Tag: STEAM/STEM

Kachala, Elaine (Toronto, Ontario)

Member: The Writer’s Union of Canada. SCBWI. CANSCAIP. Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC). Elaine Kachala is a Toronto-based author of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) nonfiction books for kids, including Building Homes for All: Technology for a Fair and Green Planet (Orca Book Publishers, March 17, 2026) and Superpower? The Wearable-Tech Revolution (Orca Book Publishers, 2022). 

Both books are part of the Orca Think series, which introduces middle-grade readers to issues making headlines in the world today and helps them question, connect, and take action for a brighter future! 

Elaine writes engaging books that spark curiosity and invite young readers to explore how people and technology work together to shape a better world. She’s also committed to raising the profile of non-fiction books as tools for STEAM education at teacher/librarian conferences and workshops. 

Building Homes for All: Technology for a Fair and Green Planet is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection (2025). 

–“Realistic yet uplifting—a testament to the power of STEAM”  –  Kirkus Review

Superpower? The Wearable-Tech Revolution (2022) is…

–      a National Science Teaching Association (NSTA)/Children’s Book Council (CBC) Best STEM Book (K-12) (2023)

–      a finalist for the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books (2024)

–      a finalist for the Young Readers’ Choice Book Awards (Red Cedar Book Awards) (2023)

–      a finalist for the SCBWI Golden Kite Awards, Nonfiction Text for Older Readers (2023) 

–      CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens, Commended (2023)

–      Top Grade CanLit for the Classroom, Commended (2023)

–      BC Books for Schools, Commended (2022)

–      Superpower? also received glowing reviews from Always in the Middle, Children’s Literature, Dr. Larry Recommends, Exoskeleton Report, Great Books for Kids, Science Adviser, SLJ, TEACH Magazine, teachers, librarians, and parents. 

Fees for on-site visits: $350 + HST per presentation, $600 + HST for two presentations on the same day. Each additional presentation on the same day $250 + HST, up to a maximum of 3 presentations. Mileage for school visits outside of Toronto $0.61/km. Accommodation fees may apply if outside GTHA. Fees for virtual visits: $300 + HST per presentation, $200 + HST for each additional presentation on the same day, to a maximum of 3 presentations per day.

Before writing for children, Elaine spent more than 20 years as a health policy writer and adviser. With degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of Toronto and a master’s in environmental studies from York University, Elaine draws on her background to engage readers in critical thinking about how innovations affect our world. Through her books, she encourages young readers to learn from real-life inventors who dream big while considering health, social, and ethical issues. 

BOOKS:

School Programs for Grades 4 to 8:

Two thumbs up! Kids, parents, teachers, and librarians say that Elaine’s books and presentations inspire young people to wonder about inventing technology for a better world. They’re a perfect blend of children’s social, science & technology themes. 

Elaine’s happy to lead small or large groups. She’ll present to classes individually or in groups but asks that they’re grouped appropriately by grade level (i.e., 4-6; 7-8).

Today’s students face an almost never-ending list of societal challenges, such as the fast pace of tech, climate change, and the housing crisis, all of which can weigh heavily on their mental health and contribute to a sense of helplessness. But STEAM nonfiction books at the intersection of technology and society can show young people that problems have solutions, questions have answers, and with STEAM skills and teamwork, there is hope for the future.

*Free teaching guides available

Superpower? The Wearable-Tech Revolution

  • Do you wonder how wearable technology (the next wave of computing) changes us and society? 
  • Can innovation go too far? 
  • How do we design responsible technology to gain benefits and mitigate harm?
  • Are you interested in stories about inventors, including young inventors, and how they’re navigating the next tech frontier?
  • Curious about what it’s like to be a children’s author?

Following a brief introduction about myself, I’ll draw on questions in the Teacher’s Guide to activate students’ background knowledge and excite them about the subject of wearable technologies. I’ll highlight what wearable technology is and how it works, with examples of how wearables impact our lives and change the world. I’ll introduce students to some of the book’s experts. They’ll meet inventors, engineers, scientists, and young people who see a problem and create technology to solve it. But experts face a dilemma when their devices have unintended consequences; we’ll discuss it. I’ll briefly speak about what it’s like to be a nonfiction children’s author. I’ll use slides for visuals and there will be a Q/A opportunity.

I’ll have bookmarks and a Get Brainstorming Activity (from the book) for handouts. 

Building Homes for All: Technology for a Fair and Green Planet

  • What if you could 3D print affordable, eco-friendly houses in months, weeks, or even days?
  • And what if 3D printing human settlements on the Moon and Mars helps us tackle housing challenges here on Earth?
  • What if you could quickly manufacture wood buildings that actually slow climate change?
  • Can you imagine an exciting STEAM career in clean, green, smart construction?
  • Curious about what it’s like to be a children’s author?

Following a brief introduction about myself, I’ll draw on questions in the Teacher’s Guide to activate students’ background knowledge and excite them about the subjects of housing, health, climate, and awe-inspiring machine innovations. While technology offers hope and solutions, it takes teamwork to challenge old ideas and change traditional ways of doing things. With engaging photos and videos, this presentation takes kids on a journey through housing issues in our world: how we got there, how we’re fixing it, and how we move forward. It will also spark their interest in exciting new career possibilities in construction. I’ll briefly speak about what it’s like to be a nonfiction children’s author. I’ll use slides for visuals and there will be a Q/A opportunity.

Teaching and librarian professionals seeking new ways to explore timely social and environmental topics, encourage young readers to explore STEAM solutions, and expand STEAM programming will gain valuable ideas from this book and guide.

I’ll have stickers and a STEAM Activity (from the book) for handouts.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:

I use PowerPoint, so I need a projector, screen, and extension cord. Water would be great too! And lunch and coffee if I’m staying for the day. A microphone for larger groups, in the gym, or if the room acoustics are questionable.

Contact Elaine 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

      Krossing, Karen (Toronto, ON)

      Writers’ Union Member. YA and MG fiction. Picture books (nonfiction and fiction). K to 12. Karen’s rate is $250 plus HST for one session, $450 for two, $675 for three, $900 for a full day (4 sessions). Mileage within Toronto may be waived. A virtual visit is $150 plus HST.

      Karen Krossing is the author of many books for kids and teens, including picture books My Street Remembers, One Tiny Bubble, and Sour Cakes, and novels Monster vs. Boy, Punch Like a Girl, and Bog.  She won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Canada in 2015 and 2023 and has been a finalist for the Ontario Library Association White Pine Award and the Joan F. Kaywell Books Save Lives Award, among other honours. Karen has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she teaches writing at Whale Rock Workshops and the Humber School for Writers. She loves meeting readers and writers of all ages.

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