I truly enjoyed Camp Read-a-Lot this year. We heard from David LaRochelle, Ralph Covert and John Coy. LaRochelle talked a lot about writing and publishing. The most important thing I heard from him was “Make your someday because somedays never come.” I also learned that the revision process is just getting started once you are accepted by a publisher. Covert spoke about making reading fun and using sneaky ways to get kids to learn. The most important thing I learned from him was that if a kid doesn’t know they are learning or if they are having fun while the are learning, they are more likely to retain the information and want to learn more. Finally, Coy talked about getting boys to read. He said that there needs to be more literature that boys are interested in and sports is a popular topic. Coy also said that he has target readers read his work before he submits it to a publisher.
Another feature of Camp Read is the reading lists. Although I can rarely get through an entire reading list before the conference, the lists always guide me to new items to add to my school library collection. The discussions are always insightful as well and help me see a book from new perspectives.
I hope to attend future Camp Reads.
