Author Matthew Cody recently visited Northwestern Elementary School to share his newest book in the Pied Piper Series, titled “The Magician’s Key.”

Ally Long, Kayla Schwarz, Noah Chandler and Kole Kostic were chosen to read Cody’s introduction:

“Good morning! I’d like to welcome author Matthew Cody to our library. Thank you for coming to visit us today.

“Mr. Cody was raised outside of St. Louis, Mo., and he loves comic books.

“Today, he lives in Manhattan in New York City. He is well known for his series that includes the books: ‘Powerless,’ ‘Super’ and ‘Villainous.’

“He also wrote ‘The Peddler’s Road’ as part of the series called The Secrets of the Pied Piper.

“One week ago, his newest book, No. 2 in the Pied Piper Series, was published.

“It’s called, ‘The Magician’s Key.’

“Let’s congratulate and welcome Mr. Matthew Cody to our school,” they concluded.

Cody told the students his mother took him to a flea market when he was in third grade.

There he found a box of comic books.

He began “reading” those books as soon as he went home by flipping the pages and looking at the pictures.

One of the front cover’s of a comic book showed a monkey riding a dinosaur.

The only way he could find out why the monkey was on the back of a dinosaur was to read the comic book.

“I still hated books, but I liked comic books,” Cody stated.

Through the comic books, he was slowly beginning to enjoy stories.

During the question-and-answer part of the program, Hailey Berger asked Cody how far ahead he works.

Cody replied he has finished book three of the series and is currently making edits.

Once he completes the edits, he will begin his next book.

School Librarian Sue Hanlon confessed to students she did not like reading as a child, something her mother finds strange now that she is a librarian.

Hanlon sent a special thank you to Kirsten Hess, owner of Let’s Play Books, for sponsoring Cody’s visit to the school.