It was a huge honour for our school to meet the Canadian Christian author Eric Walters. I remember when I was in grade 6 when I picked up a book called Fly Boy. After reading it, I wanted more. I started reading his Camp X series, and soon, I had read around 30 to 40 of his books. Before that, I didn’t enjoy reading. Most of the books I read didn’t grab my attention. But Eric Walters’ books were different. His stories felt real, the characters were easy to relate to, and the action kept things moving. Even though there are other authors who write like this, Eric Walters was the first one who made me truly enjoy reading. At first, I thought he would be a serious or strict man. But when he came to GCCS, I realized he was actually a really enthusiastic, funny man, and loved sports. He talked to our group about his new books and explained how many of his stories were based on real events from his life. One thing that really inspired me was how he became a writer. He told us that his grade 5 teacher once said, “You should be a writer,” and he listened. That made me think. What if his teacher never said that? Would he still have become an author? It shows how much one small moment can change your life. The part that stuck with me the most was when he told us to stay on the right path and always follow our dreams. That made me realize that I need to be careful with the choices I make and to keep working hard toward my goals.

So thank you, Eric Walters, for inspiring me and helping me discover my love for reading. You made a big difference in my life.