I read Reality Boy as soon as I could get my hands on it. And then I didn’t put it down. It was one of those books that I couldn’t wait to share with a student. And then no one was really interested.

Until Ca—. She read it, and we had great discussions about Gerald, and why he was so angry, and how his interactions with his family led him to be as angry as he was. So when she finished, of course, I tweeted at A. S. King, not expecting a response, just to let her know that her work is valued.

One of my students finished Reality Boy by @AS_King today and she loved it. I think in some ways she related to Gerald. #bookaday

— Eli Oldham (@thebooksupplier) March 18, 2015

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAnd this was King’s response.

@thebooksupplier Tell her I say hello and thank you! And thank you for sharing the book!

— A.S. King ☂ (@AS_King) March 18, 2015

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Which, of course, I showed to Ca— the next day at school. She looked at it, then said, “Wait, who’s that?” When I told her it was the author of the book she just finished, she freaked out. In a good way. And then she dove into her next book, another heavy one by Laurie Halse Anderson, one of  my faves.

As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about this kid and all of my students, many of whom have a really tough time of it. My heart goes out to them, you know? I am seriously trying not to cry.

I am thankful for social networking and the connection I’m able to have with authors on behalf of my students. Being able to show these kids the Twitter and Facebook conversations I’ve had with authors means so much to them, and to me. Thank  you authors for writing the books that speak to so many people and allow me to connect with my students. And thank you students who put their trust in me when I hand them books. And finally, specific thank yous to A. S. King and Ca—. Interactions like these are part of the fuel that I run on as a teacher of [reading] students.