On October 25, Veritas Academy will have the honor of hosting bestselling author N. D. Wilson for a book signing and academic discussion with our students. Wilson, who is perhaps best known for his popular 100 Cupboards children's fantasy series, will autograph copies of his latest novel The Outlaws of Time: The Legend of Sam Miracle. He will be at Veritas from 1:00 – 3:00 pm, meeting with fourth through eighth grades first and finishing with ninth through twelfth grade.
An accomplished screenwriter as well, Wilson's young adult romance-adventure film The River Thief is currently available on Amazon Prime and Comcast On Demand. The s uccess of his book 100 Cupboards earned him a spot on the Today Show, caught the attention of production company Beloved Pictures who purchased film rights, and spawned two sequels that completed this well-loved trilogy. Wilson also authored the Ashtown Burials series, as well as an at once provocative and lighthearted theological musing Notes From the Tilt-a-Whirl: Wide-Eyed Wonder at God's Spoken World., published both as a book and video series.
Inspired by great British novelists such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, Wilson desired at a young age to compose works of similar theme and scope for young American readers, against the backdrop of our own national landscape – both current and historic. His writings have captured the imaginations of young readers for nearly a decade, and many Veritas students are excited to have a chance to meet the author and discover his vision for the characters and stories firsthand.
“I like adventure and spy kind of stories and his books have all of that in them,” says Veritas 7th grader Peyton Walters, whose favorite N.D. Wilson works include the Ashtown Burials series.
Adventure is indeed a key theme among reasons why kids enjoy Wilson's books. 6th grader Amaya Goff said about her favorite Wilson novel, The Drowned Vault : “I like that it was very adventurous.. It felt like you were in the book.” She says she's excited to meet Wilson because “you don't really get to see authors on TV or get to really know what they're like. They might give you a description in the book, but it's really cool to get to see them face to face.”
Matthew Conklin, also in 6th grade, echoed her excitement, saying “when you read his books, you feel like you're inside the story on an adventure in the woods. I honestly would like to have him sign a book that he wrote. I think it's really cool how much time they put into writing their books and I want to meet the author and maybe learn how to write stuff, too.”
Our older students will embark on a different type of adventure with Wilson: diving into his theological musings in Notes From the Tilt-a-Whirl and engaging in discussion with this author and theologian who, like these students, graduated from a Classical Christian School. In fact, Wilson's father, Doug Wilson, was instrumental in founding Classical Christian education as we know it today.
Many schools in our area have author visits, but this one gives the added benefit of allowing our kids to see in this uniquely gifted and highly successful writer a Christ-centered world view in action, challenging them to pursue their passions and creativity from a biblical perspective. From awakening a sense of adventure through literature in our young readers, to stoking the spark of inspiration in our future writers, to equipping our teenagers to hold fast to the knowledge of truth, this exciting opportunity to meet with a beloved author is one more way that Veritas is helping to connect students with truth, beauty, and goodness for Christ’s calling.
