A Selection of Lis's Books
Lis Jardine
Type of Artist:
Middle Grade contemporary murder mysteries
Assembly style talk and writing workshop
Assembly presentation
A talk with professionally-produced slides about my journey to publication plus why and how I write murder mysteries, including an interactive audience activity (for primary pupils). This can last between 45 mins – 1 hour plus 15-20 min of pupil questions, depending on the school’s own timetable. I will need a big screen and laptop.
Writing Workshops
45m – 1h each, taught in a classroom with custom slides and worksheets, on the theme ‘Writing a short detective story’. I will need a classroom screen and laptop.
Details
Preferred age range:8-12 yo (school years 5-8)
Maximum number in any one session:
There is no maximum audience size for assembly style presentations. I prefer writing workshops to be 25 children or fewer.
No of sessions per day:
Three assemblies with at least a short break between
One assembly and three workshops
Four workshops
Session Length:
Assembly – 45 mins – 1 hour plus 15-20 min of pupil questions
Workshops – around 55 mins each
Areas prepared to travel to:
Within 50 miles of Sandbach, UK
Transport:
Car – 45p per mile expenses
Train – I would charge the full standard rail fare
Fees:
DBS/CRB:
As a working School Librarian I have current DBS clearance
Hold PLI (public liability insurance):
No
Website:
Twitter:
@LisJardine
Titles include:
The Detention Detectives (Puffin, 2023)
The Detection Detectives: Murder by Mistake (Puffin, 2024)
The Detention Detectives: Talent for Trouble (Puffin, 2025)
Time Travel Telephone (HC Big Cat 2025)
Testimonials:
"The children really enjoyed listening to Lis read her extract and loved finding out which type of detective they were!"
Emma Baber, year 6 Class Teacher, The Mead School
"School visits with Lis are always tremendous fun! Her passion for being both a reader and a writer shines through and her engaging presentation style really brings The Detention Detectives to life. The children especially enjoyed finding out what type of detective they were, as well as getting the opportunity to meet Lis and have their books signed."
The Chiltern Bookshops schools team
"I thought the workshop was very powerful. A lot of our students struggle to think imaginatively but with [Lis’s] support were able to come up with ideas that I don’t feel they would have felt confident to explore in a ‘normal’ lesson."
A. Allcock, Literacy Lead at a Crewe Secondary School
"Your presentation was brilliant and the Powerpoint slides really engaged the students. I felt that this was evident in the number of students that asked questions at the end of the talk. The worksheets that you produced for the workshops worked really well too and made writing stories more manageable for students."
J. Clemson, School Librarian, Warrington