School Visits: Virtual
You can meet Grace at your very own school! Here is information about scheduling a Virtual Visit. For more information about in-person visits, please see our In-Person Visit page. And remember to check our Helpful Hints for a successful visit!
Virtual Visits
Grace loves virtual visits! Her virtual visits are unique, interactive, educational and fun!
If a school schedules 3 or more presentations, Grace offers one free short reading, drawing demo and Q&A visit for the younger students (pre-k to grade 1). Depending on the age of the students, this presentation ranges from 15-30 minutes.
For Keynotes and programs for parent groups, please send an inquiry to Aimee at gracelinvisits@gmail.com.
Programs
Currently, Grace offers these virtual programs:
Behind “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon”
Grade level: 4, 5 or 6
Duration: 55 minutes
Student preparation: It is strongly encouraged that students read where the “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” before attending this program.
Learn about the experiences and myths that inspired Grace’s Newbery Honor Book in this presentation. While telling the backstory and inspirations of this novel, Grace teaches the students how to draw a Chinese dragon, asks interactive pop quiz questions, reads a story from “Starry River of the Sky” and introduces her chickens to viewers. The session ends with Q&A .
Are Your Books Real?
Grade level: 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6
Duration: 55 minutes
Student preparation: Reading “The Year of the Dog” or an author study is highly recommended before attending this program.
3See what real-life characters, details and myths found their way into Grace’s novels in this presentation. While not necessary, this presentation is perfect for those who have read or are reading “The Year of the Dog.” While telling the sharing the “real-life” of her books, Grace teaches the students how to draw a dog, asks interactive pop quiz questions, reads a story from “Starry River of the Sky” and introduces her real chickens to viewers. The session ends with Q&A . It is strongly encouraged that students are familiar with Grace’s novels before attending this lecture.
Making a “Big Mooncake for Little Star”
Grade level: k, 1, 2, or 3
Duration: 50 minutes
Student preparation: Reading “A Big Bed for Little Snow” and “A Big Mooncake for Little Star” and/or author study is recommended before attending this program.
Grace shows the process of making “A Big Mooncake for Little Star,” shares the traditions of the Moon Festival and shows students how to draw their own Moon bunny. This program also includes pop-quiz questions, a reading of “A Big Mooncake For Little Star” and ends with Q&A.
The Lunar New Year
Grade level: k, 1, 2, or 3
Duration: 50 minutes
Student preparation: Reading “Bringing in the New Year” or “The Year of the Dog” and/or author study is recommended before attending this program.
While explaining and sharing the customs of the Lunar New Year, Grace teaches students how to draw a this year’s lunar animal. This program also includes pop-quiz questions, reading excerpts from “The Year of the Rat” and ends with Q&A.
Book Reading, Draw Along, Q&A
Grade level: pre-k, k, 1, 2, 3
Duration: 15-30 minutes, depending on student age
Student preparation: An author study is recommended, questions should be prepared ahead of time
Tailored to the age of the students, Grace will read one of her books, lead the students in “draw along” and the answer student questions . This presentation is offered for free to schools that schedules three or more presentations. The fee for this presentation separately is $800.
Free Zoom Visits.
Each season, Grace will offer one free webinar Q&A session. Please sign up for Grace’s newsletter to be alerted for the dates and registration links. This information will ONLY be available through Grace’s newsletter.
This free session is appropriate for book clubs and classes who have read Grace’s books.
Guidelines
- all participating students must have read at least one of Grace’s books
- the questions should be prepared and sent ahead of time
- please do not record Grace’s Zoom sessions
- For personally signed books, we suggest purchasing at Grace’s local bookstore High Five Books and she can sign the books before they are shipped out.
Guidelines
• Unless agreed upon ahead of time, presentations will be given via Zoom or googlemeet. The schools should set up the meeting and send the link at least three days ahead of time.
• Presentations CANNOT be recorded unless given written permission
• Group size must be agreed upon ahead of time. A smaller group size is preferred, ideally limited to 100 students
•Unfortunately, Grace is unable to schedule technical checks ahead of time. However, Grace will log into all meetings ten minutes before presentation time to troubleshoot any potential connection problems.
• Grace’s timezone is EST.
Program Requirements
Please review all program requirements and check any necessary equipment prior to the program date. All programs run approximately 55 minutes.
• Each student should have a piece of paper (if possible, please print this template for each student), a pencil and a surface to draw upon
• Questions should be prepared ahead of time for the Q&A session
• Students must be familiar with Grace’s work
Fees
Grace’s fee per presentation is $1500, except for the “Book Reading, Draw Along, Q&A” (which is $800.).
If a school schedules three or more zoom presentations, Grace offers a free short reading, drawing demo and Q&A visit for the younger students, pre-k to grade 2. Depending on the age of the students, this presentation ranges from 15-30 minutes.
For events that take place after 7:30 pm EST, the fee per presentation is $1700 ($950 for “Book Reading, Draw Along, Q&A).
Payment can be made via check, PayPal or venmo.
