To the ‘Moon”

Julie Reilly and her first-grade class at All Saints Catholic Academy in Albany have been named as finalists in the 2020-21 National Book Challenge hosted by Studentreasures Publishing for their book, “Under the Same Moon.”

The students were among the top 50 student-published authors in the contest out of 60,290 entries nationwide, and were lauded for their originality, creative storyline and colorful illustrations. The class will receive a $50 gift card, and each student will receive a published author certificate. Each of the first-grade authors were recognized for their contributions to their book, which was published earlier this year through Studentreasures’ free publishing program. 

Reilly and her students created “Under the Same Moon,” after reading books about diversity, inclusion and acceptance and created this wonderful story about a caterpillar learning its place in the world and making some new friends along the way. The first-grade authors researched, wrote and illustrated their story book, before sending their completed pages to be published.

 “This year’s book encompassed so many academic skills, but most importantly, the students learned about being proud of who they are and accepting everyone,” Reilly said. “As we wrote in the book, ‘no matter where you are in the world, when you look at the night sky, we are all under the same moon!’ This book really is a work of art and something for them to be very proud of.”

 “At Studentreasures, we are fortunate to witness tremendous creativity and talent from classrooms around the country and all students who publish their own books. We especially congratulate Miss Reilly and her students for earning this unique achievement and completing a project that provides lasting memories and a one-of-a-kind keepsake,” said Chad Zimmerman, president and chief executive officer, Studentreasures. 

“Educators share that creating their own books through our fun and easy publishing program motivates students to write, inspires learning, and instills pride. Additionally, these students now have the honor of being recognized for creating one of the top student-published books in the country as part of our National Book Challenge.”