North Carolina author Scott Reintgen returns to his roots at Lufkin Middle School
Posted January 22, 2020 8:06 a.m. EST
Updated January 22, 2020 8:08 a.m. EST
Author Scott Reintgen, who creates engaging books that encourage middle school students to read and dream, returned to his own middle school earlier this week: Lufkin Road in Apex.
"It's always an honor to come back here and think about you as students -and know how much potential you have," he said.
The students listened to him with awe. His success is proof that any one of them might grow up to become a successful author, too.
The former high school teacher finally realized his own potential - to write gripping stories for young readers like these. His newest book is called Ashlords, and it's his fifth published book in a series of eight books Random House Publishers contracted for his series.
The story involves three main characters in a five day race on magic horses.
"Whoever's the best fighter, the best rider, the best alchemist tends to win," said Reintgen.
He said he tries to create a sense that anything can happen at any point. He said, "Your favorite characters are never quite safe."
By targeting his books to engage a middle school audience, he said he hopes his writing can be "that little lightning strike that gets them interested in a new book."
Reintgen said he believes reading books as a habit is an essential skill for success and funnels into everything students might want to do later in life. Reading improves fluency, helps develop a longer attention span and hones creative thinking.
While e-readers and audio books are a modern trend, Reintgen said he prefers to remain old school, saying, "There's nothing that replaces the feeling of just picking up a book and just flipping through the pages - the first, like, 'crack of the spine.' All of that is just really, really appealing to me."
His first book series "The Nixia Trilogy" received very positive reviews.