Author Visits Are Back On!
I'm thrilled to be able to physically visit schools again. Armed with my NHS Covid Pass and my Box of Wonders I could be visiting your school, you just need to contact me to make it happen! If you book for a visit before Christmas 2021 then you will get the low rate; for just £100 you can have a full afternoon visit leaving the children motivated and inspired with their reading and writing. Please scroll down to see my history of pre-covid school visits and I look forward to meeting you!
Virtual Visit Information
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Times are still slightly strange at the moment and for some schools physical visits are still on hold BUT I can still visit virtually. For only £50 you'll receive YouTube links to 5 short videos and a live Q&A session on your choice of platform. The videos are: Meet The Author, Workshop 1: The Idea, Workshop 2: Developing Characters, Workshop 3: Story Structure and Workshop 4: Redrafting and Editing. It's really easy to to book, please just contact me and it's done in two emails!
I am also now Talkabook Certified, which means you can book a private Talkabook visit with me. Please visit the Talkabook website to find out more. |
My History of School Visits (before Covid)
One of the best things about being a Children's Author is visiting schools. My books are aimed at 8-12 year olds so I can visit year groups Y3-Y7, but most commonly speak to Y5 and Y6.
I usually do an hours afternoon assembly for up to 400 children, followed by an optional workshop of 45 minutes, for Y5 or Y6. But I am flexible to what the school needs. My visit is charged (as per the guidance of The Society of Authors.) at the low rate of £100+ expenses.
The school visits are interactive and fun. I aim to get the children to use their imaginations, think creatively but also inspire them in their own writing. Most children want to know a little bit about me and what it is like to be a writer so I always have a Question and Answer session and there is an opportunity to either pre-order personalised books, and/or to sign books on the day. If the school is local children can order books after my visit.
"Camilla had a lovely manner with the children. She got them on board straight away. All the children benefitted from her visit, especially those who struggle. They were all immersed in their creative writing." Jenny Meiklejohn, Y5 teacher.
If you would like to discuss or book an author visit contact me, I would love to hear from you!
I usually do an hours afternoon assembly for up to 400 children, followed by an optional workshop of 45 minutes, for Y5 or Y6. But I am flexible to what the school needs. My visit is charged (as per the guidance of The Society of Authors.) at the low rate of £100+ expenses.
The school visits are interactive and fun. I aim to get the children to use their imaginations, think creatively but also inspire them in their own writing. Most children want to know a little bit about me and what it is like to be a writer so I always have a Question and Answer session and there is an opportunity to either pre-order personalised books, and/or to sign books on the day. If the school is local children can order books after my visit.
"Camilla had a lovely manner with the children. She got them on board straight away. All the children benefitted from her visit, especially those who struggle. They were all immersed in their creative writing." Jenny Meiklejohn, Y5 teacher.
If you would like to discuss or book an author visit contact me, I would love to hear from you!
School Shout Out.... See if you can spot your school below:
I have visited all of the following:
Quainton Hall School, Lockers Park School, Crabtree Juniors, Waterside Academy, St Johns CE Primary School, Townsend Secondary School, Foxdell Junior School, St James CE Primary School, Altmore Infant School, Skyswood Primary School, Springmead Primary School, High Beeches Primary School, Two Waters Primary School, Woodgrange Infant School and Sandringham Primary School. St Peters School, Manland Primary School, Beech Hyde Primary School, Woodend Primary School, Maryland Primary School, Kimpton Primary School, Bernards Heath Junior School, Cunningham Hill Juniors, The Lea Primary School, Sir John Lawes School, The Priory School (met Y5 from Preston School), Whitehill School, Abbots Hill School, Aboyne Lodge Primary, St Helens Primary, STAGS, Margaret Wix Primary, St Dominics Primary, Gleadless Primary School, Nethergreen Junior School, Shooters Grove Primary School, and Arbourthorne Community Primary School.
If you would like me to virtually visit your school then please contact me I'd love to hear from you!
Quainton Hall School, Lockers Park School, Crabtree Juniors, Waterside Academy, St Johns CE Primary School, Townsend Secondary School, Foxdell Junior School, St James CE Primary School, Altmore Infant School, Skyswood Primary School, Springmead Primary School, High Beeches Primary School, Two Waters Primary School, Woodgrange Infant School and Sandringham Primary School. St Peters School, Manland Primary School, Beech Hyde Primary School, Woodend Primary School, Maryland Primary School, Kimpton Primary School, Bernards Heath Junior School, Cunningham Hill Juniors, The Lea Primary School, Sir John Lawes School, The Priory School (met Y5 from Preston School), Whitehill School, Abbots Hill School, Aboyne Lodge Primary, St Helens Primary, STAGS, Margaret Wix Primary, St Dominics Primary, Gleadless Primary School, Nethergreen Junior School, Shooters Grove Primary School, and Arbourthorne Community Primary School.
