On Wednesday, May 17, Newbery Honor-winning author Thanhhà Lai spoke to Elmbrook middle schoolers in promotion of her new book (released May 9), When Clouds Touch Us. Lai presented to sixth graders at the ultrascreen in Brookfield’s Marcus Majestic Theatre for an interactive and engaging presentation about her writing and personal stories as a Vietnamese refugee that inspired her books. After each presentation, Lai answered questions from the audience about her work and participated in student writing workshops.

“Thanhhà’s presentation told students the important story of the firsthand account of a refugee,” reflected Liz Mallegni, Elmbrook Talent Development Coordinator. “We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to host Ms. Lai and promote literacy to our middle school students in such a unique way.”

At these presentations, she spoke to over 600 students, and that evening she spoke to 90 members of the Elmbrook community at the Elmbrook School Libraries’ FACEBrook (Family and Community Engagement in Elmbrook) event, hosted by Elm Grove Public Library.

This visit was organized by the Elmbrook Talent Development Coordinator, and the Elmbrook Library Services Department, and was sponsored by Elmbrook's community partners, Boswell Books, and Forever Friends, supporting intergenerational programming. This school year, numerous award-winning authors are scheduled to visit the district as a continuation of our joint initiative to engage students in reading and writing. Click here for more information about our author visits.