Author Visits — Jessica Young Children's Book Author

Author Visits

I was a teacher for over twenty years, and I love sharing the creative process with kids at schools, libraries, and festivals! See below for school visit information, and contact me with questions. I'd love to collaborate!

Author visits provide:

INSPIRATION — Students are encouraged to develop their imaginations, find their voices, and tell their own stories as they learn about the writing and publishing process.

INTERACTION — Students have a chance to engage with books and writing in new ways, sharing ideas and asking questions.

INTEGRATION — Students practice literacy, writing, and critical-thinking skills as they make connections, problem-solve, and explore the world as writers.

Students and teachers can also order signed/personalized books—ask about book order options!

Back-to-school VIRTUAL AUTHOR VISIT special!

The school year is here! To celebrate, I'm offering two special options for virtual author visits:

1/ DISCOUNTED virtual classroom visit: Buy ONE COPY of Today at School from an independent bookstore (they ship!) and get a virtual classroom visit for 100.00. See details below for ordering signed/personalized books.

2/ FREE virtual classroom visit: Buy 10 OR MORE COPIES of Today at School from an independent bookstore and get a free virtual classroom visit. See details below for ordering signed/personalized books.

During your class visit, students will:

Read a book with me.
Do an interactive activity.
Learn writing tips.
Tour my writing space.
Ask me questions!

Visits must take place during the FALL semester of the 2026-2027 school year.

Contact me to schedule a date or discuss other options like grade-level visits, spring visits, custom visits, and teacher presentations—I'd love to work with you!

Ordering Info:

Want your book signed or personalized to your class? Order from Parnassus Books!

You can also look up indie bookstores here or order from Bookshop.org and support the indie of your choice!

In-person presentations are adapted for age/grade level (Pre-K and up). A typical schedule includes up to five presentations per day, with up to 200 students per presentation. Sessions are usually 30-55 minutes and can be tailored to fit your school’s schedule.
Presentations include: the writing and publishing process, writing tools (literary devices, wordplay, and more), story structure, revision , writing tips, and Q&A. I’m happy to adapt presentations to complement different curricula.
Get in touch to find out more!
Virtual visits are a great way to connect! After an interactive presentation, a Q&A session gives students an opportunity to find out what they want to know about the writing and publishing process. Classroom or grade-level sessions are usually 30-55 minutes.
Contact me to discuss options!
Workshops include hands-on activities designed for one or two classes (up to 50 students) on a variety of topics including story structure, character development, descriptive writing, writing tools (literary devices and wordplay), and more.
Fees vary based on location and presentation specifics. Full-day, half-day, individual program, bundled school visits (more than one school), and virtual visits are available. I also offer discounts for schools ordering 50 books or more. Contact me for more information.
TN Arts Commission: I’m excited to be a Teaching Artist on the TN Arts Commission’s Teaching Artist Roster so public schools in TN can apply to have my school visit fees covered through grants like the Student Ticket Subsidy Grant. Feel free to spread the word about this wonderful program!
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators: The SCBWI Amber Brown Grant (scroll to bottom of linked page) provides schools with a free author visit and free books.
Get in touch with your Humanities Council or Arts Commission to find out about grants or consider partnering with your PTA or another school, library, or college in your area.

“Jessica kept the students engaged throughout the presentation and cleverly incorporated how similes, metaphors and alliteration can be used in their writing. The students were creating their own with a little help from her! It was amazing!”

— Lisa Valentine, 5th Grade Teacher, Center Moriches, NY
“Jessica did a great job bringing her book to life for students by including stories about herself as a child and adult. She showed students how she used criticism constructively to improve her writing. Her words about persevering have stayed with my students.”

— Melissa Sherman, 2nd Grade Teacher, Nashville, TN
“Our 1st graders LOVED getting the chance to interact with author Jessica Young and ask her questions about writing and reading. She even had them playing their air guitars as she read from her new book, Play This Book.”

— Katrina Hall, Librarian, Edmonds, WA
“Jessica is very knowledgeable about the needs of various students and prepared a program that was extremely engaging, educational and fun. Teachers and students alike were very receptive to the program . . . an amazing opportunity for our students who left feeling encouraged to write their own stories!”

— Deepa Jain, Teacher/Librarian, Toronto, ON
“My students LOVED having Jessica Young come and visit our school! She was extremely engaging and she truly brought her books to life! Our students were entranced by her stories. I bought all of her books for my classroom library because my students were hungry to read them again and again! A few of my students have told me that they want to be an author when they grow up.”

— Ashley Ogle, Kindergarten Teacher, Nashville, TN
“My kids loved the visit from Jessica Young. Having an author come . . . lit fires in many of my young readers. I was able to purchase some of her books, and it has been a battle as to who gets to read them next.”

— Katie Barksdale, 3rd Grade Teacher, Nashville, TN
“The kids really loved your presentation, and the teachers were very impressed with how you keep them involved and listening. The discussion on writing tools and the process of drafting and editing was very helpful for their Reading/Language Arts skills. And the encouragement of hearing that they all had idea seeds in their minds that could develop into stories was wonderful.”

— Suzanne Costner, Library Media Specialist, Maryville, TN
“Athens City School System had the pleasure of having Jessica Young visit for two and a half days to meet with all five of our schools. Jessica is a wonderful presenter! She kept the students engaged, presented information relevant to students’ lives, and made wonderful connections to the school curriculum. The presentations were a great asset to our school system!”

— Lori Farley, Teacher/Media Specialist, Athens, TN

Presentations

Virtual Visits

Workshops

Fees

Grants

“Jessica kept the students engaged throughout the presentation and cleverly incorporated how similes, metaphors and alliteration can be used in their writing. The students were creating their own with a little help from her! It was amazing!”

“Jessica did a great job bringing her book to life for students by including stories about herself as a child and adult. She showed students how she used criticism constructively to improve her writing. Her words about persevering have stayed with my students.”

“Our 1st graders LOVED getting the chance to interact with author Jessica Young and ask her questions about writing and reading. She even had them playing their air guitars as she read from her new book, Play This Book.”

“My kids loved the visit from Jessica Young. Having an author come . . . lit fires in many of my young readers. I was able to purchase some of her books, and it has been a battle as to who gets to read them next.”