Tag: middle grade

Becker, Shari (Toronto, Ontario)

SCBWI, CANSCAIP and The Writer’s Union. Picture Books, Middle Grade & YA

Shari Becker is a critically acclaimed novelist and picture book author who has been writing and creating content, fiction and nonfiction for children and teens for over 25 years. Her nonfiction picture books include Taking Turns With Turtles: A Rescue Story and Sprouting Wings, which she co-authored. Her fiction picture books include Maxwell’s Mountain and Horris Grows Down. She has also written the YA climate-change adventure novel The Stellow Project, and she is currently working on a middle grade contemporary manuscript.

Over the span of her writing career, Shari has tutored, taught and led creative activities for students in elementary, middle and high schools across North America. In 2017, Shari founded Whale Rock Literary Workshops, a master-level writing education company for children’s authors that employs award-winning authors and editors as well as MFA-level faculty. She holds an MA from New York University and kicked off her career developing branded content for Nickelodeon, Disney-owned properties, and an Emmy Award–winning puppeteer.

Shari’s books have received honors including Bank Street Best Books Outstanding Merit, Children’s Book Council Notable Social Studies Book for Young People, Golden Kite Finalist, Oklahoma State Sequoyah Book Award Nominee, Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Nominee and Charlotte Zolotow Honors. Multiple titles are Junior Library Guild selections, and she has received starred School Library Journal as well as a starred Publishers Weekly Reviews.

Rates:

Within Toronto, for in-person workshops, Shari’s rates are $300 for one session, $550 for two and $800 for three sessions. HST is additional. All sessions are between 45 and 60 minutes. For virtual workshops, Shari’s rates are $250 for one session, $450 for two and $675 for three. HST is additional. Kindergarten visits can be split into two 25 minutes visits with different classes. Travel fees may apply outside the metro-Toronto area.

Presentations are available in Montreal when possible as I am there often.

Presentations Available:
Preschool through Kindergarten
Taking Turns With Turtles: A Rescue Story
25-30 minute storytime with question and answer period and optional art activity connected to turtles or other community helpers. Shari is happy to connect with teachers and librarians ahead of time to adapt the presentation to their current curriculum.

Maxwell’s Mountain
25-30 minute storytime with question and answer period and optional art activity connected to map-making and trip planning. Shari is happy to connect with teachers and librarians ahead of time to adapt the presentation to their current curriculum.

Grades 3 – 5
Sprouting Wings
This 45-60 minute presentation includes a reading of the picture book as well as a conversation about the backstory and/or questions students may have about James Herman Banning.

Class conversation will revolve around community and untold stories. Students will be given time to brainstorm an idea and write a story about either a community they are a part of or a greatest story from their family. If there is time we can share and read aloud.

Shari is happy to connect with teachers and librarians ahead of time to adapt presentations to the current curriculum. As well, if appropriate, Shari can combine Taking Turns With Turtles as part of a class discussion around the concept of community.

Grades 5 – 12
Shari has taught workshops in schools and afterschool programs for private and public groups. She tutored high schoolers in essay writing as well as in writing personal statements for the US university application process.

She will coordinate with school faculty to collaborate on specific, 45-60 minute writing workshops, aligned with the current curriculum, if desired, drawing on Shari’s extensive background in teaching creative writing and educational / academic writing to students.

Some examples of her workshops for middle and high schoolers include:

Using concrete nouns and creative verbs to enhance your writing
We’ll explore how making word choices in writing can elevate a piece of writing. Shari will share and explore examples of paragraphs from age-appropriate literature where the authors use concrete nouns and unique verbs. Shari will create a list of nouns and verbs with students and each student will write their own paragraphs, which we will then share out loud and discuss.

Character development
Memorable characters stay with readers for a lifetime. Shari will lead students through a conversation around their favorite characters. She’ll investigate why these characters are beloved and how the authors created them. Shari will share selections from literature and discuss with the class all the various questions an author needs to consider when creating a character. Students will each be asked to answer a series of questions about a character and then write a paragraph where they “tell” us about a character using the “show don’t tell” approach.

