School Author Visits | Boulder Book Store

Host an author at your school! Author visits are an exciting opportunity to engage students in reading and the writing process. Touring author visits, when arranged through Boulder Book Store, are free.

R.L. Stine at Columbine Elementary, May 2019. Photo credit: Boulder Book Store

Boulder Book Store will handle book sales, including creating customized order forms for books and a link for online ordering. We offer free book delivery to your school before the visit.
Schools can opt to pass along our 20% educator discount to their students, or use book sales as a fundraiser for their library or classrooms!

For upcoming visits, see the list below!

Peter Reynolds at Superior Elementary, March 2020. Photo credit: Tracy Huffman, Teacher Librarian, at Superior Elementary.

Please email education@boulderbookstore.com to request an author, or if you have any questions.

Authors Visiting Boulder - Winter 2021

Megan E. Freeman Alone AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY STARTING IN JANUARY

Grades: K -- 12th
Megan's Website
Get Alone!

About the Author: Megan E. Freeman attended an elementary school where poets visited her classroom every week and she has been a writer ever since. She writes middle grade and young adult fiction, and her debut middle grade novel-in-verse ALONE will be published in January 2021 from Simon & Schuster/Aladdin. Megan is also a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, and her poetry chapbook, Lessons on Sleeping Alone, was published by Liquid Light Press. An award-winning teacher with decades of classroom experience, Megan is nationally recognized for her work leading workshops and speaking to audiences across the country. Megan used to live in northeast Los Angeles, central Ohio, northern Norway, and on Caribbean cruise ships. Now she lives in northern Colorado.

About the Virtual Presentation:

Could You Survive ALONE? (45-60 minute presentation appropriate for 4th-8th grades) This workshop explores the ideas that inspired the book ALONE and challenges readers to think about how they might respond to some of the situations Maddie faces in the story.
What’s a Novel-in-Verse? (45-60 minute presentation appropriate for 4th-12th grades) This workshop explores some of the differences between verse and prose, and looks at examples of verse novels from a variety of middle grade and/or young adult authors.
Writers Wonder (45-60 minute presentation appropriate for 3rd-8th grades) This workshop explores the creative questions that inspire writers to write, using examples from various authors and poets, as well as from the book ALONE.
Playing with Patterns (30 minute presentation appropriate for K-2nd grades) This workshop connects seeing patterns in the world to seeing patterns in writing, including rhyme, rhythm, repetition and alliteration.
Customized Presentation/Workshop Option This is an option for schools interested in a customized visit tied to specific groups, themes, or skills. Cost may vary.
The Power of Poetry (45-90 minute workshop appropriate for 4th-12th grades) This workshop explores poetry as a means of expression and communication, and looks at multiple examples from a variety of poets and authors. Students should be prepared to write.
Revision Strategies (45-90 minute workshop appropriate for 6-12 grades) This workshop explores concrete tools to focus revision and improve writing, whether working independently or with peer feedback. Students should be prepared with a piece of writing to work with.

These visits will include a speaking fee, depending on the presentation chosen, length of presentation, and other details. Please email education@boulderbookstore.com for more information.

Alice McGinty A Story for Small Bear (and more!) AVAILABLE VIRTUALLY

Grades: Pre-K -- 12
Alice's Website
Get her books!

About the Author: Alice B. McGinty delights in igniting imaginations. As the award-winning author of over 40 children’s books, she makes fiction and non-fiction accessible, engaging, and fun. Books include 2019 Jr. Library Guild Selection, The Girl Who Named Pluto: The Story of Venetia Burney, 2019 Northern Lights Book Award Winner (food category) Pancakes to Parathas: Breakfast Around the World, the 2015 Sydney Taylor Notable book, Rabbi Benjamin’s Buttons, and the 2014 South Asia Book Award honor, Gandhi: A March To the Sea. Eight upcoming titles include The Sea Knows (May, 2020) and A Story for Small Bear (Fall, 2020). A frequent presenter at schools and conferences, Alice was awarded the 2017 Prairie State Award for Excellence in Writing for Children.

