Now Scheduling Virtual and In-Person Author Visits for the 2021/22 School Year!

Dear Teachers, Librarians, Families, and Organizations,

Sherrill Joseph, retired literacy teacher and the author of the Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries Series, is now scheduling virtual and in-person visits. Virtual visits can be on Zoom or Google Meet–anywhere in the world!

In addition, from her many years of literacy teaching, Sherrill has written a Book Study Guide to accompany Book 1, Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets. The guide might help you provide a fun reading experience while bolstering reading comprehension. You can download her Book Study Guide for FREE.

Sherrill has enjoyed visiting virtually with teachers and students for Book Clubs and drop-ins during the Pandemic. A recent in-person school visit has her wanting more of those as well.

Testimonials:

Here is what Mrs. Barb Huston, 3rd grade teacher at Saginaw Township Community Schools in Michigan had to say about Sherrill Joseph’s virtual Book Club visit on June 5, 2020:

“Back in April of 2020, I won a set of six Nutmeg Street: Egyptian Secrets by Sherrill Joseph on Twitter.  The only thing that Sherrill requested was that I get the books into the hands of my students.  She signed each book with a personal message to the six third-grade students.  At the time I received them, we were in the middle of remote learning due to COVID19, so I delivered the copies and started a virtual book club with these students.  Shortly after we began, I tweeted out a picture of us working together with a shout-out to the author.  Sherrill quickly responded with appreciation but even more impressively, volunteered to make herself available for questions.  I decided to see if she would be willing to surprise my students with an appearance at our last virtual meeting.  It was much more than an appearance.  On June 5th, Sherrill joined our Google Meet and spent close to an hour answering my students’ questions and sharing with them her writing process and tips for their own writing craft.  It was the most authentic reading and writing lesson and one that my students will never forget.”

 

Here is what Ms. Kristina Sipe, 5th grade teacher at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in San Diego, California, had to say about Sherrill Joseph’s in-person school visit on September 15, 2021:

“After reading Sherrill Joseph’s first book, Nutmeg Street Egyptian Secrets, with my eight-year-old nephew, we were hooked! I knew it would be perfect as a summer reading assignment for my incoming 5th graders. I utilized the book study guide on Sherrill’s website to expand vocabulary, incorporate Bloom’s Taxonomy into higher level thinking questions, and created some of the fun research projects she recommended. All our learning culminated with a very special in-person, on-campus visit by Sherrill with my students. Sherrill kept the students engaged throughout her visit by changing up the styles of questions, rewarding every student with book marks, and encouraging discussions about plot, characters, and the writing process. My students were especially intrigued with her information about synesthesia. Sherrill piqued my students’ interests when she read to them part of her new third book coming out soon and shared personal stories about her own experiences with synesthesia. Each student received a “swag bag” with a personalized message Sherrill wrote in each of their books we gave to her ahead of time, along with “Botanic Hill Detectives Mysteries” magnets which went on the side of many of the students’ desks and additional Botanic Hill items. Sherrill also donated copies of her first two books, which I added to my class library. It was a memorable and rewarding experience for my students to meet their first author and strengthen their love of reading and writing.”

Why Book an Author Visit?
According to schoolvisitexperts.com, here are the pros and cons!

 

Virtual and In-Person Sessions Currently Available:

Sherrill can visit virtually with families, classrooms, and groups; or, in-person with classrooms and groups (in select regions of the U.S.) for:

• A BOOK CLUB VISIT using the author’s Books 1, 2, or 3 and the corresponding Book 1 Study Guide (optional) . This can be at the culmination of your book club, or the author can join in the discussion at any point in the book, ask questions from her Guide if desired, and/or answer teacher/parent and student questions.
• An AUTHOR DROP-IN for one or two classes/groups: Ask her anything that’s school appropriate. Sherrill will discuss how and when she became a writer, FAQs and answers, some information about her characters, and answer as many of your school- or group-appropriate questions as possible. If time permits, she will read an excerpt  from one of her books.
• More topics are pending. Requests will be considered.
• The Books 2 and 3 Study Guides are pending.

 

Virtual and In-Person Session Details and Costs*:

• A Book Club visit (20-40 minutes) for up to six students + 1-2 adults—FREE
• Author drop-in (30-90 minutes) for one or two classes/a group, up to 60 students and/or a pre-arranged number of adults —FREE

*In-person sessions are typically limited to local San Diego, California, area schools/groups. Outside San Diego: Please contact me to discuss availability and costs.

 

Author Visit Booking and Resources:

For Information or to Book Your Author Visit with Sherrill Joseph

Free Nutmeg Street Book Study Guide

Ways to Fund an Author Visit 

Book Chapter Quizzes–pending

 

Author’s Calendar of Events

September 15, 2021; 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.:  In-Person (Author-Drop-In) School Visit, Ms. Kristina Sipe’s 5th grade class, St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School, San Diego, CA