Dialogue and body language
Compelling dialogue makes stories believable. In this workshop we’ll read a series of novel excerpts where characters are talking to each other. We’ll look at how real conversations often don’t include full sentences. Characters cut each other off, repeat themselves, start an idea and then continue later. We’ll look at how authors describe the characters’ bodies while they are speaking so that the reader can imagine the scene. Shari may ask two or three students to come up and act out the scenes they read. Students will then have an opportunity to write themselves or with partners a scene that contains dialogue and body language.

Personal Essays
Personal essays can be a powerful writing tool for both students applying to universities and students looking for a form of self-expression. Using examples of the US Common Application essay as a starting point, Shari can teach 10th-12th graders the art of writing about oneself. She’ll talk about how to find a great topic, how to use narration as a tool to hook readers, and how to bring the narrative together in a way that is memorable.

Equipment required: Equipment differs from presentation to presentation. Flip chart and markers or whiteboard and pens, microphone and podium (for large rooms), paper and pencils or pens (for workshops). Art supplies may be needed or brought by author, TBD. Teacher and/or librarian must be present.

Contact Shari to book a visit:

    Renwick, Jessica. (Red Deer, Alberta)

    Alexandra Writer’s Centre Society member. WordBridge board member. 2025 Snow Willow Award finalist. Middle Grade (grades 4 – 8). Writing workshops for all ages.

    In-Person Visits (45-60 minutes): $300 for 1 session; $550 for 2 sessions; $750 for 3 sessions; $900 for 4 sessions. Travel charge of $0.55/km (round trip) for locations over 50 km from Red Deer.

    Virtual Visits (45-60 minutes): $200 per session.

    FOREST OF READING 2026 NOMINEE

    Jessica Renwick dove into the world of writing fiction as a preteen and never looked back. Naturally, this led to a career as a public library assistant. She is the author of middle grade books that explore Canadian history, family dynamics, and friendship through exciting paranormal ghost stories. Her most recent book for young readers, Ghosts of Gastown, is a finalist for the 2025 Willow Awards and was selected for the CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens for spring of 2025.

    Jessica is an experienced speaker who can tailor her presentations to suit the needs of the school or library. Her fun and interactive presentation is perfect for kids grades four to eight, and she loves doing writing workshops for that age and older (including adults!).

    Her general presentation covers her writing journey. This includes themes of resilience, growth, and why rejection letters are not a bad thing. She discusses her writing process, from brainstorming to final edits. She relates the writing and publishing process to what students do in school with their writing assignments, and she includes tips and tricks for generating story ideas, getting over writer’s block, dealing with critique, and how to critique your peers’ work.

    Free virtual visits: Jessica offers free fifteen-minute Q&A virtual visits for classes or library groups who have read Ghosts of Gastown.

    Writing workshops: Available upon request. Jessica is a certified creative writing instructor through the Alexandra Writer’s Centre Society. She offers creative presentations about writing for kids, writing short stories, and can tailor workshops for a class or writing group’s needs. Maximum group size is one class or twenty adults.

    Preferred venues and equipment: Libraries, classrooms, or gymnasiums. If she is presenting in anything larger than a classroom, a microphone will be required. A digital projector and screen will be required, and a table for supplies would be appreciated. Jessica will bring her own laptop for the slideshow.

    Contact Jessica to book a visit:

      Marianayagam, Maria. (Calgary, Alberta)

      CANSCAIP and Canadian Children’s Book Center member, multi-starred reviewed author, Calgary’s Top 40 under 40, with published titles from board books to middle grade.

      Maria’s rate in and around Calgary is:

      IN-PERSON: $300 for one session, $500 for two, $750 for a full day (three one-hour sessions). Option to add a lunch-time signing or small-group session with keen readers for $100. Classroom writing workshops are available for $500. GST and mileage are also applicable. A travel fee of $0.50/km for areas outside Calgary.

      VIRTUAL: $200 + GST, one hour, Zoom. **For the 2025/2026 school year, Maria is booking virtual visits exclusively.

