Liam O'Donnell




 
                    



Authors’ Booking Service is pleased to announce that children’s author, Liam O’Donnell, still has a few spots open for visits to Ontario schools in the coming school year.

Liam would love to plan a visit to your school or library. His rate is rate is $300 for a single session, $575 for two sessions, $825 for three and $1000 for four, plus travel from downtown Toronto.

Liam specializes in writing graphic novels for reluctant readers and is the creator of the hit comic series Max Finder Mystery, appearing monthly in OWL magazine. His bibliography and details of his presentation follow this message.

Here’s what Andrea Adair-Tippins, librarian and Chair of the Words in Whitby Author's Festival, has to say about Liam:

“We simply loved having Liam on our stage. He was a big hit with the children.”

Liam is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, and so schools wishing to invite him may be eligible for a travel and fee subsidy to off-set the cost of his visit. For details of this program, contact us.
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PUBLISHED WORKS: LIAM O'DONNELL

Graphic Novels
A United Force (Timeline Series: Celts & Romans), Scholastic Canada, Spring 2007
Blackbeard's Last Stand, Stone Arch Books, Spring 2007
Max Finder Mystery Collected Casebook Vol. 1, Owlkids Books, Fall 2006
System Shock, Stone Arch Books, Fall 2006
My Dad the Rock Star: Rebel Without a Nose Ring, Kids Can Press/Nelvana, 2002
Moville Mysteries: Raiders of the Lost Jockstrap, Kids Can Press/Nelvana, 2002

Non-Fiction Titles
The Real World of Pirates Series
Pirate Gear, Capstone Press, 2007
Pirate Ships, Capstone Press, 2007
Pirate Treasure, Capstone Press, 2007
The Pirate Code, Capstone Press, 2007

Graphic Science Series (Non-Fiction Graphic Novels)
Photosynthesis, Capstone Press, 2007
Food Chains, Capstone Press, 2007
Electricity, Capstone Press, 2007

Picture Books
Winston In the City, Soundprints, 2005
Daisy On the Farm, Soundprints, 2005
Pepper's Snowy Search, Soundprints Publishing, 2004
Ginger Leads the Way, Soundprints Publishing, 2004
Lucy and the Busy Boat, Soundprints Publishing, 2004
Duncan: A Brave Rescue, Soundprints Publishing, 2004
Baxter Needs a Home, Soundprints Publishing, 2004
Tracker: On the Job, Soundprints Publishing, 2004

LIAM'S PRESENTATION DETAILS:

Between the Panels: How Comics are Made
Grades 4 - 8. Length: 60 minutes

Drawing on my work from The M-Team to Max Finder Mystery, students dive into the world of comics to learn how the writer and illustrator work together to shape a rough idea and turn it into a full colour comic.

This interactive presentation includes:

How Comics Work: Students learn why comics are more than pictures on a page and how they put our brains to work, spark our imagination and make reading fun.

Max Finder Mystery Theatre: Students star in a collaborative comic reading and mystery solving session featuring a classic issue of Max Finder Mystery. Can your class crack the case and catch the bad guys?

Scribbles to Script: Step into the shoes of the writer and see how we use brainstorming techniques, outlines and many revisions to build a mystery idea into a complete comic script.

Pencils to Print: Using actual comic sketches, students get a hands-on look at how the writer and illustrator work together to bring the comic to life from rough pencil drawings to final colour pages.

Tips for Creators: Writing tips and advice are offered throughout that will help students get started on their own creative projects.

Ask an Author: A fun and informal Q&A session that lets students pick my brain to find out anything they want to know about being a writer and the writing process.

A quick overview...

I will present to grades 4 – 8   

I'm also happy to talk to older grades about writing comics and how comics are made. 

Maximum number of students per session: 60 

I can be flexible, but not by much. My talks use a lot of handouts (actual artwork in progress, scripts, etc), so my talks are best suited for mid size groups. 

Workshops: I do a creativity and writing workshop for grades 4-8.  

Maximum participants for workshop: 1 class – max 30 students.   

I also offer...

Professional Development Workshops:  Panel Power: Book-Hooking Readers with Comics: A 60 minute presentation for elementary and high school teachers and librarians outlining the literacy value of comics and offering techniques to use comics to springboard readers to traditional texts.  

My talks for students work best classrooms and libraries. My professional development talk will work in an auditorium.  (Just no gyms please.)

I require: A table for my books, an overhead and screen.