Saucon Valley Welcomes Author Matt Myklusch To Headline SVMS Literacy Week

For the past several years Saucon Valley Middle School has been conducting Literacy Week in May.  For the entire week students and staff in the middle school participate in a variety of activities to celebrate and promote literature and reading.

2017 SVMS Literacy Week Schedule

• D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read!)  Once, who knows maybe twice a day, students and staff will drop everything and read for a 20 minute period of time.  At different points throughout the week Principal Bernardo will make a “surprise” announcement over the loud speaker informing all students and staff that it is “Time to drop EVERYTHING and Read!”
• “Dress Like Your Favorite Character Day”.  Its not Halloween, but it will look that way on Monday.  All students and staff are encouraged to participate.  Of course, the school dress code still applies.
• Literature Trivia.  This is a little contest where trivia questions are asked of the Student Body during the morning announcements.  Student responses will be gathered in answer-jars at the cafeteria during lunch.  Principal Bernardo will announce winners near the end of the school day.
• Literature Share.  On Wednesday teachers will share their favorite poem, short story or picture book with all of their classes.
• Guest Author.  This year’s guest author is Matt Myklusch.  He is the creator of the “Seaborn” and the “Jack Blank Adventures” series.  Saucon Valley Middle School will put out the welcome mat to welcome Matt on Tuesday.
  • Check out Katie’s review of “The Accidental Hero”:

A Review of  Matt Myklusch’s “The Accidental Hero”

Hello, my name is Katie, and I’m a seventh grader at Saucon Valley Middle School.  During Literacy Week, which is funded by the Saucon Valley Foundation for Educational Innovation, we will have the opportunity to hear the author Matt Myklusch speak.  He will be coming to our school on May 16th. I personally read his book and below is a review I wrote about it.

The Accidental Hero is a science fiction novel written by Matt Myklusch. It was published on April 26, 2011 by Aladdin and is the first among many books in the Jack Blank series. The Accidental Hero revolves around a young boy named Jack Blank. All his life he has lived in St. Barnaby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost, which is an orphanage for young children who don’t have families. St. Barnaby’s is not the type of place you would ever want to live in, but unfortunately Jack found himself living there for his entire life up to this point. He kept to himself but always ended up in trouble with the menacing Mrs. Theedweck. Although he did what he was told, whenever something went wrong, he was the one everyone would blame. One day when he was at the orphanage alone, his world turned upside down. Suddenly his life was filled with valiant superheroes but also notorious super villains .

By the first chapter, the author clearly defined Jack’s character. When reading, it was easy to get a sense of Jack’s character. Most people who read this book allegedly have caring families and do not live in a place like St. Barnaby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost. With that being said, the reader will probably not be able to relate to Jack’s situation. Nonetheless, Matt Myklusch described his character so well that, although you may never have experienced any of the situations Jack was in, it was exceptionally easy to relate to. If Jack were to feel fear, as I was reading I felt the same suspenseful anxiety as he did. If Jack was overflowing with joy and happiness, I would feel the same blissfulness as he did.

To conclude, The Accidental Hero is a gripping novel that you can’t miss out on. The story of Jack Blank’s adventures is truly a page-turner that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Again, Matt Myklusch will be coming to Saucon Valley on May 16.  All students in grades 5-8 will listen to a presentation.

Thank you to the Saucon Valley Foundation for Educational Innovation for making this awesome experience possible!