WEST POINT -- Between the possible and impossible, near the realm of Foo, is where best-selling teen fantasy author Obert Skye does some of his best work.
Skye is the author of the five-book Leven Thumps series. It's the story of Leven Thumps, an orphaned teen from Oklahoma who discovers the land of Foo and battles those trying to nurture bad dreams.
On Wednesday, Skye was in West Point to visit Lakeside Elementary as part of a book tour that will take him to schools in both Weber and Davis counties.
Travel is not new to the mysterious author whose online biography reveals he was "born a number of years ago in a town just about the size of the one you are living in."
Skye lists West Point Elementary as school No. 901 in 48 states to which he has traveled.
"This is my favorite part," said Skye, who, at the school assembly, revealed little about himself but much about the characters he has penned in the pages of his series, which has captured the Ben Franklin Award for best juvenile fiction.
"This is my readership," Skye said of the students following, the 45-minute assembly. "It makes the book so alive."
Using a high-energy message of the value of self-worth, Skye held captive the attention of the students ranging from third- to sixth-graders.
To demonstrate to the students the importance of overcoming one's fears, Skye told a story about when he was younger and he begged his parents for his own room, having become tired of sharing a room with a little brother. Eventually, his parents gave in, offering him a small room in the basement where -- little did he know -- cockroaches also slept.
One night, Skye said, while sleeping in his room, he was awakened by his sister who had turned on the light, only to see three cockroaches on the ceiling. In the effort to remove them, one fell from the ceiling and into the sleeve of his night shirt, he said, causing him fits.
In his presentation to students Skye compared the incident to having courage, and incorporated it into the assembly by randomly handing out three rubber cockroaches to students.
The students receiving the cockroaches also were awarded one of Skye's books.
"He's awesome," said sixth-grader Jessop Oliver, one of three students to receive a book. "He is one of my favorite authors."
Jessop stayed around after the assembly to have Skye sign his book. Other students were equally impressed.
"I think he is really inspiring," fifth-grader Madison Turner said.
"Pretty cool," said Sabrina Crane, a sixth-grader who waited in line to have Skye sign her mother's Leven Thumps series of hardcover books. Administrators were also impressed with Skye's presentation.
"It's an ideal message for kids," Lakeside Elementary Principal Don Holt said of the three secrets of Foo, which are to have courage, think big, and be great and not settle for average.
"I love his energy. I love his creativity," Holt said.
Skye said he enjoys what he does and considers himself lucky.
"It's been a nice, wild ride," he said.
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