Book Signing
For personally signed books, we suggest purchasing at Grace’s local bookstore High Five Books and she can sign the books before they are shipped out.
If you are looking for a bookstore that offers discounts to schools, a place to consider is ALRAN Books. They have a straightforward ordering system and would be happy to help. You can download an order form from them HERE. Please note that these books are usually not personally autographed.
We are happy to send signed bookplates and bookmarks to a local point person who can distribute them to the students
Helpful Hints for a Successful School Visit
Preparation
Prepare the students!
If Grace is presenting “Behind the Year of the Dog” or “Behind Where the Mountain Meets the Moon,” the students should have read books. Consider using one of her novels as a read-aloud for the month before her visit or encourage parents to do so at home. Have the students do some of the activities and discussions and get them excited about the upcoming visit.
You can see examples of what other schools have done HERE.
Grace prefers to present to unmixed grades (so the group is entirely one grade, the same age range). Even though the presentation may be exactly the same, the comprehension and attention span of a kindergartner is very different from a 2nd grader.
Please do booksales, especially pre-ordering! Pre-ordering helps bring anticipation to the visit and nothing is more exciting to a child than having a book signed by the author they just met, as well as being a constant reminder of the excitement of the day.
Bookselling Tips
Grace strongly encourages book sales in coordination with her school visits. Not only because it supports the author, but it also enhances the value of the visit for the students. A book autographed by an author that has been seen in person is a constant reminder of the excitement of reading. Book sales can also provide supplementary funds to your school.
For school visits it is recommended that books are presold. The easiest way to handle book sales is to let a local bookseller order the books.
If you would like to have the books personalized and signed before the day of the event, we suggest purchasing at Grace’s local bookstore High Five Books and she can sign the books before they are shipped out.
If your school does not have a relationship with a bookstore, ALRAN Books offers a straightforward system as well as a discount to order Grace’s books for your visit.
Also, for your convenience, schools can also order Grace’s books from ALRAN online. Simply enter, “author” (w/o the quotation marks) as a discount code and you will receive a 16% discount on your order.
Feel free to use this SAMPLE BOOK ORDER FORM and contact ALRAN Books to facilitate your booksales.
ALRAN Books
9 Townsend Rd, Harrisville, NH 03450
Phone: 603-827-3245 | Toll Free: 1-888-4454551 | Fax: 1-603-827-3575
Grace is always delighted to sign books for her readers. Grace can sign during free moments, at lunchtime, the night before the visit in her hotel room or at a book signing for the school community. Extra bookplates, signed by Grace, can be provided for books requested after the visit if requested. Also, ALRAN Books is able to provide books post-visit if desired.
General Guidelines
GENERAL. Please direct all communication to Aimee Maclagger at gracelinvisits@gmail.com. She will confirm dates, financial arrangements, and scheduling. Please confirm the schedule of the day with Aimee before sharing with school staff.
PRESENTATION. Grace normally presents to grades K-6 and can present to higher grade levels on request. Her basic presentations are outlined . Please discuss with her ahead of time which book you wish her to feature. It is vital that you share Grace’s other work with the students ahead of time (please see curriculum above for preparation guidelines).
EQUIPMENT. Please check Program Requirements above for specific presentation needs, but usually Grace’s virtual visits ask that each student should have a piece of paper (if possible, please print this template for each student), a pencil and a surface to draw upon.
SCHEDULE. Please confirm the schedule of the day with Aimee at least a week before the event. Please note Grace’s time zone is EST.
STUDENT PREPARATION. It is vital that you share Grace’s other work with the students ahead of time. Please see curriculum above for preparation guidelines.
BOOK SALES. Please have Grace’s books be offered for sale to students. It is recommended that books are presold. Please see bookselling tips above for more info. So that no one is left out, we send bookmarks for students.
AUTOGRAPHING. If you would like to have the books personalized and signed before the day of the event, we suggest purchasing at Grace’s local bookstore High Five Books and she can sign the books before they are shipped out.
PUBLICITY. It is encouraged that Grace’s visit be publicized through local media. She is happy to give interviews.
RECORDING. Please do not videotape Grace’s performance unless she has given her consent. Not only does she prefer to control the quality of any such recording, being videotaped makes her nervous. Still photos are fine and Grace welcomes those shared on social media.
FINANCIAL. For current charges, please inquire or see Fees above. Payment is expected at the end of a visit. Invoices are available upon request. For additional paperwork, please fill out the forms completely before having Grace sign them.
Wholesale Orders
If you are not a school but are looking to place a special wholesale order (more than 20), most publishers will give you a discount. Delivery can be within two weeks, but it is best to allow a month or more.
Little, Brown & Co
Catherine Kron: 617-263-1906
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Starry River of the Sky
When the Sea Turned to Silver
Year of the Dog
Year of the Rat
Dumpling Days
A Big Mooncake for Little Star
Ling & Ting
Random House Customer Service Dept
1-800-733-3000
The Ugly Vegetables
Our Seasons
Dim Sum For Everyone!
Fortune Cookie Fortunes
Kite Flying
Bringing in the New Year
Thanking the Moon