School Visits, Library Events, Book Fairs and Festivals?
I adore my young readers and I’m eager to meet them!
Kimberly Newton Fusco is a warm and inspiring speaker who loves to engage and motivate young readers and writers. She was a national award-winning education journalist before becoming a novelist and schools are her second home.
Her novels, all published by Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, are often used to teach writing (Brave Writer, etc.) and have appeared on multiple state reading lists, including CT, OK, SC, GA, WY, KY, ME, KS, TX. She is the recipient of the ALA Schneider Family Book Award and is a Parents’ Choice Silver medalist.
MY SCHOOL VISIT PROGRAM
“The best books make you FEEL,” a fourth-grade boy told me recently.
“And in this book,” he said, clapping his hands and smiling broadly, “you nailed it!”
His comments about THE SECRET OF HONEYCAKE thrilled me because I believe the very best stories connect us to one another – no matter our differences - and bring us closer together.
My school visits introduce me as an author and explore how I create characters that make readers feel.
I share how I shut down the editor in my head so that I can write deeply, and how a childhood stutter made me a writer.
Over the last 20 years I have spoken in all venues – small intimate classrooms and libraries, large auditoriums and gymnasiums, and independent bookstores and literary festivals.
I explain how drafting a novel is a lot like climbing a mountain. If you know how to put one foot in front of the other, you can find the confidence and courage to accomplish nearly anything.
As Aunt Claire says in THE SECRET OF HONEYCAKE:
‘Perseverantia vincit.
Perseverance conquers.’
When my talks are over, teachers often tell me their students are itching to write a book of their own!
I also highlight:
Backstories about my novels, including where I got the idea to write THE SECRET OF HONEYCAKE and how my stuttering story became the starting point for TENDING TO GRACE (Schneider Family Book Award winner)
★ How poetry and journaling can bring your writing to new heights.
★ Keep that pen moving! Stream-of-consciousness writing works.
★ One page a day = a book in a year.
★ Creating characters worthy of their starring role.
★ Practical writing advice on getting started and keeping going.
★ Enchanting beginnings, popping middles, endings that soar.
★ Conflict, tension, and that elusive voice!
★ Q & A
I have been a ONE BOOK ONE COMMUNITY author and a Scholastic Book Fair speaker. I am happy to work with you to create a program that fits your school’s unique needs. References available upon request.
Please contact Lisa McClatchy, Author Appearance Coordinator, Random House Children’s Books, at liske@aol.com, for more information and to book a visit.
Copies of my books can also be ordered through Ms. McClatchy.
Additionally, I give a select number of free virtual Q & A visits to classrooms that use my books in a significant way. Please contact me directly at knf@kimberlynewtonfusco.com and let me know how you are using my books!