It was a journey that led to a chance encounter with a serendipitous ending. It sounds like the making of a great novel, but in this incredible true story, it’s exactly what happened this past fall when two people seated next to each other on a Denver to Bellingham flight started chatting. The conversation turned to books, and then to Bellingham Public Schools, and finally to a new program of the Assistance League of Bellingham (ALB).

The two people involved were retired BPS staff member Paula Friedman, who used to work in the Bellingham High School library, and current BPS staff member Sarah Engels, who works as a paraeducator in the Alderwood Elementary School library.

Engels shared with Friedman that the school was holding a “meet the author” event with Lauren Tarshis, author of the popular “I Survived” historical fiction series. She also mentioned that the Alderwood PTA had a goal of raising $750 to purchase a personal copy of a Tarshis book for every third, fourth and fifth grader who would attend the author event.

Upon her return to Bellingham, Friedman, who volunteers with the Assistance League of Bellingham, shared the encounter with Nanci Zander, the chair of ALB’s new Books and Beyond Program. It was determined that a donation to help Alderwood reach their fundraising goal was a “good fit” for the book program.

What eventually developed from the innocuous conversation on the DEN to BLI plane ride was a monetary donation totaling $625 from the Assistance League of Bellingham to the school. With the new funds, Alderwood Elementary PTA was able to purchase personal copies of “I Survived” books for approximately 122 students, six classrooms of students who would be attending the author event.

At the October author event, several Books and Beyond members attended to help pass out books to students. According to a ALB newsletter write up by chairperson Zander, “Books and Beyond was very excited about this unusual coincidence that joined the Assistance League with Alderwood Elementary.”

Sara Hanes, Alderwood’s library media specialist, says “It was a great event and we are so thankful to the ALB for their generous donation. We were able to purchase all third, fourth and fifth grade students and teachers a copy of the author’s latest book”

Hanes also shared that Village Books arranged for Tarshis, the author, to sign sticker bookplates so that the school could then put them inside each copy of the book.

Student engagement with reading

A few Alderwood third graders were thrilled to talk about the book I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910. The story is based on the deadliest avalanche on U.S. soil that occurred near Stevens Pass on March 1, 1910. The snow crashed down and swept two trains off it’s tracks into a deep canyon. After this disaster, new plans were made for safer train travel in high mountain areas.

In the middle of the discussion about the book, several of them jumped up to re-enact key moments in the book reflecting some of the illustrations in the book such as running from the avalanche.

After a quick summary of this story where the events that transpired are real but characters like Jamie and Violet are made up, the students shared a map of the Cascades found in the book and showed exactly where the avalanche happened.  They also shared some exciting plot twists about diamonds and smuggling as told in the book.

Some students in this group have read three or more of the books in the I Survived series and one even said they read over 10, sharing that she “has been reading them all last year and this.” The I Survived book set in 2018 about the California wildfires was especially interesting to students since they marveled that they were actually alive already when it took place.

About meeting the author: “She was really nice.”

About writing. “I like writing. My sister is a writer. She’s 12.”

If you could write anything what would you write about: “I’d like to write fantasy books.”

“I’d write about animals because I’m really into animals.”

The third grade teacher Natalia Rios shared that so many of her students wanted to be a part of this little interview. “Lots of kids were super impacted by the author visit in such a positive way,” she said.

“One student literally started writing after the Tarshis visit, without any concern, because she could picture herself as an author after the visit. It was so inspiring.”