If you would like me to virtually visit your school then please contact me I'd love to hear from you!
What Children Have Said
‘It was the best World Book Day we’ve ever had!’ Children of Springead Primary School.
"I really enjoyed every single minute of your talk (ending up writing two pages about everything you said), but the thing I enjoyed the most was when you talked about the characters, you really inspired me". Ella.
"I liked how Camilla interacted with us." Jasmine.
"I really enjoyed hearing about how you made your character. It was really funny." Lily.
"I really loved you coming to our school to read your books. After guessing what your characters look like I have been inspired to try really hard at my writing. Thank you!" Lauren.
"When Camilla visited our school she talked about how she invented her wonderfully funny characters - inspiring us all to write." Meg.
"I really enjoyed listening to Camilla's books - they were really exciting. I also learned a lot about characters." Charlotte.
"I really enjoyed watching you talking about your books and how you plan your characters." Sam.
"I really enjoyed Camilla's 'Dream Thief' and the character plan of 'Leonardo De'Largio' because it made me want to write a story." Daniel.
"I really enjoyed listening to an extract of your book EATS because it sounded really funny." Freddie.
"I liked guessing about Leonardo De'Largio." Aryan.
"I really enjoyed listening to how you became a writer and seeing how you plan. It inspired me to write and made me realise you can do it if you try. I hope you continue to amaze other people. Good luck!" Ben
If you would like to book a school visit please contact me.
"I really enjoyed every single minute of your talk (ending up writing two pages about everything you said), but the thing I enjoyed the most was when you talked about the characters, you really inspired me". Ella.
"I liked how Camilla interacted with us." Jasmine.
"I really enjoyed hearing about how you made your character. It was really funny." Lily.
"I really loved you coming to our school to read your books. After guessing what your characters look like I have been inspired to try really hard at my writing. Thank you!" Lauren.
"When Camilla visited our school she talked about how she invented her wonderfully funny characters - inspiring us all to write." Meg.
"I really enjoyed listening to Camilla's books - they were really exciting. I also learned a lot about characters." Charlotte.
"I really enjoyed watching you talking about your books and how you plan your characters." Sam.
"I really enjoyed Camilla's 'Dream Thief' and the character plan of 'Leonardo De'Largio' because it made me want to write a story." Daniel.
"I really enjoyed listening to an extract of your book EATS because it sounded really funny." Freddie.
"I liked guessing about Leonardo De'Largio." Aryan.
"I really enjoyed listening to how you became a writer and seeing how you plan. It inspired me to write and made me realise you can do it if you try. I hope you continue to amaze other people. Good luck!" Ben
If you would like to book a school visit please contact me.
Teacher Testimonials
"The children benefited hugely from the visit. The excitement in the air was obvious on the day and we have seen a follow-up effect in the classrooms, with children reading and talking about the books that they bought and discussing the stories that they wrote in class the next day based on the Box of Wonders." Tess Hackett (English Subject Lead) at Springmead Primary
Having visitors to the school can sometimes mean extra work for the staff, but Camilla's visit was very easy to organise and I was impressed by her professionalism. I would definitely recommend her to other schools." Trevor Thornton, Assistant Head of School, Gleadless Primary School.
"A superb and inspiring amount of information on the creative writing process plus great pupil interaction. The children were able to see how their own literacy work in school has some relevance to real life writing. They were also inspired to read!" Mr Tavender, Y6 Teacher, Cunningham Hill Junior School.
"The children were engaged. They enjoyed the game and liked listening to the story extract. They benefitted from understanding how long it takes to write a book and the importance of proof-reading and editing. It was a great opportunity for them to become inspired about writing." Mrs Harvey, Deputy Head Teacher, Beech Hyde Primary School.
"The children were excited about meeting a real life author. The whole drafting process is now very relevant to what the children do in writing lessons. The children who did the workshop really enjoyed the experience and were very proud of their writing. We would definitely recommend Camilla!" Lorna Stringer, Y5 Teacher, Nethergreen Junior School.
"The children were very engaged. There were lots of questions for them to answer and things for them to think about. Visuals were good too. The children would like to thank Camilla for making it fun and giving them food for thought." Miss Gray, Y5 Teacher, Cunningham Hill Junior School.
"Thank you for a fantastic assembly. The children have been buzzing with ideas." Sharon Swinscombe, Headteacher, The Lea Primary School.
