Polson Elementary School’s Media Specialist and school librarian Paige Classey Przybylski is helping fill the library shelves by writing her own books. Paige has just published a Young Adult (YA) project that is garnering attention and awards before it even hits the streets.

Paige has been an educator for a number of years, as an English teacher and as a media specialist. When she and her husband, James, moved to Madison in 2019, she landed a job with Polson Elementary as media specialist and librarian. Paige says she has had a lifelong interest in writing but didn’t get serious about it until she began to receive feedback on her works.

“I have always been kind of a voracious reader and writer, even as a child. I would say I started pursuing writing more seriously after I had submitted a manuscript to the Tassy Walden Award,” says Paige.

Paige received an honorable mention for her work in 2022 in the Tassy Walden Awards, a Connecticut juried competition for unpublished children’s writers and illustrators.

“Winning the Tassy Walden Award has meant a great deal to me. I was named honorable mention for two earlier manuscripts in 2020 and 2021. The first time, Doe Boyle, one of the eight founders, called to inform me I’d won honorable mention was especially pivotal for me. Given the rigorous judging process of the Tassies, I began to take myself more seriously as a writer. It gave me the confidence to join the Shoreline CT SCBWI [Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators] group. I started attending virtual meetings with other local authors working on their craft. Their feedback and support have been instrumental in my writing and in my attitude towards sending my work out into the world.”

According to Paige, that recognition was critical in allowing her to eventually partner with an agent and culminating in a publishing deal this past year.

“I was seeing some success with the competition, which gave me more confidence, and that led me to sending out my work more formally to agents and publishers, and led me to signing with an agent in late 2021. It really did all stem from the Tassy Walden award. It really all began there. The folks there, especially Doe Boyle, were really just so lovely and sparked my efforts into really pursuing this,” says Paige.

Paige’s novel is noteworthy for several reasons. The YA genre is an extremely popular one, so the recognition she has received speaks to Paige’s talents as a writer in such a crowded field. Forbes has just ranked her work as one of the seven most anticipated YA mysteries of the coming season.

Another unique aspect of this work, according to Paige, is that she wrote this novel in verse, which is a form in the YA genre that teens have surprisingly taken to. Writing in verse or in a poetic fashion is not easy to accomplish and can be dense for younger readers, but Paige said the form is a real hit with teens and has exploded in popularity in recent years.

“I’ve worked with teens and young adults of all ages so I was drawn to that. I really fell in love with the novel in verse (a narrative told through a series of poems) after reading excellent books like Shout, a memoir by Laurie Halse Anderson, A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, and The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. I’m the library media specialist at Polson Middle School, and my students’ intense interest in and love of novels in verse inspire me to keep writing in this structure,” Paige says.

Paige’s book, Everything You Left Me, centers around the main character of Maybeth.

“When the police come knocking at her door, [she] is worried her mother is caught up in their small town’s drug scene again. Instead, the police are there to question Maybeth about her beloved and long-absent father. He has become the lead suspect in a string of unsolved murders across the country...and Maybeth may be the key to convicting him. Trapped between her scientific mind and her love for her father, Maybeth is forced to confront the reality of who her father really is—and what that might make her as well,” Page explains.

The crime/mystery aspect is also critical to the work, Paige says. Her love of the true crime genre was instrumental to the plot and, despite the overlay of two very different styles, melded well with the verse form, according to Paige.

“It’s told in a series of poems, but there is a crime element to it. I am really fascinated with true crime, so that sparked the idea for the plot. Novels in verse are actually becoming increasingly popular in our school library, so I started reading what the kids are reading…and there are some great novels out there,” Paige says. “I think I was inspired by the other writers in this format. This genre of verse in YA has actually been around for some time, but only in the last few years has really taken off. Kids are really pursuing this form, much more than from what I’ve seen in the past.”

Paige also writes in prose and has several projects underway in both forms. Balancing the differing styles is a unique challenge, according to Paige, but one she enjoys and finds inspiration in.

“It really depends on the story you’re trying to tell and the tone you’re trying to create,” Paige says. “But ultimately, it just comes down to what story you are attempting to relate. I am going to keep writing and reading in both prose and verse. Reading always inspires my work. I’m always looking for what the next step will be. I really like to write for all age levels, I don’t really write much for adults, but I’m hoping to reach all ages in regard to children and young adults.”

Her students are some of her biggest supporters, says Paige. When they found out about her work, they were instantly on board and provided their opinion.

“They do know I have a book coming out. There’s been a ton of interest and a ton of feedback, which has been very heartwarming to me, especially in my role at Polson. I love the fact kids are interested in reading. Kids are honest critics, so I welcome their feedback wholeheartedly,” Paige says. “YA is in large part about helping kids in shaping their identities. It’s an honor to be able to be a part of that.”

Paige adds, “I’m really excited about the project, and I feel very supported by the community.”

Paige publishes under the name “Paige Classey.” The book is now available at independent bookstores and online. For more information, visit west44books.com/inc/aboutus.php