Lynn E. Hazen's young adult novel SHIFTY was chosen for:
VOYA's Top Shelf Fiction, as a CCBC Choice, and as a Smithsonian Notable!

Author Visits With Lynn E. Hazen

(photo credit: Sonya Sones)

Would you like Lynn to visit your school or library? Lynn enjoys meeting students, teachers and librarians. She has recently presented engaging talks with students at Mission High School, John O'Connell High School, San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center, Horace Mann Middle School, and with the San Francisco Public Library.

Lynn creates and leads writing workshops and author presentations specifically geared for teens. She has presented at an all-day Young Writers Festival, Menlo Park Public Library's Teen Writers' Workshop, the California Writers Club's Youth Writer's Winner Luncheon, and at various middle and high schools. Lynn is able to tailor her talks and writing workshops to your students' unique needs. Lynn has an MA in Education, an MFA in Writing, and many years of teaching experience engaging students of all ages. (Lynn has also taught Writing for Children & Young Adults Adults at UC Berkeley Extension and Stanford Continuing Studies).

What Teachers & Librarians Say:

"Lynn connected with the youth at San Francisco's Juvenile Justice Center immediately and kept their interest for the length of her visit. The youth were excited to learn about a book set in their hometown, especially a book about a kid from a background much like their own. Lynn was informative and upbeat, and she inspired the youth to think about writing their own books. Her visit was quite a treat for all of us!"
--Rachel Bernstein, San Francisco Public Librarian, Juvenile Justice Center

"Lynn Hazen is an author students will actually listen to.  Her characters grab the attention of teens. My students at Mission High School in San Francisco heard her talk about Shifty on Friday and four of them had read the entire book by Monday. For a teacher it doesn't get better than that. They were anxious to tell me what they saw on her website and even more anxious to tell me what they thought was going to happen in the book before they finished it. This author visit even resulted in visits to the school library looking for similar books. Many, many conversations."
-- Ms. Kathleen Cecil, English Teacher, Mission High School

"Lynn's writing activities allowed our young writers to mine their memories for hidden treasures.  Her friendly and engaging personality created an atmosphere of fun and encouragement.  I wholeheartedly recommend Lynn Hazen as a Creative Writing Teacher for kids of all ages!" --Dee Ellmann, Children's Librarian, Menlo Park Library

"Ms. Hazen was a delight to bring into the schools! She engaged the students with discussions about her book, Shifty, writing exercises, and even an art project at one of the high schools.  Lynn's enthusiasm and dedication to her craft were apparent in every presentation. The students really seemed to enjoy her visits and many couldn't wait to read her book! The fact that Shifty takes place locally was especially appealing to the students. I highly recommend Ms. Hazen for middle & high school visits! She is very flexible and willing to do what she can to make her visit a meaningful experience for each and every student."
-- Nicole Termini Germain, Teen  Services Librarian, Mission Branch, S.F. Public Library
 



To schedule Lynn for an author visit (or for more information about author visits, availability and fees)
please contact Lynn@ShiftyTheBook.com


For a great SHIFTY Teachers Guide (U.S. Version) please download the free pdf here.

For the Australian SHIFTY Teachers Guide please download the free pdf here.
(Same great guide as above created by Dr. Lora La Marca, but the page numbers will correspond to the Australian version of SHIFTY)


SHIFTY is also also being published in the U.K. by Frances Lincoln.


Ask your students which of the above 4 covers they like best and why. After reading SHIFTY they can imagine that they are the cover illustrators/designers. How would they design a SHIFTY book cover? Start a discussion by asking everyone's thoughts on the meaning of "You can't tell a book by its cover."

For more activities related to SHIFTY (including the totally cool SHIFTY Card), please check the Students & Teachers Page. Students and teachers, if you have any SHIFTY activity ideas to share, please email Lynn. Thanks!