Want to know what the value of a great school librarian who stocks the latest books, displays them, and gets them into the hands of students is? Check out this fanmail I received yesterday. (Note, I have changed the student’s name to protect the innocent. Also, this post contains SPOILERS for ASHFALL and ASHEN WINTER):

Hello Mr. Mullin,
My name is Rob Samuel, I am a freshman attending Rockhurst HS in Kansas City MO. Three days ago I walked in to our school library in the morning and sat down, I didn’t have anything to do. No homework, none of my friends were there, I was bored of all my apps, and didn’t want to sleep. So I thought I might as well look at some books. One thing you must know is I had not read a book that was not required for school in 5 years! I saw a book called Ashfall. I picked it up and thought maybe this will help me fall asleep. It did the exact opposite! I was stuck in the book. I was there next to Alex when he ran from Cedar Falls. I felt his pain when Target plunged his hatchet into his side. My day rushed by and every spare second I had I was reading! By the end of the next day I had finished Ashfall and all that I wanted to do was get to school and start on Darla and Alex’s journey to find his parents! I grabbed it the second I got to school I started, the plot twists kept on the edge of my seat the whole time and I was crushed when Darla fell! I was even more intense when they arrived home! It is now around 9 at night and I gave finished Ashen Winter! And I want to skip the weekend just so I can read the next one! In conclusion thank you for writing these amazing books and sparking a love for reading in me. I’m going to be rereading the Ashfall trilogy for years to come. Thank you again and please write more!!!!!