To satisfy that goal, the school will host a concert on May 31, the proceeds from which will go to the A.I.

“What did he do when he wanted to help someone? He wrote a book. Kennett Middle School English teacher Alyse Halpin, a member of the committee that chooses the title for the “One Book, One School” program, said that Sonnenblick’s message behind Sonnenblick’s book ties in with this year’s theme of service. “I thought to myself, ‘oh my god – I do not want to be the Vanilla Ice of young adult literature,” Sonnenblick said. Sonnenblick said it was the fear of becoming a “one-hit wonder” that finally got him to search for an idea for that second book everyone kept asking him about. Two of those books – “Notes from the Midnight Driver” and “After Ever After” – follow the lives of the characters from “Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie.” “And whatever your dream is, you are not too young to start doing that dream.”Not content with his previous dream of writing that “one book,” placing it on his mantle and staring longingly at it, Sonnenblick set out to write book two and is now up to book six. “If you don’t put down the remote control and the bucket of Cheetos and work for your dream, it’s not going to happen – you’re just going to sit on the couch forever,” he said. Sonnenblick, who taught eighth grade English at Philipsburg Middle School in New Jersey, said it took him until the age of 33 to finally put his dreams of writing a book in motion, and advised the kids at KMS not to take as long as he did.

“I was one of those annoying people who bragged that he was going to write a book some day,” Sonnenblick said, adding that sitting on the sofa and talking about your dreams don’t make them real.

Because long before he was inspired by the student’s story, Sonnenblick fancied being a writer – he just had no plan to make it happen.

Drums girls and dangerous pie message