A husband-and-wife author team will be in Iola on Thursday to talk about their book, “Squint.”
The novel is the young adult selection for Iola Reads.
Authors Chad Morris and Shelly Brown will speak to Iola Middle School students at 10 a.m. at the Iola High School gym; Lincoln Elementary students will attend their presentation at 1:30 p.m.
A community presentation by the authors will be offered at 7 p.m. at the Creitz Recital Hall at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Refreshments will be provided.
Also on Thursday evening, the Iola Public Library will announce winners of a comic strip contest, presenting those awards from 6 to 6:45 p.m. at the library, just before authors’ presentation across the street. The contest was judged by local children’s book artist Stephen Gilpin.
“Squint” tells the story of a middle schooler with deteriorating vision who tries to finish drawing a comic book for a competition before he loses his eyesight. He’s frequently bullied by other kids, until along comes a new friend, McKell, who is facing challenges of her own. Her brother, Danny, is terminally ill from cancer and uses his popular YouTube channel to challenge people and bring them together.
Iola Reads used “Danny’s Challenge,” a concept introduced in the book, to encourage local students to think of others and work to make themselves a better person. Students filled out a Bingo card with things like “draw a picture,” “tell your parents you love them,” and “make a new friend.”