      FOREST OF READING 2026 NOMINEE

      Maria Marianayagam is a Tamil Sri Lankan-Canadian engineer turned children’s book author.  She fell in love with children’s books (again!) after becoming an Amma (mom). She was born in India and grew up across four provinces in Canada (Newfoundland, Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta). Her debut picture book, The Amazing Power of Girls (Sourcebooks eXplore, 2024), was named a Children’s Book Council Teacher’s Favourite, a CCBC Best Science Book, and endorsed by the presidents of Girls Inc. and Actua Inc.

      She is the author of the quadruple-starred, critically-acclaimed middle grade novel, No Purchase Necessary (HarperCanada/HarperCollins, 2025), the family favourite 4-title board book series, The Baby Virtues (Hachette, 2024/2025), and her most recent STEM picture book release, Wait ‘Til You’re Older (Sourcebooks eXplore, 2025).

      Maria is an experienced speaker, comfortable in front of an audience of kids and adults alike. Maria’s sessions revolve around a slide presentation, book reading, and Q&A (activity can be included as well). Working with each educator or teacher/librarian, Maria selects the perfect book or books that will be appreciated by each age group.

      Here are examples (but all can be tailored):

      Grade 1-4: STEM focus: The Amazing Power of Girls or Wait Til You’re Older. Audience members will learn about Maria’s journey from engineer to author, how to find careers that marry both STEM and art, plus an introduction to the science elements of the book. Enjoy a reading of the book to conclude the presentation. Optional Q&A. (30-45 mins.)

      Grades 1-4: Cultural focus: Curry Means More [available after Oct 28, 2025]. With a warm, inclusive tone, Maria Marianayagam encourages students of all backgrounds to share and celebrate their own family traditions—whether it’s a stew, sandwich, or snack. This visit blends read-aloud moments, behind-the-scenes insights into writing a book, and fun, reflective questions that help students see the beauty of their own heritage and imagination. Optional Q&A. (30-45 mins.)

      Grade 5-6: Writing Workshop: Using the STEM-focused presentation for The Amazing Power of Girls, Maria will dissect literary devices like diction, personification, puns, and more, using examples from the book, and have students write their own poetry to present. (1 hr., 1 classroom maximum)

      Grade 7-9: No Purchase Necessary: In this thought-provoking talk, Maria explores how she built the central ethical dilemma in No Purchase Necessary, and how characters become real when they face tough choices with no easy answers. Including a reading from the novel, a behind-the-scenes look at the writing process, and an exercise where students reflect on their own values and write about a dilemma of their own. Optional Q&A. (30-45 mins.)

      Grades 7-9: Writing Workshop: In this hands-on writing workshop, author Maria uses scenes from No Purchase Necessary to show students how to convey powerful emotions—like fear, guilt, or excitement—not through dialogue alone, but through body language, movement, and action. Maria guides students in understanding how actions can reveal character, deepen stakes, and drive plot. Maria will read a short scene from the novel, identify Ajay’s feelings and how it’s shown through action, and then have students write a short scene where characters show an emotion without saying it outright. (1 hr., 1 classroom maximum)

      Maria’s presentations are visual, interactive, and fast-paced. She prefers to speak to a maximum of 100 students at a time (but can be flexible, if needed). Her presentations work best with 1-3 classrooms at a time, with workshops being most effective with one classroom. She requires a screen, a laptop with 2 USB ports, and a microphone (if it’s an assembly presentation).

      Contact Maria to book a visit:

        Cacao, Joanna (Winnipeg, MB)

        Member of SCBWI and CCBC.

        In Person: $300 plus tax per hour. (1 session = 1 hour)

        Virtual Visits are $250 plus tax per hour.

        *If outside of Manitoba: travel and hotel accommodations are needed. 

        *Will do a maximum 4 sessions in one area in a single day.

