Jill MacLean

Authors’ Booking Service is pleased to announce that children’s author Jill MacLean is now scheduling visits to schools in the GTA that are reachable by subway or GoTransit, May 10-12, 2010.   

This author would prefer to schedule visits in the mornings only.  

Jill would love to plan a visit to your school or library.  Her rate is $300 for the first session, and $150 for the second, plus $60 per school for travel and accommodation because she is an out-of-province writer.

Jill is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, and so schools wishing to invite her may be eligible for a travel and fee subsidy to offset the cost of her visit. Contact us for details of this program. 

Here is what CM Magazine (University of Manitoba) had to say about The Nine Lives of Travis Keating::

“…a thought-provoking, entertaining, and entirely satisfying book…MacLean is to be congratulated on a marvelous achievement.”

Here is what Kathy Colaiacovo, parent, has to say about this author's presentation:

Jill was wonderful with the students in my son’s Grade 4 class. She talked about how she came up with the idea for Nine Lives of Travis Keating and also how she got inspired for writing different aspects of the book.  The students were absolutely enthralled by her presentation. What impressed me the most was the questions that they came up with for Jill.  It was very evident that had been listening in class and were putting that knowledge to use in their questions.  Jill also read some parts of the book and the room was mesmerized by her reading. It was a great experience for many of them to meet this (according to the students) ‘famous’ person.

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Published Works:

The Nine Lives of Travis Keating, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, October 2008

The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, October 2009

Awards and Nominations – The Nine Lives of Travis Keating:

Shortlisted for Book of the Year, Canadian Library Association, 2009

Winner of the Ann Connor Brimer Award, 2009

Shortlisted for Hackmatack Award, 2010

Shortlisted for Silver Birch Award, 2010

2009 Best books starred selection, Canadian Children’s Book Centre

Honorable Mention Book, Children’s Division, US Humane Society

Jill’s Presentation Details:

My presentations are interactive; I ask the teachers/librarians to have each student write down three questions before the presentation that they would like to ask a writer.

I begin by asking how many of the children have read The Nine Lives of Travis Keating, and how many have been to Newfoundland (the setting for the book). I describe why I started writing for children when I already had grey hair! I can also talk about an experience in high school that, for years, drove me away from writing.

The following points are some possible directions the presentation could take. Throughout, I like to ask questions of the students.

• I talk about how the book evolved, and how my main themes emerged. Where does the material that makes up a story come from? Every child in the audience has stories to tell. How do we get in touch with them?
• I can show a messy manuscript, galley proofs and Advance Reading copy, and the two different covers for the book.
• The two R Words – Rejection and Revision. I describe how many times the book was rejected, why, and what I did about it. Also how rejection felt.
• Why do we want to write? Or do we? How many in the audience do like to write? The work is hard (and the pay is lousy). But…the rewards come with the creation of a fictional world peopled with interesting characters who – hopefully – come alive as I live with them. Are the characters based on real people?
• Reading’s hard work, much more so than watching TV – so why do it?

If time permits, I will read a brief excerpt from my book – ending with a cliff-hanger that should encourage the audience to want to read further. 

Grades I will present to: 4 to 6 (the book is best suited to these age levels)

Maximum number of students per session: 100

Maximum length of session: 1 hour

I am most comfortable where I can be at the same level as the students – not on a stage, in other words.   

Equipment and other requirements:  

• A table for my materials
• Bottled water would be much appreciated.
• I do require that at least one librarian or teacher be present throughout the presentation – more if the group is as large as 100.