As a kids’ author, I thought I had seen everything until the Silver Birch Express ceremony. With twenty-five years of school presentations under my belt, I’ve met kids who sheepishly whispered that they liked my books, brash kids who boldly told me they hated reading and everyone in between. But none of my experiences prepared me for what I witnessed at the Forest of Reading Festival.

“You’ll be a rockstar” was a common refrain from the Forest volunteers and a few authors who had attended the festival before. I didn’t know what they meant until I was backstage for the Silver Birch Express ceremony. While I couldn’t see the kids, I could hear all 1,500 of them. A deafening cheer greeted each nominee as they took to the stage. When I stepped out, the wave of sound nearly blew me back. I was stunned to see many kids holding their favourite book and waving to get the authors’ and illustrators’ attention.

At one point, a group of students chanted “lost and found,” the book that took home the Silver Birch Express award. These kids were expressing their pure joy for the book they voted for. They were excited about this book in the same way hockey fans might cheer on their team; moreover, it wasn’t just Lost and Found that garnered all the attention. Every nominee had their contingent of adoring fans, who expressed their love for the book in decibels.

However, the true impact of the Forest of Reading hit me when I met kids at the autograph tent. As the parade of students lined up to get my autograph, I spoke to many of them. Some of the kids gushed about their favourite character. Others begged for a sequel. More than a few went one step further and told me they’d love to be like me—an author. I was witnessing the origin stories of the next generation of creators, some of whom might eventually stand on the same award stage I had just occupied.