Pine Road Elementary, Huntingdon Valley, PA

Of late I have been spoiled by superb school visits, and met no exception on 2/19/14 at Pine Road School in Pennsylvania (my first author appearance in the state). 

  

Special thanks to librarian Keith Crowell, who was an absolute pleasure to work with.

This school was the second ever at which students and staff dressed as superheroes for my visit. As it happens, the first was precisely a week prior.

Pine Road sold a pine tree's worth (sorry) of books, including Vanished: True Stories of the Missing. I'd not thought about the fact that the opening story in the book (about 2nd grader Erica Pratt) took place in Pennsylvania.

 

After my Superman/Batman/Siegel/Shuster/Finger talk, a 4th grade girl came up to me and said that she thought she was going to start crying while I told the saddest parts of the Bill Finger story. I told her that it would have been okay and that others have, including me. 

A 4th grade boy asked me, "What is your perspective on misery and what is your perspective on joy?"

Definitely a first for me, and a profound one at that. I stammered out an answer-by-blindside that did not involve Bill, though in retrospect it could have. His story is that odd blend of both.

 photo by Ellen Zschunke; note Batgirl