Michael Anthony Steele

Today I spent the day with the Blackhawks of Weaverville Elementary! I was greeted with a cool welcome sign AND two Blackhawk guides (thanks Aria and Emily)!

I performed three shows for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade and then signed a bunch of books to be given away to some very lucky Blackhawks. Mrs. Harrison did a great job finding tons of my early titles; be sure to thank her!

After the presentation, I conducted a writing workshop for several winners of an essay contest. I was lucky enough to keep your essays and I have already read several of them—I can see why each of you won. Great job!

Congratulations and great to meet you: Abigail, Aedan, Alayna, Alfonso, Andrew, Audrey, Ava, Avery, Blake, Brayden, Carvinette, Colton, Ellen, Emily, Fernando, Kya, Liam, Lily, Lux, Maeve, Mia, Michael, Mitchell, Norah, Presleigh, Sabine, Sam, Shyanne, Skylar, Ta’Marion, Vlada, and Zane (sorry I missed you, Saige).

Thanks to Mrs. Harrison for inviting me out. Thanks to Mrs. Aubry for the tech support. And thanks to all the Blackhawks for being such a great audience. I hope you enjoy my books and don’t forget that reading is your superpower!

Today I returned to North Carolina for a quick four-school tour, beginning with Hominy Valley Elementary in Candler, NC!

I performed three shows for all the HVE Jets, met many young writers and future screenwriters, and enjoyed taking some great questions!

After lunch, (and this month’s fire drill coming in under the wire), I got to hang out with 4th Grade again for a fun writing workshop!

There were more great questions and I hope everyone had as much fun as I did—thank you, Bailey, for the use of your name.

Thanks to Mrs. Griffin and Mrs. Walker for having me out. Thanks to Mrs. Hollifield and Coach Rogers for helping with the setup. Thanks to all the 4th Graders for attending the workshop; I expect great things. And thanks to the rest of the Jets for a great first day back in North Carolina. It’s great to be back!

My last day for this Arkansas trip had me at Fairview Elementary in Fort Smith!

I spent the entire day at Fairview, performed three shows, and signed a ton of books for the students and the school library!

I had a wonderful time meeting everyone and even got a preview for a cool new story. I can’t wait to read about your new characters, Remi!

Thanks to Mrs. Petrucci and the PTA for having me out. Thanks to Mrs. Crenshaw for all the help. Thanks to everyone for lunch. Thanks to Jenny for letting me know about how your class doesn’t like the word, “can’t.”

But the biggest thanks of all goes to all the great kids at Fairview Elementary. I hope you enjoy your books, but if you didn’t get one, be sure to check out one of my signed books from your library!

Today I visited another fun Arkansas school—Westside Elementary, home of the Rebels!

We hung out in the music room all day (thanks Mrs. Ross) and enjoyed three exciting shows together! In between shows, I enjoyed reading the hundred dollar essays posted in the cafeteria. I don’t know if I could be that creative with a hundred dollars.

Thanks to Mrs. Fields for inviting me. Thanks again to Mrs. Ross for the use of the room (and happy birthday, by the way)…

…but the biggest thanks of all goes to the Rebels themselves! I hope you enjoyed my visit and I hope you put those bookmarks to good use and remember the four important words printed on them!

Today I had the pleasure of returning to McDonald Elementary in Ferris, TX!

Last time I visited for McDonald’s Book Week, but THIS time I was featured during their Career Week! I had a great time meeting all the students and seeing the many career costumes in the crowd!

Thanks to Mrs. Nunez for having me out. Thanks to Coach Davis for the use of the gym. Thanks to Mrs. Miles for all the great help. And a big thanks to all the wonderful McDonald students! I hope my show gave you some career ideas and the four words it takes to make those careers happen–I Can Do That!

I spent the morning with the Austin Elementary Astronauts in Richmond, TX! The Astronauts were celebrating Read Across America Day by coming to school in their pajamas, listening to storytellers from all over, and meeting … me!

I performed three shows, signed a bunch of books, and spotted some fun hats!

I also ran into hometown friend, Mrs. Coats (although I didn’t recognize her dressed as the Cat in the Hat).

Thanks to Mrs. Collins for inviting me out. Thanks to Mrs. Williams for all the help. Thanks to Mrs. Coats and the PTO for making my visit possible. And a big thanks to all the Astronauts themselves. I hope you had as much fun celebrating Read Across America Day as I did!