Click here for a link to a video recap on Mr. Rand's day at GPA.
Click on "Author Journal" under Contents on left.

"Reading isn't something that you do; reading is a place where you go." Such was the "ancient secret about reading" that Johnathan Rand, author of the Michigan Chillers and The Adventure Club series, shared with Grosse Pointe Academy students during his visit to the school on April 8. During his hour-long presentation to first through sixth graders, Rand also shared personal anecdotes about how he went from working on the radio to writing books, infusing the children with his own love of reading and writing and encouraging them to do as much of both as possible.

"You have this beautiful new library with all these wonderful books on the shelves," Rand told the children. "Isn't each of those books a place you can visit?"

Rand invoked some wonderful metaphors that spoke to the children's imaginations. "Books don't have covers; they have doors," he said. "You can go anywhere you want in the world from where you are." Holding up one of the simplest instruments invented - a pencil - he told them that "Your pencil is no longer a pencil; it becomes a magic wand. I call the process of writing 'creating magic.'"

He also had some practical advice to give to the future authors in the audience. "The most powerful secret I know is: if you want to be an author, don't be a writer; be a re-writer."

In reflecting on his visit, Rand referred to the Academy as "one of the most unique and beautiful schools we have ever visited.... Just walking in and around the building you can feel the history. It's like it's reaching out to you. The kids at The Grosse Pointe Academy have an incredible place to learn." Johnathan Rand talks about his visit in a video blog on his web site, www.americanchillers.com. To view the video, click on "Author Journal" on the left (third item under "Contents").

Special thanks go to the Demkowicz family for making Johnathan Rand's visit possible.