Fleur Bradley is the author of many middle-grade mystery novels, including Daybreak on Raven Island (Viking Books, 2023) and Midnight at the Barclay Hotel (Viking Books, 2021). Fleur, a literacy advocate, has done hundreds of author school visits all over the world, both in-person and virtual. She speaks on ways to reach reluctant readers at educator conventions like NCTE Annual, Texas Library Association Conference, and FAME Conference.
What are your favorite things about visiting schools and talking to kids?
I love to walk into a school and get the vibes of the place. I can instantly feel if it’s a happy place—and most schools I visit are. The teachers and librarians work hard every day to make the school a safe space for kids, and I always feel honored when I’m invited to speak.
I usually do a talk on writing mysteries, and my favorite thing is to watch kids go from being disinterested in their writing and reading to fully engaged. By the end, they’re telling me all about their favorite books, or what story they wrote. Once we start talking about books and writing, those barriers kids can put up come down.
What are the benefits of kids getting to interact with a published author?
The benefit of meeting a published author is hopefully inspiration to read. Reading is vital for kids to progress academically, but it’s so hard to get a reluctant reader engaged. Seeing that there is a real-life person who wrote a book that’s in your school library brings the whole thing to life. Any time you can make reading a community event, it is a win. Author visits are invaluable to that goal. And as an author, the kids I write for are my biggest inspiration. I hang their letters and art on the wall in my office, to remind me who I work for.
What’s a low-stakes writing exercise you’d recommend for a reluctant or anxious student writer?
Sometimes it’s hard for kids (and adults for that matter) to take risks. But storytelling is exactly the place to do that, because anything is possible when you’re writing. A good way to loosen the creative muscle is to start with a “what if?” scenario. What if there were dragons living under your school? What if you could travel to a different planet or dimension? What if you found a kitten on your walk home from school? Being creative within the safety of a story helps kids feel more courageous everywhere else.
If you could say one thing to a child who is afraid to start writing, what would it be?
I want to read your story.