Staff reporter
Students and staff of Rimbey Christian School welcomed Red Deer-based author Sigmund Brouwer to the school last week, who stressed the importance of regular reading for young minds.
"I continue to spend a certain part of my year speaking to kids, and writing books that grab reluctant readers." Brouwer said of his recent visit to the school. "From what I've seen, there aren't a lot of books out there designed for 85 per cent of the kids who are not avid readers. Most books are written for the 15 per cent who love to read. I have a real concern about that. So, I will keep writing one novel a year-that takes six to seven months-and spend the rest of the year writing for reluctant readers and visiting schools."
Brouwer, an award-winning author of scores of books from youth fiction to adult thrillers, is best known for his series Accidental Detectives, which features stories of young sleuths solving crimes. He is also well known for his Orca Sports series featuring books related to football, basketball and hockey as well as a number of western-themed publications.
"I'd like to use my background as a novelist to help kids get excited about reading," Brouwer said. "Once I found that talking to children about writing could open doors for them, I've been committed to doing that, and I will continue to do so. Kids who can read and write well when they get out of school have a lot better chance of reaching their dreams than kids who still struggle with it."
The Rimbey visit was just one of many for the author who speaks to approximately 10,000 students per year through school visits, writing camps and seminars.