About the Virtual Presentation:

Dig Deep Explorers (with The Sea Knows co-author, Alan Havis) (Pre-K - Gr. 2) Help young explorers learn to observe and explore the natural world around them, even in their own backyards. We'll start with what they know and develop exploration and curiosity by asking questions that will help them reach wide and dig deep.
What’s So Funny (Grades 2-5, Workshop) From outrageous characters and silly situations to pure nonsense, we’ll explore humor in writing and practice the skills needed to make your writing funny.
How Life Inspires Stories (Grades 4-9, Presentation or Workshop, content adapted to fit age) How do authors take real life events and turn them into books? In this workshop, Alice will explain how authors turn life into story, how she has taken ideas from her life and developed them into books, and how students can create stories from events in their lives as well.
Writing Scenes (Grades 6-12, content adapted to fit age) Alice will help students bring their writing to life by teaching the elements of writing in scenes, including sensory detail, active verbs, and understanding show/don’t tell. In this interactive workshop, Alice will use examples from her books, along with prompts and activities to help students bring new life to their writing!

All visits are 45 minutes long and presented via Zoom. These visits will include a speaking fee: $100.

Local Authors! Available Year-Round

Schools can also host a local author year-round! Non-touring local authors will sometimes charge a fee or require a minimum number of books to be sold, but are often flexible with their presentations and can work with teachers to create a presentation specific to your class.

Please email education@boulderbookstore.com to enquire about local author visits!

Beth Anderson An Inconvenient Alphabet or Lizzie Demands a Seat! or "Smelly" Kelly and His Super Senses (Out October 13) Available for VIRTUAL visits!

Grades: K-6th
Beth's Website
Get her books!

About the Author: Beth Anderson, a former English as a Second Language teacher, has always marveled at the power of books. With linguistics and reading degrees, her fascination with language, and a penchant for untold tales, she strives for accidental learning in the midst of a great story. Beth is drawn to stories that open minds, touch hearts, and inspire questions. Born and raised in Illinois, she now lives in Loveland, Colorado. Author of AN INCONVENIENT ALPHABET (S&S 2018), LIZZIE DEMANDS A SEAT! (Calkins Creek, 2020), and “SMELLY” KELLY AND HIS SUPER SENSES (Calkins Creek, Oct. 2020), Beth has more historical gems on the way.

About the Presentation: Beth prefers smaller groups (~120 or less) rather than whole school assemblies. She uses a Power Point presentation to provide visuals. Presentations can be customized to fit the needs of your students! Here are some of the different formats:

Book reading and “Behind the Scenes” plus Q&A
The Writing Process from Idea to Book: Students come away with an organizer that includes prewriting (author's purpose, point of view, audience, and brainstorming), drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. (3rd grade and up)
Beth will consider requests on topics related to writing or one of her books, plus Q&A for any age. (a less formal option)
Please refer to author website for more information.

These presentations will include a speaking fee:

Virtual visits: $125 per hour visit. Bookmarks to be mailed and pre-signed books available through Boulder Book Store.
In-person visits: $250 for the first presentation, $150 for each additional presentation. Bookmarks and book signing included (plus a travel fee if more than 50 miles from Loveland)

Nina Chapman Micah McKinney and the Boys of Summer AVAILABLE

Grades: 5th-8th
Nina's Website
Get the book!

About the Author: Nina Chapman spends her days teaching middle school, where she has discovered a talent for thriving in the awkward. When she’s not gathering feedback from her student test audience, she’s reading books or playing outside. Her favorite activities include hot-air balloon gazing, barefoot bike riding , and getting lost in the woods. Nina took the scenic route to teaching, first obtaining a bachelor’s degree in creative writing at University of Colorado Denver. A member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, she currently resides in the Denver, Colorado, area with her husband, two daughters and pitbull pound puppy.

About the Presentation: A teacher herself, Nina is comfortable in front of groups both large and small. She is even willing to take over a Language Arts teacher's classes for the day and present throughout the day in all of their classes! She will need a computer/laptop with internet access, input/audio/connections, projector, projector screen, and a microphone if more than 30 students are in the audience. Nina has two different presentation options:

Option #1: The journey of going from a kid who hated school and didn't read to becoming a middle school teacher who became an author.
Option #2: Connection to class content. Depending on what you are currently working on in your class I can touch on the following topics: Social Emotional Learning, mental health, themes, characterization, plot, connections between a variety of texts, allusion and more.

