Author Stuart Gibbs captivates students
by Mary Buxton, library director
A popular middle-grade book author accepted a student's invitation to visit USN and spoke about his writing process.
A popular middle-grade book author accepted a student's invitation to visit USN and spoke about his writing process.
“Funjungle,” “Spy Kids,” “The Last Musketeers,” “Moon Base Alpha” – just the mention of these middle-grade book series brought gasps of excitement from fans of author Stuart Gibbs during his visit to USN on last week.
Mr. Gibbs planned a special trip to Nashville at the invitation of Olivia Barbieri, a fourth grader at the time of her personal letter to Mr. Gibbs. During his visit, he regaled the third, fourth, and fifth graders with stories about how he chooses his subject matter, how he researches his books and included insights into all the things he has learned along the way.
As a trained field biologist, a mystery lover and writer since his middle school days, and his friendship with an astronaut, Mr. Gibbs explained the why behind each series. Students learned just how much research is conducted for each book and that research can include field research; for example traveling to Paris, France to study French history and architecture or spending days in Washington, D.C. to visit museums and our national monuments, all aiding in plot and character development.
Mr. Gibbs also signed students’ personal copies of his books. If students would like to purchase additional copies of any of Mr. Gibbs’ books, Parnassus Books has signed copies available. His books are also available in Hassenfeld Library.
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Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.