KMS Students Enjoy Exchange With Author

Diana Gish/KMXT

For the past three years, Peggy O’Leary’s seventh grade English students have been studying a book called "Abarat" by Clive Barker. Barker is a prolific English author who is better known for writing adult horror and fantasy.

— (Author 1 "When I first … how its done.")

O’Leary’s efforts to research the book turned up unexpected results.

— (Author 2 "When I first …his cheering section.")

Last week, O’Leary’s students got to visit with Barker via live videoconference. The author, who was born and raised in Liverpool, currently lives in Los Angeles. His recent throat surgery made it a strain to talk and be heard, but Barker talked to the students for an hour, answering questions and sharing some of the secrets about what’s to come in the Abarat (AB-uh-rat) series.

— (Author 3 "Uh, so, I am … Yes? Ok.")

O’leary said that the connection with Barker has become important both to the author and to the class.

— (Author 4 "I don’t think … contacts them.")

So far, two Abarat books have been published. Book three is almost written and a fourth one will follow that. O’Leary’s English students will be among some of the first to see Book three.

— (Author 5 "Did everybody have …YEAH bye bye!")

And that was Barker speaking by videoconference to O’Leary’s 7^th grade English class at Kodiak Middle School .