Authors' Booking Service is pleased to announce that children's author Kathy Kacer is now scheduling visits to Ontario schools. She does most of her speaking in and around Toronto, but is also happy to drive around the province.

Kathy is the author of fifteen books including the award winning The Secret of Gabi’s Dresser, Hiding Edith, and Whispers from the Ghettos. Her latest book is To Hope and Back: The journey of the St. Louis. All of her books focus on stories of the Second World War and the Holocaust. Kathy has written unforgettable stories inspired by real events. Her novels are stories of hope, courage, and humanity in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Her rate in the GTA is $350 per session. (If she travels outside of the GTA, her rate for one session goes up to $400.) HST and mileage charges are also applicable. Kathy is willing to provide a maximum of three sessions in a day. Anymore than three, and she finds that she is babbling!

Kathy is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada; 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 Jean Fitzgerald of the Toronto French School had to say about one of Kathy’s visits:

“The children thoroughly enjoyed the visit and absorbed the feelings and emotions of the time.  Kathy is a great speaker and a natural with children.  They were riveted to her every word.”

Kathy Kacer is an experienced presenter, comfortable in front of an audience of young people and adults alike. In the past ten years, she has spoken in over one thousand schools, libraries, colleges, and universities across Canada and in parts of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. She also teaches writing to adults, children and teens, and conducts writing workshops.

Published Works

For young readers:

The Secret of Gabi’s Dresser, Second Story Press, Toronto, 1999

Clara’s War, Second Story Press, Toronto, 2001

The Night Spies, Second Story Press, Toronto, 2003

The Underground Reporters, Second Story Press, Toronto, 2004

Margit: Book One: Home Free, Penguin Books Canada, Toronto, 2003

Margit: Book Two: A Bit of Love and A Bit of Luck, Penguin Books Canada, Toronto, 2005

Margit: Book Three: Open Your Doors, Penguin Books Canada, Toronto, 2006

Margit: Book Four: A Friend in Need, Penguin Books Canada, Toronto, 2007

Hiding Edith, Second Story Press, Toronto, 2006

The Diary of Laura’s Twin, Second Story Press, Toronto, 2008

Whispers from the Ghettos, Penguin Books, Toronto, 2009

Whispers from the Camps, Penguin Books, Toronto, 2009

Whispers in Hiding, Penguin Books, Toronto, 2010

To Hope and Back: The journey of the St. Louis, Second Story Press, 2011

For Adults:

Restitution: A family’s fight for their heritage lost in the Holocaust, Second Story Press, Toronto, 2010

Awards and Nominations

I’ve been nominated for lots of awards. Here are the ones I have won:

Awards for The Secret of Gabi’s Dresser:

Winner, Silver Birch Award, 2000, Ontario Library Association

Winner, Canadian Jewish Book Award, 2000, Young Adult Fiction category

Winner, Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award, 2001, Maritime Library Association

Awards for Clara’s War:

Winner, Red Maple Award, 2002, Ontario Library Association

Honourable Mention, Sydney Taylor Book Award of the American Association of Jewish Libraries, 2001

Awards for The Underground Reporters:

Honourable Mention, Sydney Taylor Book Award of the American Association of Jewish Libraries, 2005

Awards for Hiding Edith:

2007, Notable Book, Sydney Taylor Book Award, American Association of Jewish Libraries

Winner, Silver Birch Award-Non-fiction, 2007, Ontario Library Association

Winner, 2007, Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award

Winner, 2009, Yad Vashem Award for Children’s Holocaust Literature, Israel

Awards for The Diary of Laura’s Twin:

Winner, 2009, Canadian Jewish Book Awards

Winner, 2009, United States National Jewish Book Council Award

Kathy’s Presentation Details

My one-hour reading revolves around a slide presentation and talk. I have wonderful historical slides pertaining to each of my novels and I weave my stories around the historical events of the Second World War and the Holocaust. I begin with an introduction to my work as a writer of historical fiction and historical non-fiction. I give a background and synopsis of the book(s) that I am focusing on and read from the book(s). I then proceed with the slide show using a power point presentation. I encourage questions and comments throughout my reading and presentation.

For each of my books I have a separate set of slides. For example, for The Secret of Gabi’s Dresser, I have slides of the real Gabi, the house in which she lived and hid, her village, the dresser, etc. For Hiding Edith I have slides of the school in France where Edith was hidden, her family members, etc. The same is true of the Whispers series and all of my other books. The presentation is visual, interactive, and fast-paced.

I prefer to speak to a maximum of 125 students at a time. I can be a bit flexible on this. My books work best with grades 4-8.

I am also available for workshops with teachers and educators that focus on teaching sensitive material (e.g. war, genocide) to young people. I am able to provide additional resources for teachers and librarians who are working with sensitive topics in their classrooms and libraries.

I love speaking to kids; I love their enthusiasm and their curiosity. Most of all, I love making history come alive for young readers.

Equipment and other requirements

Since my presentation is power point, I do need an LCD projector (provided by your school), or a smart board, a screen and a microphone (if the audience size is over 50 kids). I can bring my own laptop with my power point slides, but please let me know if you have a laptop available and I will then bring a USB flashcard to plug in. I am comfortable in a library or gym.