Shark attack

Author Mike Knudson and I recently did a school visit promoting our 'Raymond and Graham' book series.

One of the presentations we were supposed to give was to a group of 7th and 8th graders.

If you've ever talked to a 7th or 8th grader, you know they think they know everything about everything. It's that time in their little lives when everything is so perfect, you know, right before they're taken off their high horse by occupying the lowest point on the totem pole in high school, where everyone, but freshmen, knows everything about everything.

Anyway, we realized immediately giving a presentation about a book about 4th graders to a group of
Know-It-All's was NOT going to work. We didn't stand a chance.

So we adjusted our presentation on the fly and chummed the waters. For a while it went well, but then then the feeding frenzy began.
It went something like this:

8th grader: "What's your favorite book?"

Me: "To Kill a Mockingbird."

8th grader's cohort: "Did you write 'To Kill a Mockingbird'?"

Me: "No."

8th grader: "What is your favorite book?"

Mike: "On the Far Side of the Mountain."

8th grader's cohort: "Did you write 'On the Far Side of the Mountain'?"

Mike: "No."

8th grader: "Where do you live?"

Mike: "Utah."

8th grader's cohort: "Are you Utah?"

Mike: "No."

8th grader: "Can you draw something?"

Me: "No."

I then pointed to a girl who asked, "Can you draw me a bunny?"

I said, "Sure," and I drew the girl in a bunny suit, signed it and handed the original to the girl.

The sharks seemed pleased.

We took a couple more questions ...

8th grader: "Will you draw Justin Bieber?"

Me: "No."

8th grade girl: "Will you draw ME as Justin Bieber?"

Me: "No."

8th grader: "Will you draw Justin Bieber?"

Me: "Fine. Okay."

I started drawing ....



The 7th and 8th grade girls started screaming.

Then I added:



They screamed even louder.

Then I added:



The 7th and 8th grade boys started screaming.

I signed it, handed it to the girl.

We were victims of a shark attack and lived to tell about it.