Julie Berry introduces herself!

Dear Chenery Fifth Graders,

I’m writing to introduce myself.  My name is Julie Berry, and I’m a children’s book author. I live in Massachusetts, not far from Belmont, with my husband, our four sons, and our two cats. My office is never tidy, my home is always noisy, and I am extremely fond of snacks. When I’m not reading, writing, snacking, or taking care of my family, I love to sing, plant flowers and veggies, forget to weed and water them, expand my houseplant jungle, exercise, watch movies, and knit dishcloths. No joke there. I hope, before I die, to graduate to socks.

I feel incredibly lucky that I get to make books my life, and honored to spend time with readers and writers like you. Through a special program made possible by the Chenery Parent-Teacher organization, I’ll be hanging out with you a lot this year.

I’ll visit your school several times to discuss writing. I’ll come for your book fair, and for an end-of-year celebration of your creativity. But that’s only the beginning. Throughout the year we’ll communicate over this blog. I’m going to read the books you’re reading, and discuss them with you on this blog maintained by Ms. Duff in the library. I’ll publish posts about each of the titles you’re reading, and with each post I’ll suggest several creative writing prompts that you can try. I’d love to see you post some of your creative writing responses to the writing prompts. Talk with your teachers and parents, or with Ms. Duff, about how to do this.

I hope our discussions and prompts will help you realize that every great book you’ll ever hold in your hands was once nothing more than the sparkle of an idea in the mind of a writer. And you, my CFG (Chenery Fifth Grade) friends, are writers too, and your brains are so sparkly with ideas, they glow in the dark. I hope I can help you see that although writing stories will always be magical, it doesn’t have to be so mysterious that you and I can’t do it.  Reading and writing are like chocolate and coconut, like chips and salsa, like tuna fish and pickled gherkins. They go great together. (Trust me about the gherkins.)

Read lots, keep a pencil and notebook handy to jot down ideas, and hide your snacks, because I’m coming soon to get this party started along with Ms. Duff (and we all know she’s the ultimate party gal). I can’t wait to meet you.

Yours in silliness,

Julie Berry