GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A West Michigan author stopped by Grand Rapids Wednesday to meet local fifth graders who read her book as part of the One Book, One City program.
Designed to kindle area students’ passion for reading, One Book, One City is a collaborative effort between the Grand Rapids Public Library and Grand Rapids Public Schools.
This year, more than 1,000 students read and discussed Isaiah Dunn is My Hero by Kelly J. Baptist.
Kelly answered students’ questions at GRPS University Wednesday morning.
“It's such an honor, being from Michigan to be selected for the One Book, One City read,” says Kelly. “I'm happy to interact with students. It's like a recharge for me to be around them and their energy and to hear their questions.”
She says the chance to answer readers’ questions gives her an opportunity to deliver what she would have wanted to hear an author say when she was a fifth grader.
“I think the interaction with them is beneficial for me and for them, because they get to ask their questions and I get to take myself back to fifth grade,” says Kelly. “And that's what I love to gain from it.”
Kelly told us her daughter was the reason she chose to write for a younger audience.
“It came from reading to my own daughter, one particular story over and over and over, and just loving that moment of connection with her,” she explains.
Kelly recently celebrated the release of her sixth book, Ebb & Flow. The book is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
