Clare Vanderpool of Wichita, Kansas visited each of Solomon’s schools Jan. 11. Vanderpool is a Newbery award-winning children’s book author. Invited as a guest speaker, she spoke to different grades about being an author, the process of writing a book, and her at-home life with her husband and kids.
Vanderpool earned her college degree in English and Elementary Education. She said she first wanted to become a writer in the fifth grade but didn’t start professionally until she was 29 years old. Part of what made that decision for her was the birth of her first child.
Clare also credited her time in high school as being the reason she got away from books.
“When I was in high school and started getting assigned a lot of books in class, for whatever reason my ability to read for my own enjoyment just vanished, it dried up,” Vanderpool said.
Vanderpool is the author of books titled “Navigating Early” and “Moon Over Manifest.” The latter was her debut book, which she won the 2011 John Newbery Award Medal for. “Moon Over Manifest” sat at #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List, and was recognized as the best children’s book of the year by the Midwest Bookseller’s Association in 2011. The book has won and been nominated for numerous other awards.
Currently Vanderpool is working on a new book, and she still has the love and support of her family, which according to her, makes writing, “that much easier.”
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