Award-winning graphic novelist Jerry Craft will cap his upstate visit to City School District of Albany middle schools next week with an evening event for our middle school students and their families.  

“Family Literacy Night with Jerry Craft” will be Tuesday, Oct. 24 from 6-8 p.m. at William S. Hackett Middle School. The event is open to readers from middle school to adulthood who are connected to either Hackett, North Albany Middle School or Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School.  

Craft is a New York Times bestselling author of “New Kid,” “Class Act” and "School Trip," and the first graphic novelist to win both the prestigious Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Author Award. He will meet with North Albany students on Monday, Oct. 23, with Myers students on Tuesday, Oct. 24, and with Hackett students on Wednesday, Oct. 25, in addition to the family event on the evening of Oct. 24.  

Themes prevalent in Craft’s graphic novels include identity, friendship, microaggressions and prejudice, all of which will be subjects of the evening event. After Craft speaks, he will meet and mingle with our students and families and autograph his books. Every student at North Albany, Myers and Hackett is receiving a free copy of one of Craft's novels this week and should bring it to this event to get signed! 

The evening event also will include displays of student work based on Craft’s book themes. Light refreshments will be served.    

For more information, contact your middle school librarian or email Jen Houlihan, secondary instructional supervisor for English Language Arts, Reading and Library Media, at jhoulihan@albany.k12.ny.us.