These presentations may include a speaking fee ($150 for an all-day class take over; a one hour assembly is free).

Julie Danneberg **multiple fiction and non-fiction titles** AVAILABLE

Grades: K-8th
Julie's website
Get her books!

About her Presentations: Julie's standard presentation is a fun powerpoint that takes listeners through the writing process of getting ideas, prewriting, drafting and revision. She also shares how a story becomes a published book. These presentations last about 45 -50 minutes each and can be done for larger groups of students. Julie can also adjust her presentation to add topics they're learning in class. She is also available for writing workshops with smaller groups of students and can adjust lessons to fit your school's needs.

About the Author: Julie lives in Boulder, Colorado with her incredibly intelligent and handsome husband! (He made her say that). She also has two kids who are all grown up and don’t live at home anymore. She is a third generation Colorado native. Her grandmother was the daughter of a miner and grew up in some of our state’s most famous mining towns. She has lots of hobbies and loves to read, garden, bike, travel, listen to music, and sew. Sometimes, if she's really lucky, she can do more than one hobby at a time, like working on a quilt while flying on an airplane or listening to music while she gardens. She still hasn't figured out how to read while riding her bike, though.
These presentations will include a speaking fee ($600 for a full day of 4 sessions, $400 for a half day).

Lija Fisher The Cryptid Catcher and The Cryptid Keeper Available for virtual AND in-person visits!

Grades: 3rd-6th
Lija's website
Get her books!

About the Series: After Clivo Wren’s archaeologist father dies mysteriously, the newly orphaned thirteen-year-old finds out the truth: his dad was no archaeologist. He was actually a cryptid catcher, known for finding elusive beasts like the bloodsucking chupacabra. His goal: discover the one extraordinary cryptid whose blood grants immortality—before the knowledge falls into the wrong hands. The mission remains unfinished, and now there’s only one person who can take the renowned cryptid catcher’s place: Clivo. He may not know the first thing about monster hunting, but he’s willing to give it a try—because anything beats staying home with his salsa-crazy aunt and her neurotic cats.

About the Author: Lija Fisher is the author of funny adventure novels for kids that explore the world of cryptozoology, or the search for legendary animals that might be real. Her debut novel. THE CRYPTID CATCHER (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) received a starred review from Booklist and was a Junior Library Guild Selection. The sequel, THE CRYPTID KEEPER, was written while Lija was the Writer in Residence with Aspen Words and was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award in juvenile literature. Lija travels the country doing school visits where she gets kids interested in reading and science through searching for hidden animals, or cryptids, like Bigfoot. Prior to becoming an author, she trained for awhile (a very short while) to be a Hollywood stunt person. She lives in Colorado near several Bigfoot sightings.

About the Presentation: My goal is to turn kids into life long readers by making reading fun and exciting. But my presentations are also educational! Cryptozoology, or the study of animals that might exist like Bigfoot, acts as a 'gateway science' in getting kids interested in other life sciences. And discussing beasts like the Yeti and the Snallygaster introduces young readers to the exciting world of myths, legends and folktales. Science and the joy of reading, all wrapped up in one super fun presentation! For more cryptid-related fun, please download my free research game that fulfills Next Generation Science Standards here: https://bit.ly/2ZS5i6Y

These presentations will include a speaking fee: $250/one-hour presentation. Includes time for Q & A. Up to 3 presentations per day for in-school visits.

Martha Freeman **Multiple Series and Titles** Available for VIRTUAL visits!

Martha's Website

About the Author: Martha Freeman’s picture book debut, A Home, Are Home, released when she was four, displaying her signature brevity. Since then, she not only has learned about possessive pronouns, she has written 35 books for young people in a wide variety of genres. Among the best-known are the bestselling Mrs. Wow Never Wanted a Cow, the Edgar-nominated Zap!, and the Secret Cookie Club series. Martha’s most recent nonfiction titles are If You’re Going to a March, and Born Curious: Twenty Girls Who Grew Up to Be Awesome Scientists. Martha’s latest book is a hilarious fractured fairytale, Little Red Hoodie, set for release from Holiday House in November 2020.

