Best-Selling Author Amber Smith Works with Queen’s Grant Students in Writing Workshops

An abundance of creative talent has often been on display by the students at Queen’s Grant, but a visiting author may have revealed even more from some blossoming 6^th grade authors.
 
Amber Smith, a New York Times bestselling author for her book “Code Name: Serendipity,” which details the connection between an 11-year-old girl and her dog, spent a full day with students relaying writing tips, listening to their stories, signing books, and giving advice on becoming an author.
 

"It was fun because I was able to ask a lot of questions about how long it took her to write her book and how she wrote it,” student Cameryn Troupe said. “I was able to write my own excerpt that she signed, and she also signed my bookmark."
 
The event was the first in-person school workshop Smith did since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.



“She was especially excited to spend time with kids today,” Melissa Carpenter, library technology specialist at Queen’s Grant, said. “She raved about how wonderful the kids were during the workshops, and about how insightful their questions were during their Q&A sessions.”
 
The event was made possible partly by Aubry Benton, a 6^th grade student who happens to live next door to Smith. Benton got the idea started and included Carpenter and 6^th grade ELA teacher Jennifer Saul to get the details sorted out.

 
“We have many wonderfully creative students that thrive when given an opportunity to do something like this writing workshop, so it was great to see students engaged in such imaginative storytelling,” Carpenter said.
 
Another 6^th grade student, Abigail Sanders, appreciated the time Smith took to help with their creative process.
 
"I liked how the author helped us make our own stories and how she uses animals in her stories,” Sanders said.
 

For more information about Amber Smith and her books, visit ambersmithauthor.com.About Queen's Grant Community School
Queen's Grant Community School is a tuition-free, public charter school in Mint Hill, North Carolina, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.

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