Authors’ Booking Service is pleased to announce that Children’s Book Author Adrienne Kress is now scheduling visits to Ontario schools for the coming school year.

Adrienne would love to plan a visit to your school or library. Her rate for readings/presentations is $250 per 45 to 60 minute session (plus travel, if outside of Toronto). Workshops start at $250.

Adrienne is a member of The Writers' Union of Canada, and so schools wishing to invite her may be eligible for a travel and fee subsidy to off-set the cost of her 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 Adrienne.

Adrienne Kress is the author of Alex and the Ironic Gentleman and Timothy and the Dragon's Gate.

Recipient of a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, her first novel, Alex, has been published around the world in 9 languages, and was featured both in the New York Post as a "Post Potter Pick", and on the CBS Early Show as one of a dozen children's books "you should know about". It recently won the Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award in the UK and was also nominated for the Red Cedar Award in 2010.

The sequel, Timothy, which came out in 2009, was awarded Silver by the Moonbeam Awards (USA) in the YA SF/F category, and has been nominated for both an Audie Award (the Audio Book Industry’s “Oscar” in the States) and the Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award, 2010/2011 as well as the Red Cedar (2011/2012). It has also been optioned for film.

Adrienne recently toured Vancouver Island as a TD Canadian Children’s Book Week Author (09/10).

Also a playwright, Adrienne has had her plays performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, among other venues in Canada and the UK.

Here’s what one teacher had to say about her middle school presentations:

“Author Adrienne Kress has visited our school twice to talk to our students about her books. On both occasions she held the students spellbound. Her lively presentation had the students totally engaged and when they got a bit overly excited, she was able to bring them back to quiet attention easily. [She] incorporates her acting skills when reading aloud to the students. She made the text come alive. Using humour and her outgoing personality, she made the visit extremely meaningful and memorable.”

- Joanne R., Teacher Librarian, Wilshire Elementary School, Thornhill

And on her speaking to a Grade 12 Writer’s Craft Class:

“Just wanted to say what a complete pleasure it was having Adrienne talk to the class today. She was completely engaging, informative and inspiring to the students. I've talked to a number of kids and they loved it.”

– Peter W., English Teacher, North Toronto High School, Toronto

Publications

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman (Scholastic, 2007)

"Quirky, hilarious and genuinely exhilarating . . ." - Eoin Colfer, author of the bestselling Artemis Fowl series

"“Kress's debut is a wonderful blend of whimsy and moral, with winks at the reader on every page. . . This inspired book should hold up to many re-readings." - PW, starred review

(Available in Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, and Audio Book – sold to over 12 countries)

Timothy and the Dragon's Gate (Scholastic, 2009)

"Kress employs a deceptively casual tone, an ease that belies the complexity of her prose style. . . 'Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate' is an old-fashioned tale, being told by a gifted storyteller. . ." - Quill and Quire, starred review

"Kress has done a marvelous job parodying the towering egos of the adult world . . . " - Kelly McManus, The Globe and Mail

(Available in Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, and Audio Book – nominated for an Audie Children's Titles for Ages 8-12 )

Also Published

The Girl Who Was on Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games – “The Inevitable Decline of Decadence”. (Smart Pop, USA, 2011)

Corsets & Clockwork – “The Clockwork Corset”. (Running Press Kids, USA, 2011)

WOW! 366: Speedy Stories in Just 366 Words - "The Portal". (Scholastic UK, 2008)

Awards And Nominations

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman

Won: Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award (UK) (Alex and the Wigpowder Treasure - UK title), 2009

Nominated: Red Cedar Award (BC, Canada) 2009/2010

Honourable Mention: OLA Best Bet, 2007

Timothy and the Dragon's Gate

Nominated: Red Cedar Award (2011/2012)

Nominated: Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award, 2010/2011 (Canada)

Nominated: Audie Award (Audio Book Industry Awards) Children's Titles for Ages 8-12, 2010, USA

Won: OLA Best Bet, 2009

Nominated: Cybil Award, Middle Grade SF/Fantasy, 2009/2010

Won: Moonbeam Children’s Book Award (USA): Silver in the Young Adult Fiction – Fantasy/Sci-Fi category, 2009

Middle School Readings

Grades: 4 – 6 (can go up to Grade 8)

Time: 45min – 1 ½ hours

Group Size: The ideal number of participants is 60, but Adrienne has spoken to small groups in a cozy huddle on the floor in a library and large groups of a couple hundred in gyms and auditoriums.

Venue: Any venue, from library to the classroom to the auditorium. For larger venues an amplification system is required.

Equipment and Other Requirements: A table and a bottle of water

Rates: $250 per 45min – 1hr session (plus travel if outside of Toronto).

Readings are based on Alex and the Ironic Gentleman and Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate. As a passionate author, professional actor and teacher, Adrienne brings a variety of skills to her readings. She starts with a short talk about “how a book gets published” and “working with your editors is like working with your teacher”, continues with a dramatic reading from one of the books which can include an inter-active (and safe) mini-lesson in stage fencing* (using fingers only, no swords) to bring out the inner pirate in the students, and ends with a lively question period and a book signing opportunity.

* Requires a larger venue, so the school gymnasium/cafeteria, or outdoors. It’s very safe, with the kids using their fingers as swords, but they are on their feet and need to move around a fair bit, so space is required.

Presentations

Who: ages 15 + High school English Classes, Writer’s Craft Classes, Writers’ Groups, Book Clubs

Time: approx 1hr – 1 ½ hours (length of the presentation varies according to the needs of the group)

Group Size: Any

Venue: Any. For larger venues an amplification system is required.

Equipment and Other Requirements: A bottle of water

Rates: $250 per 45min – 1hr session (plus travel if outside of Toronto).

Presentations can be geared to any audience, for example, Writer’s Craft classes, writers’ groups, book clubs. The content can be individualized to the group, but usually covers topics like the trials and tribulations of getting published including: how to get an agent, the writing process, working with an editor, identifying your audience, discussing trends in modern literature, the importance of studying past works and authors. Adrienne can also speak specifically about Children’s Literature, its place in the literary world and its unique properties.

Workshops

Who: Ages 9 +

Time: 1 ½ hours – 3 hours (length of the presentation varies according to the needs of the group)

Group Size: max 30

Venue: Any space with tables that the students can write on

Equipment and Other Requirements: Paper, pencils, a bottle of water

Rates: begin at $250 (plus travel if outside of Toronto).

Like presentations, workshops can be geared to any audience, for example, elementary school students, Writer’s Craft classes, writers’ groups, book clubs. The content can be individualized to the group, but usually covers topics like honing your writing skills, getting started writing, creating your own “voice”, playing with genres, creating a “new” world, the use of dialogue, humour – its types and where to use it, identifying your audience, etc.

Voice Workshop For Teachers

Who: Teachers

Time: 1 ½ - 3hrs (length of the presentation varies according to the needs of the group)

Group Size: any

Venue: any. For larger venues an amplification system is required.

Equipment and Other Requirements: A bottle of water

Rates: Begin at $300 (plus travel if outside of Toronto).

A classically trained actor [honours BA in theatre, U of T, graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (UK)], Adrienne also offers Voice Workshops.

In teaching, your voice is one of your most powerful tools. Learn how to use it carefully so that it lasts for your whole career. Learn how to use it to control the pace and atmosphere of your lessons. Learn how to read aloud – stories, poetry, Shakespeare – so that your students are enchanted by the magic of the written word.