About the Presentation: Martha offers three engaging, informative presentations for schools: Writing, Publishing and Imagination; Curiosity and the STEMtastic; and the civics-based Why March Anyway? Each includes a prerecorded slide show for viewing before the visit, an assignment based on the slide show, and a live interactive presentation. These can be adapted for audiences K-8. Martha is also happy to work with you to customize the perfect visit.

These visits will include a speaking fee: $125 for a single session, which includes the live presentation (currently done virtually) and the prerecorded slide show.

Kimberlee Gard The Language is Fun! Series AVAILABLE

Grades pre-K - 2nd
Kimberlee's Website
Get her books!

About the book: There’s a new family in town: the Punctuations! When Exclamation Point, Question Mark, Period, and Comma join the letters at school, they form words like Wow! and Why? and Yes. But Comma isn’t sure where he belongs. He just seems to get in the way. Is he really important? Kids, parents, and teachers will enjoy this latest installment in the Language Is Fun series. With colorful illustration and clever wordplay, The Day Punctuation Came to Town is a wonderful introduction to punctuation and the important role it plays in language.

About the author: Kimberlee Gard spent most of her childhood running from books instead of reading them. A learning disorder held her back until one loving teacher taught her the tools to overcome the disorder and showed her the magical world of books. From this came Kimberlee’s aspiration to write books for children that would bring about the same love of reading she once found. Kimberlee was further inspired after watching her own son battle dyslexia and committed herself to work and create stories that would encourage and engage even the most struggling and reluctant reader. Kimberlee lives on a small farm in Colorado with her husband and four sons and a gaggling group of barnyard friends which offer constant inspiration for the stories she writes.

About the presentation: Kimberlee's presentations are fun, engaging, and informative. They are about 40 minutes long and require running a PowerPoint or Google Slides. These visits will include a speaking fee ($400 per visit, plus a travel fee of $.55 per mile for schools outside of Denver. Additional travel costs may incur depending on distance of visit).

Jessica Lanan The Fisherman & the Whale and Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet Available for VIRTUAL visits!

Grades: K-4th
Jessica's Website
Get her books!

About the author: Jessica Lanan is an author, illustrator and painter who aims to create visual stories that inspire a love and understanding of the natural world. She believes in the power of illustration to make even the most complex subjects inspiring, accessible and memorable for young readers. Jessica grew up in Longmont, Colorado and spent much of her childhood hiking and camping in the Rocky Mountains. She graduated from Scripps College in Claremont, California with a degree in Fine art before traveling through Asia on a Thomas J. Watson fellowship to study and illustrate folk tales. Today Jessica lives in Boulder, Colorado with her family and three-legged cat.

About the presentation: Jessica's 40 minute long presentation is great for groups of all sizes! She will need a way to play her presentation, either as a PowerPoint file on a flash drive or online using Google Slides. She will need a computer, projector, screen, and a microphone for large spaces. Speakers for sound are helpful but not essential. Jessica has two different presentation options:

The Fisherman and the Whale - This presentation focuses more on the caring for our environment and how a news story inspired Jessica to help bring awareness to a real environmental problem. No one is too small to make a difference!
Just Right: Searching for the Goldilocks Planet - This presentation covers a bit more about astronomy and explains how illustrations make a complicated STEM topic easier to understand. This book comes with free STEM curriculum activities. Just click here!

These presentations will include a speaking fee:

Virtual visits: $125 per 40 minute presentation.
In-person visits: $350 for the first presentation, $100 for each additional presentation. Jessica offers a $50 discount for schools within 20 miles of Boulder. All visits include one bonus 30-minute book signing, lunch with students or other similar event).

Beth McGuinness Where Does Money Grow? and Covid & Bill Available for virtual AND in-person visits!

