ONE - AND IT IS SO COOL - IT IS ABOUT A BOY IN A WHEELCHAIR BUT HE GOES TO THIS OTHER WORLD WHERE EVERYONE CAN DO MAGIC EXCEPT THIS GIRL WHO SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO MAGIC BUT CAN'T AND THEY GO TO THIS OLD GUY WHO KNOWS LIKE ALL OF THE MAGIC AND HE TELLS THEM THE EVERYONE HAS MAGIC IN THEM AND YOU HAVE TO FIND THE MAGIC IN YOU AND...." (this goes on the whole way home)

Me - That sounds cool, we can plan to go.

Later that night...
"DON'T FORGET MOM THAT TOMORROW AT 7:00 WE HAVE TO GO ..." (repeat earlier conversation)

This morning...
"MOM, DON'T FORGET THAT ...." (you guessed it)

After school today, "MOM, DID YOU FORGOT WHAT TODAY IS?!?!?!"

(I couldn't help myself and I replied) "it's Tuesday, you have scouts."

"NO!!!!! WE HAVE TO GO TO THE LIBRARY..."

So, anyone wanna guess what we did tonight?

While we were standing in line Aaron was just bursting with excitement.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT - I GET TO MEET J SCOTT SAVAGE. (yes, I know I keep repeating the whole entire name, but I'm just trying to help you feel like you were really there...) I CAN'T BELIEVE HE WROTE A WHOLE BOOK-AND HE'S NOT EVEN OLD-HE DOESN'T HAVE A BEARD OR ANYTHING-HE IS JUST LIKE A REGULAR DAD-AND HE WROTE A WHOLE BOOK-I DON'T KNOW HOW HE DID THAT-"

After standing in line for about 30-40 minutes, we got to the signing table, bought a book, and Aaron was in HEAVEN! He got his book signed, and we got a poster signed for each child. Mr. Savage was so nice to the kids. He even took the time to listen while Bryan spelled out his name, asked how old Bryan was, then complimented him on being so smart that he was only 3 and could spell his whole name. He was just SO personable. I was very impressed.

As we walked away from the table, Aaron said,

"Mom, that was SO TOTALLY worth it! I just met J. Scott Savage."

All the way home he kept repeating "I just met J Scott Savage. I just met J Scott Savage. I just met J Scott Savage." He spent most of the drive home trying to teach Bryan to say "J Scott Savage." (Bryan doesn't really say his "s" sound yet, so it was a bit challenging for Aaron, but fun for me to listen to.

It was so funny, because he had never even heard of "J. Scott Savage" or the book "Farworld" until yesterday in school. Now he is totally on fire and wants us to read the book as a family. I think it is so great that this experience has totally lit a fire under Aaron about a book. Reading is such a challenge for him, yet he can't wait for us to start reading it. It's way above his current reading level, but I'm thinking if he gets hooked enough, it's going to give that reading level a big boost! I really appreciate this author for taking the time to go to the school and put on an assembly that was so obviously inspirational for the children. (There were tons of kids at the signing whose parents told the same basic story - that they just HAD to come...) You could be a cynic and say the it's just good marketing or a way to increase book sales, but I watched him interacting with the kids tonight, and you could tell that he wasn't there just to make money. He was there to gets kids to love reading. I am SO hoping that this is going to continue to be the catalyst that helps Aaron conquer his reading challenges!


THANK YOU J SCOTT SAVAGE!

"Magic is not just spells. The magic you see on the outside—making pots and pans fly or brewing potions to make boys swoon before you—is but a tiny fraction of the power of true magic. The real power of magic lies within you. Who you are, what you do, and most importantly of all, what you may become."

Master Therapass, Farworld Book 1 Water Keep

I have lots of of blogger buddies that participated in the Farworld virtual book tour. Here is a link to what I think was my favorite review. (certainly the most imaginative)