Author of the “Emmie & Friends” book series Terri Libenson spoke at Gilman’s Middle School assembly on February 25, 2026. She projected her seventh grade school photo on the big screen, characterizing the time as one of big bangs, a quiet shyness, and artistic interests. She admitted to stealing her brother’s comics and using Wite-Out so she could write in her own dialogue instead.

As an adult, Libenson pursued cartooning while working for American Greetings as a humorist greeting card writer and illustrator. “It ended up being great training” while she longed to be a syndicated cartoonist, which she explained is someone who writes and illustrates the funny pages in the comic section of the newspaper. It took 10 years, but eventually her alter-ego — the busy mom character of “The Pajama Diaries” — achieved her goal, appearing in hundreds of newspapers internationally from 2006 to 2020.

At the end of “The Pajama Diaries” era, a friend suggested that Libenson try her hand at writing middle grade books. So she channeled her inner 13-year-old, and penned what ended up being the first book in her successful series. Loosely based on Libenson’s former self, “Invisible Emmie” includes real events from her childhood. There are now nine novels in the “Emmie & Friends” series, whose cast of characters brings different features — the good, the bad, and the ugly — of Libenson’s personality to life. Assistant Head of School for Community, Inclusion, and Equity Mike Molina took note of this reflection. “It is such a good message of self-acceptance for middle school boys who are developing their sense of self,” he said.

Each book is told from the points of view of two main characters; the first is written in a journaling format while the second is represented in graphic-novel form. Though the main characters are different in each story, the overarching theme remains the same as characters navigate friendships and relationships. Libenson enjoys making up new characters, bringing background ones to the forefront, and rotating through previously explored personas. She thinks readers find it interesting too. “Every time you read a book, you see it from a different lens.”

Her creative process, she explained to the boys, begins with an outline, followed by the actual writing, and then basic sketches done in pencil. Once she and her editor have put the finishing touches on a story, she creates more detailed versions of the illustrations on a digital drawing tablet (she uses a Cintiq). She shared that sometimes, even after a book is published, readers find mistakes, like a character who has freckles on one page and is missing them on the next. In a game she called the “Bloopers Segment” of her presentation, she challenged the audience to find her mistakes for prizes. Libenson concluded her visit with another interactive activity that drew eager volunteers — a drawing demonstration.

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Gilman is grateful for The Jewish Library of Baltimore and the grant from The Associated, which generously brought this speaker to our School. A special thanks to Jessica Fink, Executive Director of the Jewish Library, for coordinating Libenson’s visit to Gilman.