“It was the war season.” Topaz,* a sweet, giggly high school senior, all glasses and braces and dimples, had turned her computer screen to me and while I knew her assignment was to write a piece of fiction about a character who had gone, or was going, through a change in their life, I was NOT expecting she would kick off her story like this.

Kam Mak, artist, author, and teacher has worked with Behind the Book since 2007. He’s done 15 programs with his book, My Chinatown – the most of any author to date. Kam himself is as vibrant as his art, and his enthusiasm for working with third-graders from elementary schools in New York City is readily apparent.

Author Alicia Klepeis has written a whopping 96 books. Her books are geared toward children of all ages, with titles ranging from Animal All-Stars to Haunted Cemeteries Around the World.