Lauren Tarshis is the author of the I Survived series, which has more than 1.5 million copies in print since the debut of I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 in the summer of 2010. Lauren is also the author of the critically acclaimed Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree, a Golden Kite honor book for fiction and Oprah book club pick; and the sequel Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love. In addition to writing books, Lauren is an editorial director for language arts at Scholastic, and the editor of Storyworks magazine, an award-winning language arts magazine read by 350,000 children in grades 3-5. She also oversees Scope magazine, a language arts magazine for middle-schoolers. Visit her website, www.laurentarshis.com.

Presentation Details

Suggested Audience: Grades 3 - 6
Maximum 3 Presentations per day

Lauren has spoken at more than 100 schools and conferences, and is known for her energetic and engaging school presentations. Her talks about the writing and research process are interwoven with the dramatic story of Lauren's own struggles with severe reading problems that plagued her through middle school. The presentations are interactive, with students participating in an exciting story creation activity that shows how the elements of fiction — plot, character, setting, tone, and mood — combine to create compelling stories.

Students will gain insights into the research and writing process and learn about how to “travel back in time” to create realistic stories about historic disasters. The presentation culminates with an interactive story-creation activity that explores the elements of fiction: plot, character, setting, and tone, and inspires the most disengaged writers and readers to join in a high-energy and unforgettable collaborative activity.

Key Topics

• The Titanic
• Bullying
• Fiction Writing
• Hurricane Katrina
• San Francisco Earthquake
• Pearl Harbor

Conferences & Festivals

Lauren frequently speaks to adult groups of educators at statewide and national events. She enjoys giving keynote addresses as well as doing break out sessions for smaller groups and panel discussions with other authors.
Request a visit.

AV Tech Needs

Lauren brings her laptop or iPad but will need a projector to plug into along with a screen to project onto.  She likes to do a rehearsal run before the presentation.

Virtual Visits

Lauren is happy to drop in for a 50-minute virtual visit and Q&A with book groups and library groups that have read at least one of her books using Skype or iChat.
Request a visit.

Honorarium

$1800 per day for a maximum of three presentations
$250 per hour for virtual visits

Ordering Books

Schools and libraries may pre-order books at a discounted rate by by calling 1-800-SCHOLASTIC or by visiting the Scholastic Teacher Store.