Parents: Want to earn some serious kid-cred? Tell your offspring to hop in the car, then as you start driving toward Harding Academy, casually toss a comment over your shoulder like, “Oh hey, have you ever seen those Kid President videos on YouTube? What about Lennon and Maisy? You know them?” Then prepare for a great deal of screaming and excitement, because this is happening:
AMAZING EVENT #1
Kid President (and his brother-in-law, Brad!)
present their Guide to Being Awesome
Friday, April 24, at 6 p.m.
Price of admission: One food item for Second Harvest Food Bank
* * RSVP FOR KID PRESIDENT HERE * *
AMAZING EVENT #2
Lennon and Maisy Stella
(angel-voiced stars of ABC’s Nashville)
present their new lyrical picture book, In the Waves
Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m., free and open to all
* * RSVP FOR LENNON AND MAISY HERE * *
Both events take place at Harding Academy, 170 Windsor Drive
(at the corner of Harding Place and Harding Pike)
The authors will put their own personal touch on books purchased at the event!
Don’t miss these fun, exciting, and empowering opportunities to introduce your kids to some young folks who are working hard and living their dreams. Now, if you happen to be one of those people living under a rock who don’t know who these youngsters are, allow us to introduce you. This, dear friends, is the one, the only, the legend… Kid President:
And Lennon and Maisy Stella — well, you may recognize them from their roles on Nashville. But your children probably know them from their series of YouTube videos:
Recently these folks did a little Q&A with our 12-year-old junior bookseller, Cameron P. Here’s Cameron’s interview with the Stella sisters — 15-year-old Lennon and 11-year-old Maisy:
Cameron: Lennon and Maisy, how old were each of you when you wrote your new book, “In The Waves”?
Maisy: 4
Lennon: 8
Cameron: When you have regular homework and acting homework, like lines to learn, how do you get everything done!?
Lennon: A majority of our learning is with a teacher either at school or at home, and we don’t have much “homework” after that. Learning lines with the show doesn’t take as long as you might think.
Cameron: What is your favorite part of living in Nashville?
Maisy: The people.
Lennon: The people, and being surrounded by music.
Cameron: Lennon, what’s your personal favorite song you have ever written?
Lennon: It’s a song called “Better Than That” that I wrote with Gordie Sampson and my mom, MaryLynne Stella.
Cameron: Maisy, do you ever fight with your sister?
Maisy: Sometimes we fight — like most sisters do — but never about anything super serious.
Cameron: Lennon, what’s the hardest scene you’ve ever done for Nashville? What made it so difficult?
Lennon: One of the hardest scenes I’ve had to do was the one when Maddie, the character I play, was moving out to live with Teddy [her dad]. It was the finale of Season One, and it was the first scene where I truly had to challenge myself, acting-wise.
Cameron: Maisy, how do you and Lennon choose the songs you cover on YouTube?
Maisy: We just pick songs we connect with and both agree on.
And here’s Cameron’s conversation with the team behind Kid President — 11-year-old Robby Novak and his big brother-in-law Brad Montague (of production company Soul Pancake):
Cameron: Robby, where did you learn those swagalicious dance moves?!
Robby: Everybody is born with dance moves. You just got to listen to the music and get those moves unlocked. They’re there! Also watching and rewatching old Michael Jackson videos on YouTube helps.
Cameron: Do you guys have a favorite tip for being awesome in your book?
Brad: There’s so many, but our favorites are awesome tips we learned from friends we’ve met along the way. Awesome Tip #60 ‘Throw A Pop Up Art Show’ is one that definitely has stuck with us. Jordan and Bailey are two college students we met a while back here in Nashville. We were blown away by the ways they were making things happen for kids and families in their neighborhood (the Edgehill community). We got to spend the day with them and learn that changing the world happens by changing wherever you are. It starts right in your backyard. It’s all about the people next to you.
Cameron: Is having osteogenesis imperfecta hard? How does it affect your daily life?
Robby: It’s definitely not fun, but it definitely doesn’t stop me. Some days I don’t break, and those days are great. Some days I do break, and those days are hard — but they’re still great. It’s helped me learn that no matter how you feel you just gotta find a reason to keep dancing.
Cameron: Why do you want to make the world a happier place?
Brad: We just want to try to be a family who makes things together and who hopefully those things are helpful and encouraging to people. So many people inspire and encourage us and we just want to keep spreading that. Life is too short to not make life awesome for people around us.
Cameron: Favorite book you have read lately?
Brad: Peaceful Neighbor: Discovering the Countercultural Mister Rogers by Michael G. Long. I’m a huge fan of Fred Rogers and so inspired by the way he used media to help children. He sure helped me.
Robby: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Cameron: Your favorite author?
Brad: Antoine de Saint Exupery! Yes, he wrote The Little Prince, but he also wrote several incredible books about aviation, exploring, traveling and just led an inspiration life of adventure. His writing gushes with wonder and wisdom.
Robby: Dav Pilkey. I read all the Captain Underpants books.
Cameron: Would you rather buy books or just browse when you are in a bookstore?
Brad: Browsing a bookstore is one of my favorite things to do in the world. I also buy a lot of books in the process. Ha! I have stacks and stacks of unread books, but I did read recently that this is a sign of a brilliant mind. I might have made that up.
Robby: Yes, you probably made that up.
Cameron: How many jumbo marshmallows can you fit in your mouth at once?
Robby: I am SO good at this.
Brad: Well, what’s your answer?
Robby: 85
Brad: There’s no way that’s true.
Robby: Well, I don’t know the exact number, but it’s A LOT.
Cameron: What is the best prank you have ever played on someone?
Brad: Robby lives to prank me.
Robby: Every time he comes over I hide and then pop out to scare him when he least expects it. His “scared face” is my favorite thing in the world.
Brad: Well, that really scares me.
Robby: It’s out of love, man.
So, how awesome will your weekend be if you spend it with these kids? This awesome:
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Huge thanks to Harding Academy for providing the space for both of these events!
Remember, please bring a food item for Second Harvest Food Bank when you come to meet Kid President. The most needed items are peanut butter, canned chicken and tuna, canned fruit and vegetables, soups and stews, pasta, and cereal.
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$21.99
ISBN-13: 9780062358684
Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: HarperCollins, 2/2015 |
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$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780062359391
Availability: On Our Shelves Now Published: HarperCollins, 4/2015 |
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