Authors’
Booking Service is pleased to announce that children’s author Robert Paul Weston, is now
scheduling visits to Ontario schools and libraries.
This author
lives in the Greater Toronto Area and is available for visits across
southern Ontario. His rate is $250 per session, plus travel from
Toronto.
Robert is
the author of Zorgamazoo,
an innovative novel-in-verse for 8-12 year olds. It was chosen as a top
ten debut of 2008 by Booklist Magazine, and won a 2009 Children's
Choice Award from the Children's Book Council (US). It was also
shortlisted for the E.B. White Read Aloud Award, the California Young
Reader Medal and the Silver Birch Award.
Here’s what
the Canadian Children's Book News had to say about this popular debut:
“Zorgamazoo
is one of the most exciting children's books to hit the shelves in a
long time. First time novelist Robert Paul Weston's poetic dexterity is
unparalleled and his extraordinary story is complemented by whimsical
pen and ink illustrations from Spanish artist Victor Rivas...If you're
looking for a novel that is sure to excite young audiences about
reading and writing, Zorgamazoo is it.”
Meanwhile,
Teegan, a children’s bookseller at Seattle, Washington’s renowned Queen
Anne Books, called it:
"...the most
original and entertaining kids’ novel I have read in a long time...If
you can imagine the spawn of the Harry Potter series and Dr. Seuss's
There's a Wocket in my Pocket, you are on the right track to
understanding the magical, hilarious, whiz-bang creativity of
Zorgamazoo.”
Rob is a
member of The Writers' Union of Canada, so schools wishing to book him
may be eligible for a subsidy to offset the cost of his visit. Contact
us for details of this program.
Time slots
are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis, so please respond early
if you are interested in booking Robert Paul Weston.
Published Works
Novels:
Zorgamazoo.
Razorbill/Penguin, October 2008.
Dust City.
Razorbill/Penguin, November 2010.
Robert Paul Weston’s Presentation
Details:
In this
presentation, I recount my early love of rhyme; introduce the technical
aspects of Zorgamazoo’s poetry; discuss the fulfillment and frustration
of telling a story in verse; and reveal my inspirations. Using a PC
slide show, I also take students through the collaborative creative
process of producing an illustrated novel. I conclude with my favourite
part—a reading from one of the novel’s most hair-raising scenes,
chocked full of silly voices and villainous drama!
Please note
that Rob can tailor his presentation to divergent audiences, touching
upon writing for television or how to properly submit your work to
literary magazines and book publishers.
Grades:
In light of
Zorgamazoo’s target age (8-12), I am probably best suited to presenting
to grades 3-8, but this is certainly flexible. As mentioned above, I
can tailor my presentation for an older, high school audience, with
more practical advice for their own writing.
Maximum
number of students per session:
60 for
grades 2 to 4
100 for
grades 5 and up
I try to be
flexible on audience size - just ask.
Workshops:
I offer
half-day workshops for grades 5 - 12.
It is my
experience that workshops are most productive if there is no more than
a three-grade span.
Maximum
participants for workshops: 20
I also
offer:
Grade 12
Writers' Craft Workshops
"Getting
Kids Fired-Up about Reading" -- a presentation for parents on creating
family literacy.
I am
comfortable in:
Classrooms,
libraries, auditoriums, gymnasiums…are there any I’m missing? The side
of a cliff, you say? No problem!
For my
presentation I require:
* a PC-projector. I will come with my own laptop, as well as have the
presentation saved on a USB data-key, in case you prefer I use the
school computer (please note that my presentation was created in
MS-Powerpoint).
* a display table
* a microphone - for groups of 100 or more
* a bottle of water is always appreciated; thanks!