        Awards & Lists:

        • 2025 IL Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award – Nominees
        • 2025 MYRCA Northern Lights Award Nominee
        • 2024 Aurora Award Nominee
        • 2024 Utah Beehive Book Awards – Nominees: Graphic Novels (Children)
        • 2023-24 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award in the Middle School category.
        • 2023-24 Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Book Award – Reading List
        • 2023-24 Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Secondary Book Award – Reading List: Middle School
        • 2023 CBC Books’ Best Canadian Books for Kids & Teens
        • 2023 CBC Children’s and Young Adult Favorites Award List
        • 2023 CBC Children’s Favorites Award List: Grades 3-5
        • 2023 CCBC Choices List: Fiction for Children
        • 2023 Bank Street Children’s Book Committee Best Books of the Year – Book List: Ages 9-12
        • 2023 Sakura Medal
        • 2022 VLA Graphic Novel Diversity Award – Honors: Youth

        Joanna Cacao is a Canadian Filipino illustrator and author primarily for middle grade graphic novels. She is most known for her collaboration with Christina Soontornvat for The Tryout and The Squad, as well as her debut author/illustrator graphic novel: The Secret of the Ravens.

        Book Topics: Fantasy, Magic, Adventure, Culture, Friends, Family, Asian, Middle School, Poverty, LGBT+


        LIFE OF A CARTOONIST

        Have you ever wondered what it takes to be a cartoonist? What are their lives like? What goes into the world of creating a graphic novel from start to finish?

        Joanna delves into her experience from drawing on her notes in school to creating her first webcomic and taking the leap into traditional publishing. Joanna discusses her trials of following her dreams, growing up Filipino, seeing her name on a bookshelf for the first time and experiencing fame and getting to know her fans. Presentation ends with a Q&A.

        Ages: 8+
        Group Size: No max.

        A/V Needs: In Person sessions require the use of a projector, virtual sessions require the ability to share screens. 

        The above is Joanna’s go-to presentation, but she is happy to delve into other topics or activities to suit your school needs/events/activities! She has also done conversation styled panels, and is absolutely happy to be part of one.

        Contact Joanna to book a visit:

          Frayne Sharon, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario

          Writers Union Member. Young Adult and Adult genres. $300 plus HST and travel ($0.50/km outside Niagara) for 1 session, $500 for 2, $700 for 3 and $900 for full day.

          Virtual Visits: $100-200 plus HST (depending on time required)

          Background: Sharon Frayne was born in St. Catharines, grew up on a Niagara farm and in Muskoka, and now divides her time between Niagara and Northern Ontario. She was a high school Visual Arts and English teacher, an Arts Department Head, and Elementary Principal. During her career, she worked with many special needs children, their families and teachers. She’s an award winning short story writer and novelist, whose contemporary tales include diverse characters, environmental issues, Canadian history and outdoor settings.  

          Public Speaking and Workshops: Sharon is a dynamic, engaging, experienced teacher and Principal who is comfortable leading small groups, individual classrooms or presenting in assemblies. She enjoys speaking to adult groups and book clubs. Presentations include visuals and are interactive, tailored to individual and group needs.

          Workshop Themes (samples, more are available and can be customized)

          How to Self-Edit (suitable for students in grades 4- 12. Meets Ontario Curriculum Guidelines)

          How to create amazing, realistic, empathetic characters (for short stories or novel length)

          Does Setting matter? It sure does – let’s do some world building to enhance your story.

          Seven Steps to writing a prize winning Short Story.

          What’s a plot line? How to develop one for a short story or novel.

          Who needs conflict? Your story does – here’s how to create some.

          For Better or for Worse – How does Social Media Affect Us?

          Materials Required for School Presentations:

          Classroom or Library setting preferred. Microphone (if acoustics are problematic), table for computer and materials, screen and data projector. Preference is for individual classrooms, or similar age/grade groups up to 100.

          Free Virtual Visits!

          15 minute virtual visits, with a short teacher/moderator led Q & A session are available to classes or clubs who are reading one of my books.  This works best with small groups.

          Writer in Residence option:

          This is a fantastic opportunity to develop a working relationship with a group over a pre-arranged time period. This could be writing workshops, feedback sessions, book discussions and can be arranged to suit interest and ability levels.

