Back-to-School Guest Post: So Long to the Dog Days of Summer

Let's give a big welcome to YA author, Judith Graves to Kid Lit Frenzy.  Judith's debut book UNDER MY SKIN is a favorite of mine from this year.  In addition to being an author, Judith is also an elementary librarian.  She is stopping by today to kick off my September Back-to-School feature. 

So Long to the Dog Days of Summer


As both a library technician, working in an elementary school library, and a young adult author, I freely admit the September BACK TO SCHOOL buzz is a favourite time of year. And I’m not the only one working in education as my husband is a high school social teacher and basketball coach.

Let me put this in perspective for you. We have summers off together. Just us and our two crazy labs. All summer long. Yes, there can be too much of a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, I love my hubbie, fur kids and summers off. More time to chill. To renovate. To write. To procrastinate. But, and maybe I’m a sicko (more than likely), I relish going back to school.

There are the school supplies lining store shelves. The cool notebooks! (I have a coil notebook obsession, don’t you?) Even when I worked outside the educational world, I used to envy the get-new-clothes, get-new-school-stuff frenzy. September is like January (without the diets). It’s a time to embrace the future – the possibilities in life.

Now, I know this means a return to alarm clocks, granola bar lunches eaten while on supervision, stacks of books to catalogue and shelve, finding rotten bananas squished in said books, choir practice to organize, and drama club kids to recruit. But it also means hanging with the amazing staff at my school, finding out the summer gossip, meeting new students and families, feeling the “we’re back!” charge in the air, setting goals for myself, and planning a ton of cool things for my library world – plus, checking out all the new books and generally being inspired.

While I will mourn the sleepins, lazy days on the beach throwing sticks for the dogs, the travelling and doing whatever I want, whenever I want, I know I wouldn’t be half the writer, or the person, without my fantabulous job that surrounds me with opportunities to grow and learn.

So here’s to those fancy new highlighters and notebooks, bring on the morning announcements, staff meetings, and professional development workshops. But please let us have a few extra snow days this year.

You can find out more about UNDER MY SKIN and Judith Graves on her website: www.judithgraves.com

Thanks Judith for stopping by and kicking off my Back-to-School Month Posts.