"What a wonderful treat for our Year 6 children to meet an author who is as passionate about writing as we are. They loved listening to extracts from Camilla’s story and really wanted to hear more; all of the group were inspired by her demonstration of character building and have been keen to share their own character ideas as a result. Camilla was able to engage the children with humour but also made them think seriously about how they use words and how to really capture a character whilst also engaging the reader! We definitely hope to have Camilla back to inspire us further later in the year!!" Mrs Carter, Y6 Teacher, Crabtree Junior School
"The children were really engaged by your talk and you gave useful tips for them as writers. Thank you for visiting, we really enjoyed it and the children are already hooked into Jarred Dreams!" Jo Daley, English Header KS2, Shooters Grove Primary School.
"It was fantastic for the children to meet an author. To hear from a writer about the process of writing was really valuable and the children loved the game. The small group workshop worked well. The excerpt captured the imagination of the children and they were able to develop their own ideas based around this." Lorna Feverelle, Class Teacher and Phase Leader, Arbourthorne Community Primary School.
Having visitors to the school can sometimes mean extra work for the staff, but Camilla's visit was very easy to organise and I was impressed by her professionalism. I would definitely recommend her to other schools." Trevor Thornton, Assistant Head of School, Gleadless Primary School.
"A superb and inspiring amount of information on the creative writing process plus great pupil interaction. The children were able to see how their own literacy work in school has some relevance to real life writing. They were also inspired to read!" Mr Tavender, Y6 Teacher, Cunningham Hill Junior School.
"The children were engaged. They enjoyed the game and liked listening to the story extract. They benefitted from understanding how long it takes to write a book and the importance of proof-reading and editing. It was a great opportunity for them to become inspired about writing." Mrs Harvey, Deputy Head Teacher, Beech Hyde Primary School.
"The children were excited about meeting a real life author. The whole drafting process is now very relevant to what the children do in writing lessons. The children who did the workshop really enjoyed the experience and were very proud of their writing. We would definitely recommend Camilla!" Lorna Stringer, Y5 Teacher, Nethergreen Junior School.
"The children were very engaged. There were lots of questions for them to answer and things for them to think about. Visuals were good too. The children would like to thank Camilla for making it fun and giving them food for thought." Miss Gray, Y5 Teacher, Cunningham Hill Junior School.
"Thank you for a fantastic assembly. The children have been buzzing with ideas." Sharon Swinscombe, Headteacher, The Lea Primary School.
"What a wonderful treat for our Year 6 children to meet an author who is as passionate about writing as we are. They loved listening to extracts from Camilla’s story and really wanted to hear more; all of the group were inspired by her demonstration of character building and have been keen to share their own character ideas as a result. Camilla was able to engage the children with humour but also made them think seriously about how they use words and how to really capture a character whilst also engaging the reader! We definitely hope to have Camilla back to inspire us further later in the year!!" Mrs Carter, Y6 Teacher, Crabtree Junior School
"The children were really engaged by your talk and you gave useful tips for them as writers. Thank you for visiting, we really enjoyed it and the children are already hooked into Jarred Dreams!" Jo Daley, English Header KS2, Shooters Grove Primary School.
"It was fantastic for the children to meet an author. To hear from a writer about the process of writing was really valuable and the children loved the game. The small group workshop worked well. The excerpt captured the imagination of the children and they were able to develop their own ideas based around this." Lorna Feverelle, Class Teacher and Phase Leader, Arbourthorne Community Primary School.
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"The students thoroughly enjoyed the session and were so engaged, with a lot of fantastic stories being written from the afternoon, and some valuable skills being learnt about how to start writing." Mrs F Rice, Head of Discovery Centre at Townsend C of E School, St Albans.
OTHER INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS and/or LIBRARIANS...
A number of different resources for schools, are available on my teaching resources page.
Alternatively, if you would like to download a PDF wordsearch please click on the book title of your choice: Jarred Dreams or EATS.
It might seem like an unnecessary luxury to book an author visit but the benefits to the school and the children are numerous. A study in the US by the Department of Child and Adolescent Development showed three primary benefits of an author visit:
I have put together an information pack for schools who are thinking about booking an author visit with me. It is in PDF format and you can download it by clicking here: School Visit Outline.
A number of different resources for schools, are available on my teaching resources page.
Alternatively, if you would like to download a PDF wordsearch please click on the book title of your choice: Jarred Dreams or EATS.
It might seem like an unnecessary luxury to book an author visit but the benefits to the school and the children are numerous. A study in the US by the Department of Child and Adolescent Development showed three primary benefits of an author visit:
- Motivates children to read
- Inspires creativity and expression
- Motivates children to write
I have put together an information pack for schools who are thinking about booking an author visit with me. It is in PDF format and you can download it by clicking here: School Visit Outline.
LIBRARY VISITS
In addition to visiting schools I am also happy to come to libraries. There is NO CHARGE for library visits, but I ask for the opportunity to sell books. Ideally the library would stock Jarred Dreams, EATS and Thirteenth Wish, so that children who are unable to buy their own copy can loan them from the library after my visit.
