I bring over 25 years of experience as an elementary school teacher to my author visits. I establish an excellent rapport with an audience of children and I present material that is highly appropriate and of interest to the various age groups.

Grades 3 to 7:

I will tailor my presentation to meet the interests and needs of your students. From ghosts haunting old homesteads to children abandoned in the wilderness, I have lots of interesting stories to tell! I use props and photographs and encourage audience participation. I do several short high interest readings from my books.

Topics include:
1. The stories behind historical fiction
2. Where do ideas come from
3. From start to finish - how a book grows.
4. Creating great characters

50 minutes including time for questions
max in group: 60

Grades 2 to 3: "The Enchanted Theater"

This presentation is an exciting way to introduce children to the Enchanted Theater series, a time travel fantasy series of four books written at the grade two level. Jeremy and the talking cat Aristotle travel back in time into ancient Greek myths, solving riddles, overcoming obstacles and meeting all kinds of scary monsters. I engage the children by using colourful props, including a backpack full of magic objects that Jeremy uses to help him in his adventures. One child is selected to dress up in Jeremy's ancient Greek tunic! I do several short action-filled readings from the books. Teachers have found this presentation to be a great springboard for starting a literature or social studies unit on myths. I include a handout with 21 ideas for using the books in the classroom.

45 minutes including time for questions
max in group: 30

Fees: $250 for one session, $350 for a half day, $600 for a full day. Preferred venue: library or classroom. Not a gymnasium!

Equipment needed: large table