Check Out These Fabulous Fifth-Graders!

Ah, yes, I remember fifth grade well. It was one of my favorite years. Which is why I love
visiting with fifth graders, like the awesome ones at Pleasant Valley Elementary School 
in Schenectady, NY.

In full disclosure: I have a pro-Schenectady bias. My newest book, ROCKY ROAD,
is set in an ice cream shop in Schenectady. I enjoy walking along the Mohawk River and gazing
at the beauty of The Rose Garden at Central Park. And I live just a few miles from this place that used
 to be known as "The City That Lights & Hauls the World," in reference to the old General Electric company and the American Locomotive Company.

But that truly had nothing to do with my having a four-star day at Pleasant Valley last week. No,
it had more to do with the smiling, curious kids who were bursting with energy and enthusiasm about writing and life. We chatted, we laughed, we ate lunch together and we wrote. Who could ask for anything more?

Thanks to principal Joe DiCaprio, librarian Emily Dearstyne and teacher Jude McQueen for hosting me. And a shout-out to all the Pleasant Valley fifth-graders. Read, write, and rock on!