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Maine author involves Lewiston kids in his book

Gary Savage has spent the last two years working directly with students at Farwell Elementary. Four students were recently selected to receive newly created Barbara Bush literacy scholarships.
Credit: NEWS CENTER Maine
Gary Savage

LEWISTON (NEWS CENTER Maine) — A Maine author has students at a Lewiston elementary school hooked on reading and writing and is making good o a promise to use their creativity in his next book.

Gary Savage has written two of four books in his Fletcher McKenzie series. The books uniquely combine suspense with Maine history and nutrition.

For the past several months, groups of students at Farwell Elementary school, where Savage has been volunteering, have been busy working on a new title and a new character for Savage’s third book.

"She’s determined to find Fletcher and tell him that bad secrets about the Snow family."

In front of a panel of judges, 14 groups presented their ideas.

"Five things that happened in Whole in Fletcher’s family and what he has to deal with every day."

The groups were challenged to help steer the direction of book three that follows Maine author Gary Savage’s first two creations: Fletcher McKenzie and the Passage to Wholeand Fletcher Mackenzie and the Curse of Snow Falls.

Savage, who admits he wasn’t much of a reader as a child, has spent every Thursday morning the past two years—on a volunteer basis--- working directly with students at Farwell Elementary on their reading and writing.

"I would give them a chapter or two sometimes three for reading that they would bring home with them and we would, for an hour, for each class would discuss the chapters."

Savage is intent on hooking kids on reading.

A passion he shares with the late former first lady Barbara Bush, who visited with and read to Farwell students several years ago. Wednesday, via Skype, Maine U.S. Senator Susan Collins delivered a special announcement: four students selected for newly created Barbara Bush scholarships.

"What a wonderful tribute to a first lady who was a true champion of literacy and of encouraging young people to discover the magic of reading," Senator Collins said over Skype.

The scholarships were a surprise to everyone. Each of the four students also received a $100 scholarship.

One of the recipients explained how the two events tied together.

"Reading was a very big part of this. If we didn’t read anything we wouldn’t have understood what was going on and we wouldn’t have been able to come up with so far the amazing posters that we’ve come up with."

In fact, Gary Savage’s project dovetails beautifully into Barbara Bush’s vision. And those student’s ideas? They may just wind up in a movie. The Fletcher McKenzie series is being considered for a project for the big screen. What’s more? London-based artists involved with the Lord of the Rings movies are also working on Savage’s McKenzie books.

That possibility fueled excitement as the panel of judges turned in their selections at Farwell Elementary.

And in the end…there were two winning groups: Reginald Grant Lake will be the next new character. And the winning title: Fletcher Mackenzie and the secrets untold.

"This is really the culmination of a lot of hard work on [school librarian] Miss Martin’s part and the kids part so it’s good to be at this point. We can take a breather now, look at who the winners were and what they’re giving me for new material for my next book," Savage noted.

As he congratulated the two young women behind the new character, Savage told them, "I’m thrilled because you guys have some great stuff in here, it shouldn’t be a problem at all."

The group behind the winning title agreed that collaboration played a critical role for them.

"And we really have to compromise and like work together because sometimes we’ll be arguing because it didn’t work out and then we just take a break and forget about it but then after we really thought about it this was really a team job, like we can’t do this without everybody."

And another team member explained, “It was hard about choosing the title and the character because some things we didn’t agree on. But it all came together in the end.”

Book 3 will be oozing with ideas that came from the young brains of Farwell students, but it’s the process and the inspiration Gary Savage is most proud of.

"I had three parents that came up and said he or she has never read and I want to thank you. They’re so engrossed with reading now they have a whole reading list for the summer. So that’s the stuff I like to see. You’re making a difference."

To view a short film version of Fletcher McKenzie and the Passage to whole, www.fletchermckenzie.net

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