As a result of visiting the Chatterbooks group in Harpenden, Jarred Dreams was nominated the children's book of choice!
"Camilla Chester, author of young people's fiction recently provided a workshop as part of our Summer Reading Challenge activities at Scarborough Library and Information Centre. Her book 'Jarred Dreams' based on a dream thief fitted in perfectly with the BFG and Roald Dahl theme. The children attending picked up some great writing tips and enjoyed the interactive games. " Heather French, Service Development Officer, North Yorkshire Libraries.
"It was a very engaging talk - Camilla had all the children eating out the palm of her hand! It covered lots of different aspects of being an author and the writing process. I loved the interactive activities - brilliant way to involve everyone and get them thinking." Ros Cloke, Assistant Customer Service Supervisor, Hertfordshire Libraries.
If you would like me to visit your library please contact me. I'd be happy to hear from you.
As a result of visiting the Chatterbooks group in Harpenden, Jarred Dreams was nominated the children's book of choice!
"Camilla Chester, author of young people's fiction recently provided a workshop as part of our Summer Reading Challenge activities at Scarborough Library and Information Centre. Her book 'Jarred Dreams' based on a dream thief fitted in perfectly with the BFG and Roald Dahl theme. The children attending picked up some great writing tips and enjoyed the interactive games. " Heather French, Service Development Officer, North Yorkshire Libraries.
"It was a very engaging talk - Camilla had all the children eating out the palm of her hand! It covered lots of different aspects of being an author and the writing process. I loved the interactive activities - brilliant way to involve everyone and get them thinking." Ros Cloke, Assistant Customer Service Supervisor, Hertfordshire Libraries.
If you would like me to visit your library please contact me. I'd be happy to hear from you.
Cubs/Brownies/Scouts/Guides
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I have visited a number of brownie and cub packs. The visit can be tailor made to what is required and is usually covered by subs (£8 per child) with each child receiving a signed book of their choice at the end. After the visit they can get their writing badge too!
"Camilla's visit was absolutely brilliant. The brownies were buzzing about it for weeks afterwards." "We went on a camp after Camilla's visit and all the brownies brought along Camilla's books to read." 
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Creative Writing Workshops and Other Work
In addition to writing and school visits, I also deliver workshops, both for adults and children on a variety of different topics from creative writing to marketing and publication. My books have quite strong underlying messages that I have also been asked to talk about. I was part of the SCBWI Scaffolding Your Success workshop along with Alison Gardiner and Chitra Soundar and one summer I ran a weekend workshop for the creative arts weekend organised by the Haemophilia Society.
I've been lucky enough to be a judge in a children's fiction writing competition at the St Albans Literary Festival. Occasionally, I write articles or features for magazines around children's literature and I was one of the authors at the 2018 Linton Book Fest.
I am a member of my local writing group Veralum Writers and am an active member and volunteer of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I am also a member of the Society of Authors. In addition, I am one of the Serial Mash authors and write books for 7-11 year olds as part of their online school resources. I was a judge for the BBC 500 Words Competition for 2020.
I have also attended School Careers Fairs as a speaker/advisor:
“The Children's Author - Camilla Chester - was very inspiring and I enjoyed listening to her about her experiences and discussing questions with her.”
Since January 2019 I have also been working with the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford on their Catching Words Project, which ran for two years. As a spin-off from this work I was one the guest authors at The Fabula Festival 2019 at Redbridge, London and I appeared at the Children's Book Festival at the Royal Albert Docks in December 2019.
If you would like to get in touch with me about any of these roles, please contact me. I'd be happy to hear from you, but please note that any new writing contracts now need to go through my agent, Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates.
I've been lucky enough to be a judge in a children's fiction writing competition at the St Albans Literary Festival. Occasionally, I write articles or features for magazines around children's literature and I was one of the authors at the 2018 Linton Book Fest.
I am a member of my local writing group Veralum Writers and am an active member and volunteer of The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. I am also a member of the Society of Authors. In addition, I am one of the Serial Mash authors and write books for 7-11 year olds as part of their online school resources. I was a judge for the BBC 500 Words Competition for 2020.
I have also attended School Careers Fairs as a speaker/advisor:
“The Children's Author - Camilla Chester - was very inspiring and I enjoyed listening to her about her experiences and discussing questions with her.”
Since January 2019 I have also been working with the Discover Children's Story Centre in Stratford on their Catching Words Project, which ran for two years. As a spin-off from this work I was one the guest authors at The Fabula Festival 2019 at Redbridge, London and I appeared at the Children's Book Festival at the Royal Albert Docks in December 2019.
If you would like to get in touch with me about any of these roles, please contact me. I'd be happy to hear from you, but please note that any new writing contracts now need to go through my agent, Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates.