ABOUT
School Visits
Bring curiosity to life! Author visits turn students into readers, researchers, writers, and question-askers.
Mary Boone’s interactive school visits take students behind the scenes of nonfiction research, writing, and bookmaking. From DNA-testing salmon and researching barrier-breaking women to exploring the ocean’s depths, Mary shows students that curiosity is a powerful way to learn.
The author of more than 70 nonfiction books for young readers, Mary brings real-world research, humor, surprising discoveries, hands-on activities, and plenty of student participation to every visit.
Pick Your Programs
Books + Big Questions
Explore the science, history, and real-life stories behind Mary’s books with one of these programs:
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The Science of School of Fish
Can a Fish Have a Fingerprint?
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The Woman Who Biked Around the World
Who was Annie Cohen Kopchovsky?
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The Surprising Science of Bugs for Breakfast
Would You Eat a Bug?
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Curiosity, Research & the Wildest Stories in the Ocean
What Makes a Story Unfathomable?
The Author’s Toolbox
Go behind the scenes of writing, research, and the book-making process with one of these presentations or workshops:
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How an Idea Becomes a Book
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Truth is Weirder than Fiction
How Authors Find Amazing True Stories
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What’s in the Bag?
A Sensory Writing Workshop
Mary’s programs can be presented as all-school assemblies, grade-level programs, hands-on workshops, family literacy events, or professional-development sessions. Programs can also be mixed and matched to create a visit that works for different grades and audiences.
What Will Students Take Away?
WONDER.
Students discover that good questions can lead somewhere.
RESEARCH.
They see how real authors and researchers find, evaluate, and use information.
WRITE.
They discover that books begin as ideas, questions, & messy first drafts.
DISCOVER.
They see that nonfiction connects reading and writing to the world around them.
Here’s What Educators Say About Mary’s Author Visits
“It was the best presentation I have witnessed an author give for students. Mary tailored her talk for each grade level and connected with each audience.”
— Librarian, Rainier Elementary School, JBLM, Washington
“My students have repeatedly been asking when Mary can come back! She had them enthralled with conversations about research and the writing process, as well as topics like biomimicry and entomophagy.”
— Third Grade Teacher, Manchester, Iowa
“I appreciate Mary’s tie-in to being curious. That is exactly what we want for all our students—to be curious and motivated to learn more about the world around them.”
— Elementary School Principal, Delhi, Iowa
Pricing
Mary works hard to keep programs affordable for schools. In-person visits to local schools (within 60 miles of Tacoma, WA) range from $400 for a single program to $650 for two programs, or $1,000 for full day (four programs).
Schools outside Mary’s “local” range can book a full day (up to four programs) for $1,300.
Virtual visits run 30 to 40 minutes + Q&A. They cost $140.
Discounts are available for Title 1 Schools, Tribal Schools, and schools holding pre-visit book sales.
