Students at the A.C. Whelan Elementary School got a firsthand lesson in the power of storytelling last Thursday when acclaimed author Pam Muñoz Ryan visited the school to talk about her life, her books, and the journey that led her to become one of the country’s most celebrated children’s writers.
Ryan, best known for the award-winning novel Esperanza Rising, spoke to students about perseverance, family, imagination, and the lasting impact literature can have on a person’s life during a special literacy event connected to the United States of Readers program, a Scholastic initiative aimed at getting free books into the hands of students at Title I schools.
The visit brought together students, teachers, administrators, elected officials, and literacy advocates for a morning centered on reading and the importance of helping children build a love of books early in life.
“This says something about your community,” Ryan told students as she looked around the packed gathering. “They put a priority on you. They make you important.”
Throughout the presentation, Ryan mixed humor, personal stories, and lessons about writing while keeping students fully engaged.
She spoke about growing up in Bakersfield, California, where fields surrounded her neighborhood and farmworkers labored nearby. One vivid childhood memory—watching grapes dry into raisins under the hot sun—eventually found its way into one of her stories decades later.
“At the time, I never thought anything about it,” Ryan said. “But those experiences stay with you. They become part of your memory and eventually part of your stories.”
Ryan explained that she grew up in a working-class family. Her father drove a delivery truck, and her mother worked in a high school library, where Ryan first developed her love of books.
Even so, becoming an author was never part of her original plan.
She first became a teacher before eventually trying her hand at writing after encouragement from a college professor. Like many writers, she said, the road to publication was far from easy.
“Every writer gets rejected,” she told students. “You just keep going.”
That message of persistence resonated throughout the morning, especially as Ryan described the deeply personal roots behind many of her novels.
She explained that Esperanza Rising was inspired by her grandmother’s immigration story. The novel, which is widely taught in schools across the country, follows a young girl forced to leave her privileged life in Mexico and rebuild her life in California during the Great Depression.
Ryan said books have the power not only to entertain, but also to preserve family history and help readers understand experiences beyond their own.
“Books let us travel to places we’ve never been, and experience lives different from our own,” she said.
She also discussed some of her other well-known works, including The Dreamer, inspired by the childhood of poet Pablo Neruda, and Echo, a novel that blends history, music, and fantasy.
As students listened intently, Ryan offered a glimpse into her creative process, explaining how research often takes her stories in directions she never anticipated. While working on Echo, she originally planned to focus on school desegregation before becoming fascinated with the history of harmonica bands—a discovery that eventually led her to Germany for additional research.
She also reminded students that writing a book rarely happens quickly. Stories often take years of drafting, revising, and rewriting before they are finally complete.
Students were also treated to a preview of the upcoming graphic novel adaptation of Esperanza Rising, which Ryan said she hopes will introduce the story to an entirely new generation of readers.
The event was part of the growing United States of Readers program, founded by Scholastic in partnership with the nonprofit Impact Reading. The initiative allows students at participating schools to choose and keep free books while also helping teachers build classroom libraries.
Organizers said more than 600 students in Revere are participating in the program this year, with each student receiving up to 10 books for their home library.
Massachusetts was the first state in the country to help expand the program through state funding, initially launching it in Revere, Quincy, Holyoke, and Framingham.
State Representative Jessica Giannino, who attended the event, reflected on her own childhood memories at Whelan School and recalled the excitement of flipping through Scholastic book flyers as a student.
“This is my elementary school,” Giannino told students. “I remember how excited I was to circle the books I wanted.”
She said the stories children read at a young age often stay with them long into adulthood.
“The themes from these stories stay with you for the rest of your life,” she said. “Programs like this build confident, curious young people.”
Mayor Patrick Keefe also praised the program and stressed the connection between literacy and future success.
“A good reader is a good writer,” Keefe said. “A good learner is a good earner.”
Keefe thanked Scholastic, educators, and literacy advocates for helping bring nationally recognized authors and educational opportunities directly to Revere students.
Superintendent Dr. Dianne Kelly said reading gives students opportunities to experience perspectives and places they might otherwise never encounter.
“One of my favorite things about books is they take me to different places and different experiences,” Kelly said. “Every one of you can read the same book but have a completely different experience, and that’s the beauty of reading.”
Kelly said events like Ryan’s visit help strengthen students’ connection to literacy while reinforcing the district’s commitment to meaningful educational opportunities.
For many students, though, the highlight of the morning was simply hearing directly from the author behind a book many had already read in class.
Ryan closed by encouraging students to pay attention to the stories unfolding around them every day—within their families, neighborhoods, and communities.
“Your stories are important,” she said. “The things you see, the people you love, the challenges you face — those are stories worth telling.”