Second and third-grade students receive virtual visit from author Kelly Starling Lyons

Second and third-grade students at Little Britain Elementary School recently received a virtual author visit from Kelly Starling Lyons. Ms. Lyons has released about 32 books so far, including the Miles Lewis series and the Jada Jones series. 

She shared valuable tips with students on becoming successful writers, emphasizing the importance of drawing inspiration from personal interests and telling stories that only they can share.

“One of my favorite quotes about writing is from the author Toni Morrison,” Ms. Lyons said. “And she says ‘if there’s a book you want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must be the one to write it.’ Think about those stories you wish were out there.” 

She encouraged students to draw inspiration from personal interests and tell stories that are unique to them. She also gave them tips on how to write these stories; encouraging them to use their five senses to add more detail to their stories as well as incorporating a rollercoaster technique to determine when the most important parts of the story will occur. 

In fact, some students related to what she said as they have been learning some of these techniques in their own classes. 

“We’re actually in the middle of writing our own stories,” said third-grade student Alexa Gow. “My story is about the history of Snoopy and I want to dedicate it to my four friends.”

Xander Jean, who is also in the third grade, is writing about the history of Football. 

“We learned about the rollercoaster technique in writing last year,” Xander said. “It basically shows how the story flows. At the top is something big and then it starts to slow down like in an action movie.”

At the end of her presentation, students were able to ask questions including how long it takes Ms. Lyons to write a book and whether she has a new one coming out. 

“It’s great to get authors that our students read and request for,” said Principal Chris Barrie. “It will provide memories that they had a hand in creating.”