School visits"Simon gave a wonderful assembly, it was funny, the children enjoyed it, and he gave some great ideas to help with their literacy" - Deanery Primary School, West Midlands
"Everyone at the school felt [your visit] was a huge success and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone, children and adults! The talks you gave were fun, interesting and inspiring. Year 6 left with a new found love of reading and the children who bought your books could not put them down!" - Wallisdean Junior School, Hampshire
I visit lots of schools, libraries and literary events every year - I try to keep a flexible diary, so that I can fit in bookings for next week as easily as for next term. You can contact me using the form opposite, or you'll find me listed at various visits-related sites, including the excellent Authors Aloud UK.
I've had years of experience with groups of all sizes, from single classes to whole school assemblies. I'll gladly talk on almost any book‐related topic you choose, but I currently have a few 'off the peg' sessions, each of which lasts 45 minutes – 1 hour.
I charge a fee for a visit (based on Society Of Authors guidelines), plus travel expenses, although in these days of budgetary pain I do try to be flexible. I normally request that copies of my books be made available for pupils to buy on the day (which I can arrange).  Flyers etc
Before visiting a school or library, I can supply a template for a personalised A4 flyer, to give out to pupils/parents to tell them all about the event. I'll also add a personalised 'looking forward to meeting you' message on the home page of this website, for when pupils log on in class before the visit.
Free ebook for KS3/ KS4
If you'd like a free teacher's copy of the ebook edition of You've Got To Read This, for personal use, just email me. There are versions available in both Kindle and ePub format.
"I wish this book would be bought in its thousands by schools and that all pupils should have to read it... It’s a book which celebrates the empowering freedom of the word and the right to expression" - Dennis Hamley at Indie Book Review Books for schools
I've also written a number of books for schools, including titles in guided reading and SEN ranges for both KS1 and KS2. For a full listing, see the bibliography on the About Me page.
Visits via SkypeIf you're outside the UK, or in a remote location, I can 'visit' your class through the internet, via webcam and Skype. I charge a flat fee for sessions of up to one hour. Of course, the disadvantage is that I can't sign pupils' books, but I'm always happy to sign by post.
|
If you don't know my books...
You can download a FREE sampler ebook, containing chapters from seven of my titles. Just click on the link below...
This ebook is formatted for the Kindle (and Kindle apps on phones and tablets), but can easily be converted for other ereaders using free software such as Calibre. 
...or you can download thisBelow is a ZIP file containing sample chapters from five of my books, plus an information sheet introducing some of my titles. It's quite a chunky file, just over 5Mb, so you may need to give it a minute or two to download.
Shared Reading
Teachers have regularly told me that the Saxby Smart books are a good choice for Shared Reading. Each story is easily readable in one week (there are three stories in each book), and the quiz questions in each story are good for keeping the whole class on their toes! These eight titles are best suited to Years 4, 5 and 6.
For Years 3, 4 and 5, Jeremy Brown: Spy might be a good choice. This also contains three complete stories, each of which can be completed in a few sessions. Downloadable classroom resources
As classroom follow-ups for my visits (or to use as a standalone resource), I've devised a downloadable file in PDF format called "How I Write A Story".
It's a brief run-down of how I approach the subject, and includes classroom activities, points for discussion etc. There’s a second version available, which highlights detective stories and ties-in with my “Saxby Smart” books. Both are suitable for KS2. Feel free to use these files as you wish - they're black and white, and A4 sized, so you can print and photocopy them easily. They're entirely free of charge, but if you find them useful, do let me know, so that I can keep them as relevant and up-to-date as possible. Just click on the links to access the files (or right-click and save it to your hard drive).
Curriculum linksHere's a run-down of some of my fiction titles and how they can be tied-in to classroom discussions or literacy/ writing topics.
|
||||||||||||
 |
|
