Children's author visits Paterson students who have read her work
PATERSON — Emmanuel Frye, a sixth grader at Paterson’s Senator Frank R. Lautenberg School, was looking forward to a special celebration ending the six-week book club in which he participated.
Frye ended up experiencing more than he expected. The woman who wrote the book that he and his classmates had read for their after-school club attended the party this month.
“I’ve never met a real author of a book before,” Frye exclaimed after Paterson Schools Superintendent Eileen Shafer announced that Caroline Brewer, a children's book writer, was in the back of the room.
Emmanuel was among more than 100 students from four city schools who joined the book clubs that were created by the Paterson Education Fund through its “Paterson Reads” initiative.
“We eagerly embraced this opportunity to support children on their reading adventures, to introduce them to new worlds through literacy, and opportunities to excel,” said Rosie Grant, executive director of the PEF, a local education advocacy group.
“We believe in our children,” Grant added. “And we believe this first-time book club with a verse novel that mirrors their lived experiences was the perfect book to help us launch the club.”
The other schools that participated in the program were Nos. 2, 15 and 27. All the students read “Darius Daniels: Game On!” by Brewer.
At the Lautenberg School celebration, Brewer led the youngsters in a “I Love Books – A Rap,” a song she wrote.
Several students volunteered to come forward and sing into a microphone in front of their peers, including 13-year-old Lizet Deled.
“I was nervous at first, but then it got easier,” she said.
Brewer, a former columnist for The Record, described her passion for seeing children succeed
“I’ve worked with thousands of children and have witnessed their struggles to improve as readers,” she said. “When children see themselves in books and read about experiences that ring true, it helps them leap over obstacles.”
Ed Rumley is a contributing writer for Paterson Press.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ students meet children's author Caroline Brewer
