M. T. Anderson (Courtesy photo)

The Harvard Public Library is taking advantage of internet technology to play host to authors who might not otherwise be able to visit. The latest was former Harvard resident and national award-winning children's and young adult writer M. T. Anderson, on Dec. 20.

Anderson has fond memories of his time here and how the natural world around him inspired his writing. One of his short stories, "My Maturity, In Flames," was written while living here.

He described a memorable hike he took in the woods off Prospect Hill.

"I found myself experiencing my first serious extreme allergic reaction. The Harvard Police and Ambulance Service found me in the woods and administered a shot. I remember vividly the help they gave me and how nice they were," recalled Anderson.

Anderson credits both agencies with saving his life.

Anderson, who grew up in Stow and currently lives in Cambridge, is the author of a long list of books for children and young adults. His work ranges from picture books and adventure novels to satire.

Sixth-Grade Book Club members speak via web-cam with author M. T. Anderson at the library on Dec. 20 as librarian Abby Kingsbury looks on. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

His critically acclaimed novel "Feed" was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2002 and winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. The plot is set in a futuristic society where television and computers are connected directly to people's brains during infancy.

His "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing" won the 2006 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Boston Globe/Horn Book Prize.

The visit by the author was to the Harvard library's Sixth-Grade Book Club led by children's librarian Abby Kingsbury. The club had just finished Anderson's "The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen." What made the visit unique was that it was all done via the online video-conferencing service Skype.

Kingsbury, who introduced young Harvard readers to book clubs almost six years ago, has hosted two other Skype visits with young-adult writers. She met Anderson at a Simmons Summer Institute lecture and approached him about a Skype visit. She was ecstatic when he agreed to participate, she said.

Front row: Book Club participants Chloe Alfieri,  Sophie Beckman, and Jennifer Woolcock.  Middle: Allison Milliken and Gwyneth Evans. Back row: Zach Sclar. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

"For an author to do a physical visit to a library is extremely costly, time-consuming, and hard to orchestrate," Kingsbury said. "More and more authors are doing Skype visits because it allows them to keep their focus on their writing and still meet readers. Skype visits here help kids make the connection and recognize the author is a real person, and it's an experience they will never forget."

The 11-member club came prepared with a list of 10 questions each. Kingsbury had the room prepared with a web-cam, large viewing screen, and strategically placed microphones and speakers. Each member took turns asking the author questions that ranged from "What's your favorite bird?" to "What made you become an author?"

Anderson was quick and witty and very receptive to the children's questions, even asking them a few of his own.

Club member Zach Sclar said he was very impressed by Anderson.

"When he came on the screen I realized he was more than a name on a book jacket," Sclar said. "He was a real person."

Sclar, an avid reader, said he enjoys the characters in Anderson's books.

"They have a lot of funny ideas and can be very mischievous. The plots are great," he said.

Fellow club member Jennifer Woolcock was also taken by Anderson's visit. Woolcook, who describes herself as "a relentless reader," recently moved to Harvard from Texas. And, at the ripe age of 11, she is also a published author. Her story, "A Racehorse of Amazement," was printed in 2011 by Longtail Publishing. She submitted the entry to a writing competition for kids after she was inspired by a visit from an author to her previous school. Woolcock said she is looking forward to the next author visit and thinks she got some valuable advice from Anderson.

"He told me that no matter how crazy an idea may seem, to write it down and go with it," she said.