Grades K - 4th

About the books: In Where Does Money Grow?, Morgan embarks on a quest to find out about the meaning of money and its value. If money doesn't grow on trees, then where does it grow? The book's young characters try to fish for money in the sea, grow it in the garden, dig for it in a sandbox, and even pan for it in a Colorado river, until they realize that they can't grow or find money--they must earn it! Covid & Bill is a children's book that tells the story of how COVID-19 is affecting the economy and money. The book teaches children (6-10 years old) about money and the economy and why it's not separate from the virus. It's an adventurous story that enables children to have a better understanding of today's circumstances.

About the author: Beth is a mother and author passionate about teaching financial literacy to children. She believes that financial literacy should be practical and fun, and developing a solid understanding of money early on can prevent financial stress and future challenges. She grew up in Chicago and now lives in Denver with her husband and daughter, who inspired Where Does Money Grow?.

About the presentation: Beth guides the students through her book and a Q&A session. She has found that a group of up to 25 kids is ideal for an engaging conversation and learning experience. She has a flash drive with her presentation, and prefers to have an overhead projector as well, for reading the book to students.

These visits will include a speaking fee ($150).

Claudia Mills **Multiple Series and Titles** Available for virtual AND in-person visits!

Claudia's Website
Get her books!

About the Author: CLAUDIA MILLS is the author of 60 books for young readers, including middle-grade novels, picture books, chapter books, and easy-readers. She lives in Boulder, where she starts each day at 5 a.m. curled up with a mug of Swiss Miss hot chocolate and her favorite clipboard, pad of narrow-ruled paper, and fine-tipped marker pen. She is also a popular inspirational speaker at writing conferences nationwide.

About the presentation: Claudia’s lively Power-Point presentations are designed to get kids excited about writing. She begins by sharing some of her own childhood writing and then shows how she takes real events that happen in her own life and shapes them into stories that may take a very different form. She gives an in-depth look at the writing process, tracing a book from idea through successive drafts and (often devastating!) critique from her writers' group and editor. Her goal is to have students realize that ALL authors revise and that revision is the most satisfying part of the entire process. But most of all her goal is to share the sheer JOY of writing.

These presentations will include a speaking fee: $200 for the first presentation, $100 for additional ones as part of the same visit.

Laura Perdew **Multiple Titles** Available for virtual AND in-person visits!

Grades: 1st - 8th
Laura's Website

About the Author: Laura is an author, writing consultant at CU Boulder, and former middle school language arts and social studies teacher. She has written over 30 books for the education market on a variety of topics including the wetlands conservation, biodiversity, and animal adaptations. One of those, Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth, is on the Booklist editors’ list of the Top 10 Books on the Environment & Sustainability for Youth 2020; this title also earned a starred review from Booklist and is a Junior Library Guild selection. She is also the author of The Fort, a picture book that celebrates the power of imagination and compromise, and the magic of a fort. She lives in Boulder with her husband and twin boys.

About the Presentation: Laura offers many different presentations, both virtually and in-person. In addition to a presentation about The Fort, she also offers one that features bizarre and amazing animal adaptations, as well as one about the art of nonfiction research and writing. She’s always willing to tailor presentations to suit the needs, abilities, and interests of teachers and students. Please visit her website at www.lauraperdew.com for up-to-date information and pricing.

Jean Reidy **Multiple Titles** AVAILABLE

Grades: 1st - 8th
Jean's Website

About the Author: Jean Reidy’s fun, lively and award-winning picture books have earned their spots as favorites among readers and listeners of all ages and from all over the world. Jean is represented by Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. She writes from her home in Colorado where she lives right across the street from her neighborhood library … which she visits nearly every day.

