In the fall of 2011, 15 6th and 7th grade students from ChicagoQuest Charter School set out on a very ambitious journey: in 12 short weeks, they would conceptualize, write, edit, polish, agonize over, and finally publish their own novellas. The task was a challenging one, but Open Books staff members and a tireless cadre of volunteer literacy coaches supported the students at every step, and, ultimately, 15 students were transformed into published authors.
The students sought inspiration for these stories from Jeanne DuPrau’s celebrated novel The City of Ember. Their project was to imagine their lives without one of their five senses. Senseless is their collective anthology, and Open Books is proud to present it to the public.