          Publications:

          Magazines and Newspapers: Eden Mills Writers Festival Chapter Publication (winning writers), CommuterLit, Agnes and True, The Ekphrastic Review, Uproar, The Local (NOTL Paper), The Lake Report (NOTL Paper), Stage of Life (USA online publication) and others

          Novels: The Sound of a Rainbow, (Latitude 46 Publishing),2023 (gr. 8 -12)

          Caught Between the Walls, (Bygones Press), 2016 (gr. 6 -12)

          Awards:

          Frayne’s short stories and poems have won in the South Simcoe Arts Festival, Eden Mills Writers Festival, the Northern Ontario Writer’s Workshop, the Banister Poetry Contest and Stratford Rotary Writing Contest. She won the Best Novel Award in the Muskoka Novel Marathon in 2019, 2020 and 2022. She’s been a frequent winner of the NOTL Rising Spirits Writing competition for both short stories and poetry. Her personal essay, ‘Stepping into a Lifetime’ was the USA national winner in the Stage of Life writing competition.

          She won the Halton District School Board’s Award of Distinction for Creativity in Education and was nominated for the Ontario Premier’s Award for Education.

          Associations: In addition to belonging to the Writer’s Union of Canada, she’s an NOTL Writer’s Circle board member, past president of the Niagara branch of the Canadian Author’s Association. She’s a past Editor of the CAA Niagara annual Anthology and has appeared as a guest speaker at numerous Arts Festivals. She was featured in a televised production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ with the CBC.  She also belongs to the NOTL Pumphouse Art Gallery, and is a past board member with NOTL Newcomers Club.

          Contact Sharon To Book A Visit:

            Currie, Susan (Brampton, Ontario)

            Member: Writer’s Union of Canada, Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators. Winner: Second Story Press’s Aboriginal Writing Award. Finalist: Ontario White Pine Award, Ontario Silver Birch Award, CLA Book of the Year for Children, CODE Burt Award, Hackmatack Award, Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award, First Nations Communities Read Award. Several times included in Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Children and Teens. All ages from 8 and up. Up to 100 or so participants. $250 for one session, $450 for two, $675 for three, $900 for a full day (four sessions). Plus a travel fee of $0.50/km to and from Brampton, Ontario. Virtual visits $200 plus HST for 30-60 minutes, $150 plus HST for each subsequent session on the same day.

            Susan Currie is a passionate and dynamic elementary teacher in Brampton, Ontario. Before she entered the public school system, she earned a living as an accompanist, music director, choir director, dinner musician, leader of various music programs for children, and piano teacher. She’s the author of two middle grade novels, and two YA novels. Her novels all explore themes of friendship, music, navigating challenges, being resilient, and finding your identity. She has also written three nonfiction books on Indigenous topics. Susan has been on multiple Indigenous writing teams through the Elementary Federation of Ontario. She wrote lesson plans and prompts for Spark, Pearson’s online reading program. Susan is an adoptee who was in the foster care system briefly as a baby, and only learned of her Haudenosaunee heritage (Cayuga Nation, Turtle Clan) as an adult. She is happily married to John and has a wonderful daughter named Rachel.

            Susan is extremely flexible as a presenter and can customize a presentation to the needs of each venue. Through years in the classroom, she is very comfortable engaging in conversation with young people. In each presentation, she will include readings from her books and a Q and A. Possible topics could include the following, but please reach out to discuss your needs as Susan will happily customize a session.

            • Friendship, strategies for building your voice, facing down bullies
            • Notable Indigenous figures like Autumn Peltier; telling how she has fought to protect water around the world; sharing how you can help
            • The history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Cayuga Nation, including life long ago, the impact of the Indian Act, and the rise of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; what you can do to help with reconciliation
            • Susan’s own history as an adoptee who later learned her Cayuga heritage
            • Raising awareness of social inequities, such as institutionalized racism, the limited rights of foster children, and differences in opportunities based on socioeconomic status; sharing how you can advocate for others in your immediate community and around the world
            • What it is like to be a writer, with focus on the process of writing a novel, and the steps you go through to have a published book

            Susan is also delighted to do writing workshops with small groups (no more than 15 or so). Topics might include the following, but please reach out to discuss your needs as Susan will happily customize a session.

