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

    Camlot, Heather (Toronto, ON)

    The Writers’ Union of Canada member. Fiction and nonfiction writer.

    Heather’s rates are $300 for one session, $550 for two, $800 for three. For virtual presentations: $300 for one session, $500 for two. HST applies to all sessions. No travel costs within Toronto or if I am in your city (I travel to Montreal several times a year). Able to present in English and French.

    HEATHER CAMLOT is an award-winning author of a dozen books for young readers.

    Her middle-grade nonfiction include What If Soldiers Fought with Pillows? True Stories of Imagination and Determination, The Prisoner and the Writer, and One Goal: How Soccer Can Help Save the Planet. Heather is also an accomplished fiction writer. Her two middle-grade novels are Clutch and The Other Side. 

    Fall 2026 will see two new nonfiction books, Have a Bite! How Food Connects Us and Beyond Words: The Meaning and Impact of Signs and Symbols. Two more books are slated for 2027  Champions for Change: How Athletes are Making a Difference and Poster Child: The Story of Artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, her first picture book. 

    Heather’s books have been honoured as a Best Book pick from Kirkus Reviews, a Canadian Jewish Literary Awards winner (juvenile category), Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections, an Outstanding Science Trade Book (NSTA/CBC) and Skipping Stones Honor Awards. They have also been shortlisted for provincial, national, and international awards, including Forest of Reading, CCBC Book Awards, and Prix littéraire FETKANN – Maryse Condé. 

    PRESENTATIONS (60 minutes, grades 3+)

    Heather aims to entertain and educate, engaging students with a fun and interactive presentation, lively discussion and themed activities. We’ll talk about a specific book (choose from the list below), inspiration, challenges, themes and of course writing.

    Heather is happy to collaborate to create a customized presentation.

    Books and themes:

    • Clutch: Baseball, family, tradition, 1940s, Montreal, Jackie Robinson, Judaism, World War II, Holocaust, Canada, government of Canada, historical fiction, sports, courage, injustice
    • The Other Side: Mystery,family secrets, illness, soccer, 2014 World Cup,World War II, Germany, Canada, inter-generational, injustice, courage, history, present
    • What If Soldiers Fought with Pillows?: Social justice, human rights, imagination, real-world crises, asking big questions, courage, change, peace, reconciliation, bravery, injustice, leadership, history, present
    • Secret Schools: School, underground, hiding, current, history, present, education, learning, courage, perseverance, resilience, determination, change, injustice
    • I Can’t Do What?: Laws, rules, human rights, sports, art, entertainment, injustice, technology, family, crime and punishment, weird, governance, social justice
    • Becoming Bionic: STEM, science, biology, technology, superheroes, comics, cartoons, science fiction, technological innovations, medicine, pop culture, history, present
    • The Prisoner and the Writer: Dreyfus Affair, antisemitism, Judaism, advocacy, racism 19th century, France, media literacy, bias, fake news, treason, betrayal, courage, true story, justice, equality, prejudice, scandal, misinformation
    • One Goal: Soccer, climate change, World Cup, Olympics, sports, social justice, human rights, sustainability, environment, reduce, reuse, recycle
    • Beyond Words: Symbols, hate, peace, support, protest, social justice, human rights, history, racism, 2SLGBTQI+, sexism, physical and mental health, marginalized
    • Have a Bite: Food, food history, social justice, family, tradition, climate change, history, culture, trade, geography, connection, politics, food safety, food waste

    WORKSHOPS (60 minutes, grades 3+)

    • Where do ideas come from?: In this idea-generating workshop, we’ll discuss where to look for fiction and/or nonfiction book ideas – starting in our own lives. Students will get writing with two exercises to jumpstart the creative process. Based on ONE GOAL: HOW SOCCER CAN HELP SAVE THE PLANET.
    • What’s news?: Bias in the media is difficult to spot. In this media-literacy workshop, we’ll look into how to determine if what you’re reading is fact…or fiction. I’ll test students’ knowledge of news fact vs news fiction through a fun game and we’ll create a reference guide to better judge whether what they are reading, seeing, and hearing is objective, biased or completely fake. Based on THE PRISONER AND THE WRITER.

    You can find more presentation and workshop descriptions available on Heathercamlot.com.

    Maximum presentation size: 100 (flexible) / maximum workshop size: 30 (flexible)
    Teacher and/or librarian must be present.

    Heather offers the services of professional editing, copyediting, proofreading, and translating. She also provides manuscript evaluations – fiction and nonfiction.

    Contact Heather to book a visit:

      Poulsen, David (Alberta)

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      Writers’ Union Member. Alberta, Fiction, Multi-award winner. Grades 1-12 $325 plus GST for 1 session, $600 for 2, $850 for 3 and $1000 for 4, + travel.

      The Unlikely Hero has been selected as the Ontario Library Association’s Best Bets (also known as their top ten titles) of 2024 in the Junior Nonfiction category! 

      FOREST OF READING 2026 NOMINEE
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