About the Presentation: Jean has several presentation options, which are as follows:

Short and Sweet School Visit My "Short and Sweet" School Visit includes a 30-40 minute visit program, plus 30 minutes for Q&A, autographing or chatting. This is perfect for grades K-2 or individual grade levels. speaking fee $300
Happy Half-Day Visit My "Happy Half-Day Visit" includes two 30-40 minute programs or 3-4 classroom visits or some combination of the two. And I'll stick around for autographing of course. Tip: For schools with half-day kindergarten, we might be able to schedule a middle of the day half-day session to accommodate morning and afternoon classes. speaking fee $500
Fabulous Full-Day Visit My "Fabulous Full-Day Visit can be structured to meet your needs. It can include up to three 30-40 minute programs and lunch with your young authors club. Or how about two programs and a couple of classroom visits. So much time. So many options. Let's chat. speaking fee $1000

Laura Roettiger - Aliana Reaches for the Moon AVAILABLE

Grades: K-4
Laura's Website

About the Author: Laura Roettiger is the author of ALIANA REACHES FOR THE MOON and has enjoyed working with children ever since she was no longer considered a child herself. She was a reading specialist and elementary teacher in Chicago, IL before moving to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado where she worked in Environmental Education and as a new teacher mentor for two years at a STEM school. Her love of nature and her dog Charlie have sparked a passion for photography. Currently, she is a judge for Rate Your Story, works with third grade classrooms through #KidsNeedMentors, tutors adults in the Boulder Reads Literacy program at the Boulder Public Library, and enjoys connecting with her readers at school and bookstore events. Her superpower is encouraging curiosity in children and her students, letting them know she believes in them. She has three children of her own whose curiosity and creativity led all of them into STEM related professions.

About the Presentation:

A slideshow presentation that includes the inspiration for ALIANA REACHES FOR THE MOON, my background as a child who loved reading and writing, my own photography of the moon and the Rocky Mountains, and the book which is set in Colorado.
I sign and personalize books for anyone who orders and include a bookmark.
My website has links for science activities that teachers are encouraged to check out to inspire curiosity.
I have a “curiosity workshop” for children using materials that reflect light which focuses on the creativity and science in ALIANA REACHES FOR THE MOON.
I have extensive experience teaching writing as a reading specialist and elementary classroom teacher. I have also done workshops on the writing process from brainstorm through revision to published work. Many 2nd – 4th grade classes have requested a presentation on revision because that seems to be a sticking point, but I am happy to tailor my visit to your needs.
I also offer astronomy night presentations which can include the slide show if indoors or a reading, Q&A, and a craft project.

These visits will include a speaking fee ($150.00 for the first presentation and $100.00 for additional same day presentations).

Stan Yan There's A Zombie in the Basement Available for VIRTUAL visits!

Grades: Preschool-5th
Stan's Website
Get the book!

About the Book: Stan’s own son’s fear of his zombie caricature artwork inspired this tale of Milo, a boy with an overactive imagination who won’t let his parents sleep because he thinks monsters in the basement are going to come up and get him. See how he overcomes his fears!

About the Author: Stan is a Denver-based writer, illustrator, caricature artist and instructor. Growing up in Denver, Stan, a self-taught artist, went to school at the University of Colorado in Boulder where he got his bachelor’s degree in accounting. His life took the tragic turn into sales for the securities industry, where he wallowed in ethical poverty on-and-off for thirteen years. Stan took out his frustrations out by penning graphic novels. In 2005, Stan gave up on financial security and became a full-time freelance cartoonist, illustrating SUBCULTURE for Ape Entertaiment and Action Lab Danger Zone, creating comic strips for the financial and sales industry, but most notably built a following by drawing zombie caricatures. He helped to co-found the Squid Works comic creator cooperative, was a board member of the Colorado Alliance of Illustrators and is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and the Cuddlefish Gang art “cuddlective.” His work has been seen in VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS (BlueWater Productions / Storm Comics / Tidal Wave), THERE’S A ZOMBIE IN THE BASEMENT (Squid Works Kids), DENVER COMIX, KITE TALES, the RMC-SCBWI annual calendar, THE QUEUING DEAD (British zombie anthology), POP CULTURE CLASSROOM, and THE WESTWORD, among many others. He currently teaches illustration at the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design. Represented by Peter Ryan at Stimola Literary Studio.

About the Presentation: Includes fun, interactive monster drawing workshop. Presentations are generally 40 minutes long, and can be divided into K-2nd and 3rd-5th grade groups depending on number of students. Groups 100 or fewer is suggested. These visits will include a speaking fee ($100 for the first hour, $75 for any subsequent hours) OR a minimum of 25 pre-ordered books.