            • Building exciting scenes or characters
            • Fun ways to edit your work that bring your story to vivid life
            • Finding your creative voice
            • Using other art forms to inspire your writing – paintings, pieces of music, dance, etc. Writing a story based on one of these.
            • Telling a story from your life in a dramatically compelling way
            • Writing effective and interesting dialogue
            • Creating a character driven plot

            Susan’s Books:

            Basket of Beethoven (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2001)

            Grades 4-8

            Sam, whose single mom is so strapped for cash that she can barely afford food, talks the privileged Helen into teaching him how to play the piano. He has to keep up his end of the bargain, which involves getting rid of the threatening bullies who plague her. But anything is worth having an outlet for the music inside him. Themes: friendship, family, strategies for standing up to bullies, resiliency, courage, music, creativity, imagination.

            The Mask that Sang (Second Story Press, 2016)

            Grades 4-8

            Cass learns about her Indigenous identity via a mysterious Haudenosaunee mask that shows her visions and sings to her. Through her friendship with Degan, an Indigenous boy, she uncovers what the mask is trying to tell her. Themes: magic realism, bullies, resiliency, systemic racism, residential schools, foster care, loss of identity, found friends, Indigenous history in Canada.

            Haudenosaunee: the People and Nations (Saunders/Beech Street, 2023)

            Grades 4-12

            This nonfiction book explores the history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the impact of the Indian Act on Indigenous peoples in Canada. It also tells about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and ways that ordinary people can help to fulfil the calls to action. It highlights how the Haudenosaunee are fighting to regain their language and culture.

            Amazing Women in Canada: Autumn Peltier (Saunders/Beech Street, 2024)

            Grades 3-12

             This nonfiction book tells about Autumn Peltier, who has become a water warrior on the global stage, fighting for the protection of water around the world, and advocating for the rights of people on reserves to have clean water. She has shown resiliency in her mission, not backing down even in the face of negative criticism.

            Indigenous People and Nations: Cayuga (Saunders/Beech Street 2026)

            Grades 4-12

             This nonfiction book tells about the history of the Cayuga Nation, one of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. While highlighting ways that the Cayuga lived in the past, it also explores the impact of the Indian Act, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the fight to revitalize Cayuga language and culture.

            Fierce Voice (Common Deer Press, 2025)

            Grades 6-12

            This YA novel is the sequel to Iz the Apocalypse (described below). Iz has everything she’s ever wanted: she’s found the foster home of her dreams and is attending the prestigious music school she moved heaven and earth to get into. But secrets from her past keep threatening to spill into the present, and Iz is sure that her newfound loved ones will abandon her if they learn of her terrible history. When she meets Skye, a young foster child with her own terrible secret, Iz must make a dreadful choice—one that could free them both from their demons or completely destroy everything Iz has fought so hard for. Is raising her voice worth the risk? Themes: advocating for foster children; music education; found family; adoption; finding your own power.

            Fierce Voice is listed by CBC Books – 23 Canadian books for tweens & teens to read this fall

            Iz the Apocalypse (Common Deer Press, 2023)

            Grades 6-12

            This YA novel is about a musically gifted foster child who does whatever is necessary to be able to attend a prestigious international high school for music and to have a voice of her own. Themes: challenges foster children face, including the way that a disrupted education eliminates many possibilities for the future; how past trauma impacts the present; creativity and the arts; finding identity; loneliness and found family.

            All Venues. Equipment required: a glass of water, lunch if she’s staying for the day. A table to spread her things out on. A microphone for larger groups or in the gym. A screen and projector for presenting slides and doing shared writing.

            Contact Susan to book a visit:

              McLellan, Stephanie Simpson (Newmarket, ON)

              Writers Union Member. English. Fiction (Picture Book and Mid Grade), Mr. Christie Award winner, Ruth Schwartz Award Winner, 2022 Blue Spruce Award Honour Book. Grades K-4 and Grades 5-8.

              In-Person Visits: $300 plus HST for 1 session, $500 for 2, $750 for 3 and $1000 for 4, + travel (50 cents per kilometre, round-trip for SW ON).

              Stephanie is the award-winning author of six picture books books, a mid-grade novel and a unique picture book-first reader hybrid. She reviewed children’s books for twelve years for Today’s Parent magazine (for which she got to interview the legendary Maurice Sendak!), operated an online bookstore for a few years called Neverending Stories, and wrote several scripts for the gemini-nominated children’s television series Roll Play (on Treehouse).

