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July 8, 2015 by Travis Jonker

Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan

July 8, 2015 by Travis Jonker   14 comments

You know what’s fun? Sharing something new. Today is especially new – a cover reveal for a debut author.

It’s a middle grade novel-in-verse about a group of kids on a Save Our School mission. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary arrives in spring of 2016.

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Travis: How did this book come about?

Laura Shovan: I started working as a poet-in-the-schools in 2000, after teaching high school English. When I visit elementary schools, the more wildly enthusiastic I am about writing poetry with the kids, the more they fall in love with language. I turn into the prop-comic of poetry. During a writing residency, I have students take off their shoes and write odes to them, taste baby powder (it’s a sensory exercise), and engage in something called snakey reading.

With The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, I wanted to capture the joy I see when students are writing in a community. That’s when something really special happens. They tell stories about their lives, share family traditions, and write about the people and places they love. I wanted the book to reflect the discoveries children can make when they’re actively writing.

The classic verse novel Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters was a big inspiration. I love how layered the persona poems in that book are. They combine to tell the story of one community. I think the story of Ms. Hill’s fifth grade and their fight to save Emerson Elementary could only be told by the whole class. Just like a real classroom, everybody has something to contribute.

Here’s a first look at the cover, illustrated by Abigail Halpin:

(Click to enlarge)

Last Fifth Grade cover

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jennifer Maschari says

    July 8, 2015 at 6:42 am

    What an awesome cover! I love the colors and the individual pictures of all of the students. I can’t wait for this book.

  2. Claire Fayers says

    July 8, 2015 at 7:01 am

    Great looking book. I love the idea of a story told through verse. I’m looking forward to reading this when it comes out.

  3. Victoria J Coe says

    July 8, 2015 at 7:06 am

    Wow! Fabulous cover and an even more fabulous-sounding book! How rich and exciting that the story is told through the whole community, a la Spoon River (I adored that back in high school, too!). On my TBR list for sure!

  4. Irene Latham says

    July 8, 2015 at 7:25 am

    SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK!! Great cover, and knowing Laura, the insides will be every bit as awesome.

  5. Michelle Heidenrich Barnes says

    July 8, 2015 at 7:26 am

    What a wonderful cover! I love that the illustrator portrayed them as individuals, making it the kind of book my daughter, for one, would definitely pick up!

  6. Linda Baie says

    July 8, 2015 at 9:27 am

    The cover gives a wonderful feeling of community, and that’s what writing together does, too. This is going to be a wonderful story! Beautiful to see the cover, Laura, & thanks for sharing, Travis!

  7. Amy Ludwig VanDerwater says

    July 8, 2015 at 10:05 am

    I am so excited for this book. Laura is a wise soul, and funny too…what a great day! Congratulations!

  8. Erin Petti says

    July 8, 2015 at 10:12 am

    LOOKS FANTASTIC!! Very excited to read it!!

  9. Cynthia Reeg says

    July 8, 2015 at 10:12 am

    Great cover and sounds like a wonderful story! Congrats, Laura! 🙂

  10. Brooks Benjamin says

    July 8, 2015 at 10:34 am

    This book! This cover! This incredible author! It’s like a trifecta of incredible. An incredifecta. 😀

  11. Sally Whitney says

    July 8, 2015 at 11:17 am

    This is a great cover! I love the emphasis on individual students. Congratulations, Laura. I’m sure the book is just as good.

  12. Buffy Silverman says

    July 8, 2015 at 2:30 pm

    Wonderful cover–can’t wait to read the book!

  13. Linda says

    July 8, 2015 at 6:55 pm

    Love the cover! I’m so happy to see it, and I can’t wait to read the book!

  14. Janet Johnson says

    July 11, 2015 at 10:33 am

    I love this cover! And I love how the book came about. Tasting baby powder! I may have to go do that. Or write an ode to my shoes. 😉

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