Visiting Author

Crystal Maldonado

Presented by Hall High School Library

4/22/22

Ms. Maldonado discussed her mission to have every reader see themself in her books. She also shared some of the themes & topics explored in her first two novels, Fat Chance, Charlie Vega, and No Filter and Other Lies.

19 English classes with ~360 students participated.

A natural teacher, she used incentives to break the ice with students during the Q&A portion of her presentation.

Crystal is funny and approachable, and students were excited to meet her after her presentation, particularly those who had already read her work.

The staff also enjoyed her presentation and spending time with her.

Student Responses to the Event

“She was by far the most down to Earth author I've ever seen or heard.”

“It's very important for people to be able to see themselves in the content that they consume.”

“Commitment is very important when tackling something big, in this instance writing a book.”

“I loved Ms. Maldonado's stories behind the stories. It was cool hearing about what inspired her, what keeps her motivated, and just general life background. :) “

“I thought she was very engaging, and definitely worth listening too, even though I’m not all that interested in her genre, so I appreciated the opportunity to attend.”

I liked her openness with not only her creative process but also everything else in her life, it just kind of kept me more engaged then I normally am in author visits.