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Outside of the classroom, this has also been a very busy year within the Middle School English department. Before the end of September, we hosted two author visits that related to students' summer reading assignments. Adam Gidwitz, author of The Inquisitor's Tale, joined us just two weeks into the school year and gave a presentation to the entire 7th grade, followed by a writing workshop with a smaller group of them. We learned about the quicksand around Mont-Saint-Michel, marginalia in medieval texts (it's way more interesting than you might think!), and the iconography of the Middle Ages. Students also discussed weightier topics such as book bans and other forms of censorship. The energy in the room was palpable as students heard from a real, live author who said that he often channels his inner adolescent to create his best work. Over the summer, all Middle Schoolers read the Real Friends series of graphic novels written by Shannon Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham, and we spent our first two assembly periods of the year in cross-grade level groups discussing the books. These discussions were led entirely by the students in preparation for the author visit at the end of September. Ms. Hale and Ms. Pham spoke to Middle School about their friendship, their respective childhoods, and their experiences writing this series of books. They took questions from our students, and Ms. Pham demonstrated her artistic skills right from the stage. Students signed up to attend writing and illustrating workshops with them as well. I am grateful to Ms. Casey, our Librarian & Media Resource Specialist, and our English teachers, Ms. Paton, Mr. Brink, and Ms. Rekate for their efforts in organizing these author visits. The library and our club program are sources of additional resources for our students. In addition to maintaining current book lists and rotating displays of books broken down by theme, Ms. Casey and Ms. Rekate host a monthly Book Talk for interested students that meets once a month during lunch. The Book Talk has included titles like A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson and The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. Sixth graders also joined some of their 4th- and 5th- grade peers to participate in the Mock Newbery Book Awards, an annual event hosted by Ms. Kaufman, Lower School Librarian, and Ms. Casey. In the Literary Lunch Club, students meet with Ms. Paton and Mr. Swartz, Grades 6–8 History Teacher, to read and discuss classic short stories such as "To Serve Man" by Damon Knight. For Halloween, the club turned off the lights and read "A Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe under a solitary flashlight that created a dramatic, moody atmosphere. We want parents to be included in all the fun, of course, and Ms. Casey and the English department are also hosting parent book talks this year. Our first parent book talk, King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender, was held the evening of December 6th. This book is read by the 7th graders, but it is an enjoyable read for adults, too. (I can attest to that.) The main character struggles with the obligations of friendship, family, and being true to oneself and how these forces are sometimes in opposition with one another. The next parent book talk took place on January 10th, when parents read George Orwell's Animal Farm, part of the 8th-grade curriculum. Students and parents both learned that this classic book was famously rejected by T. S. Eliot at Faber & Faber publishers for being too critical of the Soviet Union when that country was still England's wartime ally. Many of you have probably read Animal Farm, but you might find that your perspective on it has changed since your first reading. One of the great joys of rereading books is finding new windows and new mirrors. n TREVOR DAY SCHOOL / 25 INSIDE TREVOR TREVOR TRANSLATES FEATURE AR TICLES ALUMNI

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