Midland Libraries, 2022
“Jen is well-spoken and incredibly well-versed in what she does. You can tell that words truly are her art form because of the way she processes words and sentences (and reads them backwards!). She lets her interests and fascination with magic sink into her presentations to tell a story about her storytelling. The students were fascinated with her and truly enjoyed hearing about her travels and her experiences. So many of our Mexican-heritage students really enjoyed having that representation through Jen, as well.”
Wondermore
We invited JC Cervantes to virtually meet with sixth grade students at two Boston Public Schools in the spring of 2021. Prior to the visit, teachers and students read The Storm Runner together, and were thrilled to host Jen in their classrooms! Jen was warm, funny, and engaging—her personality and excitement to talk with students transferred beautifully through Zoom. She tailored her presentation for each school, and enthusiastically discussed her creative process, her characters, the inspiration for the trilogy, and how she became a writer. It was a pleasure to work with Jen, and scheduling the visits was made easy by her assistant, Sarah. We look forward to bringing her back to Boston, whether it be in person or virtually!
Lucy Steer and Julie O’Neil at Condon K-8 School
“The Condon K-8 School was thrilled to welcome J.C. (Jen) Cervantes! Our 6th graders loved every second of The Storm Runner and were eager to discuss the book with Jen on Zoom. She was so warm and energetic, immediately engaging all of our students. My colleagues and I immediately recognized a fellow middle school teacher spirit in her! Jen gave a fantastic presentation on her own experiences growing up (particularly her own cultural identity), her path to writing, and the specifics of The Storm Runner. In particular, the kids loved seeing the Disney designs of the characters they had been picturing for weeks! Jen then graciously took questions from our kids. She gave answers about everything from her dogs to a possible Storm Runner movie to fun hints about the rest of the series. We cannot wait to read the book again this year and welcome Jen back!
Theresa Brophy, Boston Public Schools
The 2020-2021 school year was a year unlike any other. Then the school doors opened and we were allowed to be back in person. And THE STORM RUNNER was waiting for us. Thanks to Wondermore Books, we had almost 100 hardcover copies of the book and a visit with J.C. on the calendar, a true gift that was exciting and tangible and motivating. Students couldn’t believe their good fortune, “We get to keep the books?!” and “We’re going to meet the author??!!” There were students who had already read it and couldn’t wait to read it for the second and third time. There were students who begged me from day one, “Can’t we just READ!?” These were words that any educator and lover of reading and writing longs to hear, and it came naturally. Then we got to meet J.C. I think I can speak for all of us that we were completely taken by her realness and connectedness even from thousands of miles away. She addressed each student by name and thanked them for their question. She shared personal stories and the history behind her characters, the setting, and events of the book. J.C. told our students that she begins her writing process with the question “What if?” I am full of appreciation for the experience of THE STORM RUNNER and for the opportunity to ask “What if?”