              Her books have won and been shortlisted for several awards (Mr. Christie Award, Ruth Schwartz Award, Chocolate Lily Award, CNIB Tiny Torgi Award, Crystal Kite Award and Blue Spruce Award) and have received starred and recommended reviews from Kirkus, CCBC, CBC Books, Quill & Quire, School Library Journal, Resource Links, TVO Kids, Chickadee Magazine, The Globe & Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, City Parent, CanLit for Little Canadians and CM Magazine.

              A passionate promoter of literacy, Stephanie has toured twice for TD Canadian Children’s Book Week: to Labrador in 2014 and Northwest Territories in 2018. Surrounding the release of her 2017 picture book, The Christmas Wind, Stephanie worked with almost 1,700 primary students in every province and territory of Canada (plus one school in Australia) on a unique literacy initiative that resulted in over 13,000 student drawings of her characters Jo, Murdock and the wind. Widely profiled by CBC, The Christmas Wind Story Project involved the Canadian Children’s Book Centre in the spring of 2016 and was a top 10 finalist in the 2016 CST Inspired Minds Learning Project Contest.

              Presentation Description

              During Stephanie’s school presentations for grades K-4, she encourages children to look for and understand their own creativity by sharing the stories behind her stories, how these stories/ideas turn into books, and what it’s like to write for a living. Specifically, she has four goals with each school presentation:

              • To entertain students with a dramatic reading of her books so they will come to know and care about her characters and about the value of story
              • To stir the writer/creator inside each student by sharing the stories behind her stories, thus empowering them to see the connection between their own lives and their own potential works of art
              • To create a natural bridge to relevant, valuable and interesting learning (e.g.Hoogie in the Middle – a simile exercise; Leon’s Song – a mini science quiz on how frogs survive the winter)
              • To give students a sense of what goes into the creation of a book (the illustrator, the publisher, the ideas) and what it’s like to write for a living 

              For grades 5-8, Stephanie will focus on her mid grade novel Sully, Messed Up to explore themes of self-esteem, identity, life choices, social-emotional learning and bullying.

              Ahead of each school visit Stephanie creates a school specific page on her website to help teachers and students prepare for her visit.

              Maximum group size: 50-60 for optimum interaction 

              Equipment required: a table, an easel (for presentation boards), water, microphone for larger groups or in the gym.

              Contact Stephanie to book a visit:

                Cooke, Stephanie (Toronto, ON)

                Stephanie Cooke. Toronto, ON. Writers’ Union of Canada Member. English. Fantasy, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Middle-Grade, and Young Adult. Stephanie’s rates for school visits is $300 for one session (local schools only), $500 for two sessions or for a half-day, and $900 for a full school day (maximum four sessions), plus travel if applicable. Virtual visits are $250.

                Stephanie Cooke is an author and editor based out of Toronto, Canada. She is the writer of ParaNorthern and the co-writer of Oh My Gods!

                She loves to speak to people about comics, graphic novels, and writing and devotes a lot of time to helping educate people about creating, understanding, and appreciating the graphic novel medium.

                CREATING A GRAPHIC NOVEL
                Ever wonder how a comic book or graphic novel gets made? How many different people work on one book? What’s the process for creating a story and turning it into a graphic novel? Stephanie delves into all of this and more as she helps people explore the world of the comic book industry and sheds light on the process of writing a story from inception to completion.

                Ages: Any

                Group size: Any, but especially love working with smaller groups of 15-30 kids.
                A/V needs: Projector or anything to present some images to go along with the presentation.

                Collaboration is hands-down the best parts of creating a graphic novel. Working with someone to bring an idea to life is an incredible feeling. Having someone to bounce ideas around with is amazing and inspiring. And getting to see an artist bring what was in your head to life on the page is nothing short of magical! With her experience as a co-writer on Oh My Gods! and a co-creator on an unannounced series, Stephanie has created this presentation to help teach you about the process, what to expect, and provide exercises for you to learn from.

                Ages: Any, but works especially well ages 6 and up (and for students and adults)
                Group size: 15-30

                Other topics are available upon request.

