About
The Truth About Shelley Moore Thomas (in her own words)
When I was little, I was one of those kids that had messy handwriting. Really, really messy. As a matter of fact, it is only marginally better now, but I have learned how to decipher it most of the time. Ironically, even though putting pencil to paper neatly was torture, I loved writing. I was the kind of kid who wrote poems as gifts to people......the kind of kid who read fairy tales and adventures stories.....the kind of kid who still remembers writing her first book report ever, on The Story of Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf.
I had great parents: a mom who loved reading and a dad who loved trains. My sister and brother were always up to something, and believe it or not, I was not always the one who instigated things. (They are quite respectable these days, you know). Some of my favorite memories include long road trips from New Mexico to Oklahoma, sweating in a car with no air conditioning while my dad stopped in each town so he could take a picture of the train depot to add to his collection. Good times, good times.
Remarkably, I grew up. I became a teacher (what better excuse to read tons of kids stories every day?) Oh, wait, I forgot the whole part about how I became the queen of stories....
Somewhere along the way, I discovered that I was born from an ancient royal line of velvet wearing, crown sporting, bedazzled storytellers who use puppets to make their stories come alive. Yes, it was quite a shock, if I do say so myself. But I made peace with my destiny.
Writing and storytelling seem to go hand and hand. So, when I am not dressed as the most royal thing this side of the Mississippi, I am working on my next book!
Testimonial
A letter to Shelley:
" I wish you could have been in the faculty meeting after school yesterday. The teachers were all raving about you. The've all agreed that it was the best author visit we've ever had here. I've had people dropping by the library all morning to tell me how much they enjoyed it.Thank you so much for traveling across the country, and spending part of your spring break with us.
Upcoming Events
Book Signing December 4-Save the Date!
Jefferson Elementary's Annual Book Fair at Barnes and Noble in Oceanside will be on Tuesday, December 4th from 4-8 p.m. So much fun to be had!! Puppets, prizes and special guests. Don't miss out.
Booking now for 2025
Please visit the School and Library page to make arrangements for a 2019 school or library visit.
Benji Martin
St. James School