Daisy Johnson and Dawson Benson with author Christina Diaz Gonzalez at the Mountain Laurel Book Awards.

Middle schoolers Daisy Johnson and Dawson Benson of Eisenhower Middle High School recently represented their school at the Mountain Laurel Book Awards, a statewide celebration of student-selected literature sponsored by the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association.

Johnson and Benson were selected to present author Christina Diaz Gonzalez with the middle school Mountain Laurel Book Award for her graphic novel “Invisible” during the organization’s annual awards breakfast.

Students at Eisenhower voted “Invisible” as their favorite middle school book of 2025, earning Gonzalez the award and giving Johnson and Benson the opportunity to travel to the statewide event and present the honor in person.

The pair presented Gonzalez with both the award and their own original artwork inspired by the book in front of everyone at the ceremony, which the students estimated to be about 60 people.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking,” Benson said. “We dressed up as characters from the book and presented the award together.”

Johnson said the experience was both exciting and memorable.

“There were so many librarians there, and we got to see other kids go on stage and talk about the books they were presenting awards for,” she said.

The students said one of the highlights of the trip was having breakfast with Gonzalez, who they said was very nice and encouraging.

“She was amazing,” Johnson said. “I thought it would be awkward talking to an author, but she was really easy to talk to.”

During the breakfast, Gonzalez discussed her writing journey, the process of creating graphic novels and the importance of reading outside of one’s comfort zone. The students also learned that producing a graphic novel can take several years from writing to illustration and coloring.

“It made me appreciate books more,” Johnson said. “Graphic novels can be read really fast, but they take such a long time to make.”

Benson said hearing Gonzalez explain why she became an author changed the way he looks at reading.

“It gave me a different perspective,” he said. “It made me want to try reading books outside the kinds I normally choose.”

As part of the experience, Gonzalez presented the students with signed advanced copies of her upcoming book Offside, which is scheduled for release in July. Benson and Johnson were very excited about their gifts, explaining that the copies they received were fully written and the animations were drawn but the color had not yet been added.

The event also included presentations from students across the state, book vendors and opportunities for students to meet authors and fellow readers.

This is the first time students from the Warren County School District have been selected to participate in the event. Benson and Johnson said they were proud to represent Eisenhower at the state-level event.