                Contact Stephanie to book a visit…

                  Church, Dr. Dana L (Waterloo, ON)

                  Dana lives in Waterloo, Ontario, and is a member of the Writers’ Union of Canada. She presents in English to grades 1 though 6, and she also enjoys presenting to adult groups. In-person rates: $300 for one one-hour session, $550 for two on the same day, plus a travel fee of $0.70/km. Travel costs waived in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, and the townships. Virtual visit rates: $250 for one one-hour session, $400 for two on the same day.

                  Dana writes middle grade nonfiction about animals. She has a PhD in animal cognition, which means she is very curious about how animals think, remember, learn, make decisions, and solve problems. Her books also explore habitats, conservation, and the impact of climate change. Dana is passionate about making science fun and accessible for everyone. Although she loves all animals, she gets particularly excited about bees.

                  2025 Paradigm Prize – Science Writers and Communicators of Canada

                  Dana used to teach outrageously large undergraduate classes so she really doesn’t have a size limit for her audience. She finds that her PowerPoint slides are handy for showing photos, so for in-person visits, if she could hook up her Mac laptop to a projector, that would be great. When presenting about Animal Minds, a large table will allow for demonstrations involving her gorilla and raccoon puppet sidekicks. For virtual visits, she can adapt to any platform, and if she can share her screen, even better.

                  Contact Dana to book a visit:

                    Matas, Carol (Winnipeg, MB)

                    Carol Matas, Winnipeg, MB, member, Writers’ Union of Canada, English. Grades K- 12.

                    Virtual visits: $250 for a 45 minute session for the novel. $200 for a half hour session for the picture book. 

                    Carol is the internationally best selling author of over 50 books for young people, which have received over 100 awards and honours and been translated into 16 languages.  

                    Photo: Chantal Picton Holowka.

                    Carol has written historical, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary novels. She has written early readers, middle grade novels and young adult novels and a YA crossover book. She often gets emails from young people  telling her that they didn’t like to read until they discovered her books, and she is thrilled to cultivate new readers. Many of  Carol’s  presentations are about her Holocaust novels. In these sessions she delves into the roots of antisemitism and racism which informed Hitler’s worldview. She loves to talk about “big questions” using books like Cloning Miranda, when she encourages discussions about what it means to be a human being.

                    Who’s Looking for science based presentations.

                    A Storm Unleashed

                    A gripping tale about a girl and her dog set in Berlin, Germany, during the lead up to World War Two.

                    After losing her mother as a young girl, twelve-year-old Mia is living in Berlin with her veterinarian father and beloved German shepherd, Max. Mia tries to focus on her hobbies, her studies and her trips to her grandparents’ farm where she cares for the animals she loves. But it’s 1935, and life has changed radically for Mia and her Jewish father over the last two years.

                    Antisemitism is now official state policy. At school, Mia is vilified and treated cruelly by her teachers and fellow students. Outside of school, she witnesses violence against her friends and family. And then suddenly a girl from the Nazi Youth tries to take Max. From that moment on, life becomes more and more dangerous for Mia and her father ― who is now being forced to help the Nazis train Hitler’s army of dogs.

                    Mia and her best friend, Frieda, must come up with a plan to navigate this new reality. But could it cost Mia more than she realizes?

                    Kai and Golem

                    Rain in the morning makes Kai say, “That’s not what I want!” After school, he wants to read stories with Bubbe, but she isn’t there. “That’s not what I want!” says Kai. Maybe, he thinks, there’s a creature that makes bad things happen. Could it be a Golem, big and scary? But maybe things aren’t so bad if you look at them in a different way…

                    Carol does virtual visits all over North America, most recently Atlanta, Georgia to present “The War Within,” a Civil War novel.

                    Also presents to adults.

                    Carol’s books have garnered over 100 awards and honours, including 2 nominations for the Governor General’s Award; the Silver Birch Award; a New York Times Notable book; a Sydney Taylor Award; a National Jewish Book Award finalist; an ALA Best Book of the Year for YA; a Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award for Young People; CCBC Best Book for Kids and Teens; New York Public Library, book for the Teen Age; and the Geoffrey Bilson Award. They have also been translated into 16 languages and many have been best sellers. Daniel’s Story has sold over 1 million copies in the United States and Canada. 

                    Contact Carol to book a visit