[Everitt Kang]

Hello Mr. Korman: 

My name is Everitt Kang and my son, Macallen, is a 5^th grade student at Tesoro del Valle Elementary School in Valencia, California.  This year, the teachers had tasked the kids with a book reading assignment which is to culminate in a book report this Thursday.  This is nothing out of the ordinary so far.  But with this assignment, the kids didn’t have a choice, nor a voice, in which book he or she wished to read.  Democracy is dead in California.  Your book, The Unteachables, was the communistic instrument imposed on our children.  But I am so truly grateful for this dictatorial mandate. 

I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never heard of you or your books before. But you shouldn’t be offended at my ignorance as the only book I read voluntarily from elementary through high school was Judy Blume’s Super Fudge.  I know, it’s a frightening thought.  However, I’m happy to inform you that at the ripe young age of 40, I finally understand the pleasure of reading, and today at 54 years of age, I now consider myself an avid reader.  Yes, I’m a late bloomer in both the appreciation of reading and parenthood. 

Like any parent engaged in their child’s learning, I knew that I had to read The Unteachables along with Macallen.  And with my operational mindset, I also knew I had to purchase two copies of The Unteachables; One for Macallen and one for me, so that we could read independently without impeding each other’s progress in the form of misplaced book marks or strategically placed coffee or chocolate stains obscuring critical text.  And I’m so glad I did.  I utterly enjoyed The Unteachables and finished the book in four days, which is a tremendous feat considering I work 14-hour days, I’m always with a David Baldacci thriller in hand, and I ill-advisedly accomplish most of my reading in my sanctuary, sitting on the cold plastic but soft-closing seat cover of our Kohler fixture.  Since then, I’ve also read Restart, Notorious, What’s His Face, and Ungifted, all while pretending to be a professional with a job and reading Baldacci.  I’m currently reading Snoop and will most definitely read all of your publications. Thus far, I've enjoyed each new book as much as the previous one and I will certainly encourage Macallen to read them all as well. 

Breaking from the traditional book report (at least from those I remember from my elementary school days), the report is not an actual written report.  The kids had 25 different “report” options to choose from ranging from designing a word collage to writing an alternate ending to composing a song about the book. But each option has a writing component as well.  Macallen, chose the first option, which was to create a movie poster.   I am so pleased with his work and his effort, which didn’t come without the frequent stress and parent-induced stream of tears.   So, I felt compelled to share the result of his labors with you. I think he truly captured what The Unteachables meant to him.  Then, my talented wife, Jaehi, took his project one step further.  Jaehi translated Macallen’s work into a more finished and realistic product which I also would like to share with you.  I hope I provided the link to my dropbox correctly.

If you enjoy the results of Macallen's and Jaehi’s effort as much as I do, I would appreciate it if you could respond with a few words of encouragement for Macallen.  Unfortunately, I think he’s following his father’s adolescent path and finds more pleasure in activities other than reading.  I’m hopeful your words will encourage him to discover the joys of reading at a much younger age than me.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day.

Sincerely,

Everitt

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/1r72cagvhl1vwgn4fp3f8/ALiv9U8cPi658cgi9buhJF8?rlkey=a7jb22efrnhyil0t8ihmhl042&st=f7b8e872&dl=0

Hi, Everritt. Thanks for posting. I'm thrilled that THE UNTEACHABLES was such a hit with your whole family. I love it when my books become a multi-generational thing!

These posters are incredible. I loved seeing them. Mom's is excellent (AI, I'm guessing?) but Macallen's is my favorite. I love how the characters' personalities come through in his artwork. The book designers went in a different direction for the jacket, but Macallen's approach would have been another great option. It's such an "ensemble" story. What better way to present it to the world than with a full-cast illustration?

Thanks again for sharing all this!

----------Gordon Korman----------

[Everitt]

Thank you, Mr. Korman.

The characters were first conceived by Macallen through rough concept sketches.  We then discussed each character's appearance in more detail and he refined it some more.  We then took his sketches and used AI to get a more finished version of Macallen's original concept of characters.  Everything else was Mom's talent.  She used to work in the entertainment industry creating movie trailers and such.

Just finished Snoop. Moving onto The Fort next.  Needless to say, Baldacci's Nash Falls is taking longer to finish than more.  Thank you for all of your books.

Everitt