Robert Alexander, author of The Kitchen Boy, visits South High!

Robert Alexander, author of The Kitchen Boy, visits South High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

My ninth grade students are reading a book in Humanities 1 and creating a wiki web page/scrapbook on it.  All the books on the book list deal with the themes of Revolution or Colonialism.  The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander is one of the books that was on the list and about 18 students chose to read it.  The Kitchen Boy is an excellent story of the Russian Revolution in 1917 where the Tzar and his family are arrested and imprisoned in the House of Special Purpose in Siberia.

One of my students was able to Skype with the author, Robert Alexander and he mentioned he might be able to come and speak to students.  Well I didn't wait long and sent him an e-mail asking if he would visit South and speak to the students who read his book.  He said YES!

Robert Alexander spoke to a small crowd of high school freshman in the media center on Thursday, March 29th.  He brought pictures of the Russian Royal family and told us about their last days.  He announced that The Kitchen Boy is being made into a movie and he is currently at work on the screenplay.  This was surprising and welcome news to all of us as The Kitchen Boy will make a great film.   He has to make some changes to the ending of the The Kitchen Boy because history is always happening. (Can't give out any spoilers here, in case you haven't read the book yet) Robert thinks filming should start as early as this fall.  OMG, I cannot wait to see this movie and am thinking I need to reread the book. 

Robert Alexander real name is R.D Zimmerman and he is also a great mystery writer.  He chose to write under Robert Alexander for his historical fiction books so he could be toward the front of the alphabet and therefore his book will have better placement in bookstores. 

After he spoke to students and answered questions, he talked to students, posed for pictures (see above) and signed their books.  It was a great visit and I am so happy Mr. Alexander took the time to visit my students. 

Days like these make me so happy and proud to be a teacher.
Oh and if you haven't read The Kitchen Boy yet, my students would ask, What are you waiting for?  You totally need to read it before the film comes out.