School Events
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Rick Riordan is an award-winning novelist and veteran classroom teacher. His fiction for grown-ups has won the top three national awards in the mystery genre — the Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus. A teacher of English and history, Rick has worked with and done presentations for children of all ages, though he specializes in grades 4-8. In 2002, he was honored with his school’s first Master Teacher Award. His nationally bestselling children’s series Percy Jackson and the Olympians debuted in June 2005 with The Lightning Thief, a New York Times Notable Book for 2005. The Lightning Thief was short-listed for the Texas Library Association’s Bluebonnet Award for 2006-2007 and was named one of the best children’s books of 2005 by Child Magazine and by School Library Journal. The Lightning Thief movie is in development by 20th Century Fox. His subsequent novels, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, and The Battle of the Labyrinth, have made Percy Jackson and the Olympians a #1 New York Times children’s series bestseller.
A full-day school visit typically includes 3-4 presentations of about 45 minutes each, plus a book signing. Four is the maximum number of presentations Rick can do per day. Rick’s goals for these visits are to give the audience a behind-the-scenes look at the writer’s life, to explain how one gets published, to stress the importance of reading and to inspire student writers. Presentations may include:
1) Large group presentation (50-500+ students). This is most appropriate for grades 4-8. Rick discusses how he became a writer, how a novel is written and published, and why he chose Greek mythology as the basis for the Percy Jackson series. The presentation includes “show-and-tell” items like an original manuscript, novel cover art, foreign language translations, examples of outlining and brainstorming, and Rick’s rejection notes. Rick may give a short reading from The Lightning Thief and play a quiz game with the students on Greek mythology. About 45 minutes.
2) Writing workshop (10-30 students). This is most appropriate for grades 4-8. Rick will work with a classroom-size group, offering hands-on activities to increase writing fluency, develop characters and structure plot. This type of presentation offers a good chance for those students who are aspiring writers to ask questions and get answers from a practicing author. 45-60 minutes.
3) Storytelling from the Greek myths (20-200+ students). This is most appropriate for grades 2-4. Though he writes for older children, Rick is well-known for his dynamic storytelling for younger audiences. Rick will offer a quick introduction to the Greek myths, then share two exciting stories about heroes and monsters. Rick brings pictures and cover art to show the children, and encourages audience participation. About 30 minutes.
Exact details for each visit will be catered to meet the needs of each host school. Note: A day’s visit should include at least one large group presentation. It is best if the large group presentation happens before any writing workshops, so the students have already been introduced to Rick. If a day is split between two schools, each half-day visit would consist of two presentations and a signing time. Rick does not generally present to children younger than second grade.
Rick with the Newbery Medal Club at Northport Public Library, Long Island, New York (dangerously close to the site of Camp Half-Blood!)
