School Visits & Workshops

One of Anna’s favourite parts of being a children’s author is meeting young readers. She has now done numerous physical and virtual visits and has had wonderful feedback. Currently she is only offering virtual, online events through Skype or Zoom, and she will update this page when the situation changes.

Events can be for any group size from a small class to a large assembly. Anna’s talks/workshops are suitable for years 4-8, ages 8-12.

Anna’s fees are within Society of Authors guidance and are detailed below:

30 MINUTE Q & A EVENT

Q & A events can be for any group size and work best when pupils have pre-prepared questions. 

60 minute presentation event

Presentation events can be for any group size and include a talk, short readings, and Q&A.  Anna offers a fully interactive talk, looking at the inspiration that went into The Mask of Aribella, chiefly the city of Venice, where the novel is set. She takes the children on a tour of Venice’s streets and its history, introducing the children to this mysterious and captivating place.

60 MINUTE WORKSHOP EVENT

Workshop events are suitable for groups of up to thirty pupils and include creative writing activities and Q&A. Example creative writing activities include:

• Designing Masks and Powers

• Creating Magical Settings

• How to Begin Stories

• Themes Discussion

Anna is happy to arrange book sales and sign personalised bookplates for schools hosting events.

If you would like to discuss or book an event please use the contact form to get in touch.

TESTIMONIALS

It was absolutely fascinating and so relevant for our students… They especially loved hearing Anna talk about her own experiences of school and how she got to where she is now. Despite the distance, the opportunity to interact with Anna, asking her questions and hearing her replies was brilliant. Both the novel itself and the Virtual Visit have stoked students´ passion for reading and stirred their imagination, inspiring them to invent their own super powers and even create illustrations of how they picture the settings and characters in The Mask of Aribella! - Mrs Hunter, British Council School, Madrid

Our pupils were overwhelmingly positive in their engagement towards Anna and her book. She provided them with carefully prepared, thoughtful visual stimulus which they needed to take them on an enriching, magical journey through Venice. You could have heard a pin drop as she told tales of how Venice inspired her and as she read extracts from 'The Mask of Aribella'… The children were utterly transfixed by her warm personality and were really inspired by her book. She then took time to meet a selection of children who had been given the book in advance so they could discuss it more fully. They came back absolutely buzzing with creativity and inspiration from this opportunity. Throughout the visit, Anna was open, enthusiastic and totally professional with staff, parents and pupils. I would highly recommend a visit from her. - Lucy Hennessy, Leader of Reading Air Balloon Hill Primary School

When Anna read to us the extract from her book, and our teacher sent us the first chapter, I immediately told my mother to buy me the book. It arrived a few days later, and in two evenings I had finished it! The story really captured me, and it also inspired me to do some drawings, that now, I´m in the middle of. The character I loved most, was Aribella, I turned into her throughout the whole novel. However, I see myself in Seffie - she´s positive, funny, supportive, and always sees the good side. The story was simply amazing, and the way it is set is marvellous. I´ve always wanted to go to Venice and ride a gondola and stay in one of its palazzos. What I liked most about the Virtual Visit was learning about what inspired Anna to write, as well as hearing what she was like at school, and her favourite subjects. - Student, British Council School, Madrid

There was great excitement as Anna passed round masks for the audience to try on. There were many interested questions from those present with lots of interesting answers! It was a wonderful session about a fabulous book- and I was particularly pleased to hear the hint that there might be another book to come from this special world. - Sue, North Somerset Teacher's Book Award @ a Storytelling Session at Mr B's Emporium

'Anna had the children mesmerised by her magical story, which inspired them to begin their own writing adventures.' - Mrs Fenton, Redmaids’ High Junior School

Hearing from an author is one of the best experiences our students can have. For this reason, we were especially delighted to host Anna Hoghton for an author talk about her debut novel, The Mask of Aribella. In her talk, Anna entices students into her story through a fascinating and educational tour of the magical city of Venice. Her joyful and warm approach to sharing her work was more than enough to engage even the most reluctant of readers. Anna’s memorable core message reinforced the work we do to encourage a lifelong love of reading in our students. They were fully engaged from the outset and enthusiastic to ask many interesting questions. Anna is a top-quality speaker who was very generous with her time for us. A real star! - Charlotte Lever, Librarian, Laurus Ryecroft

Our Year 7 students were privileged to enjoy a virtual visit from Anna, who spoke passionately about her travels in Venice; the ideas and inspirations uncovered while exploring its streets; and the rich and fascinating history of the city. Despite the challenges of the pandemic - with in-person visits no longer a possibility - Anna succeeded in engaging all our students with her knowledge, enthusiasm and warmth. Photographs of Venice intertwined with Anna's own adventures in the city to showcase its beauty, mystery and occasional darkness. A number of students expressed how much they wished they could visit! When Anna gave students the opportunity to ask questions, we were overwhelmed by the number of hands that immediately shot up; it was clear how fully students' imaginations had been stoked. Not only did Anna's talk left a profound impression on our students and created a real buzz about reading throughout the school, but she is a pleasure to work with professionally - friendly, generous with her time, and absolutely dedicated to inspiring a love of reading in young people. I would not hesitate to recommend Anna to any school of a speaker, and look forward to working with her again in future. - Becky McMillan, Librarian, Didsbury High School

Anna is such an engaging and passionate speaker who really inspired our students. She is as enthusiastic about reading as she is about writing and her energy is intoxicating. Whether exploring the canals of Venice or explaining the secrets of the publishing world, she embodies the magical side of creative writing that, in a school environment, we can sometimes be too quick to forget. - Luke Benedict, Head of English, Royal Bath High

What a fantastic experience the live Q&A was! My Year 5 class and I absolutely loved The Mask of Aribella, and were completely thrilled to take part in the Q&A session. We prepared some questions in advanced which Anna answered brilliantly and in-depth. The children were completed engrossed and haven’t been able to stop talking about it since. It really was a magical experience for them and Anna is truly inspirational in the way she promotes the magic of reading to her young audience. - Jessica Gray, Benjamin Adlard Primary School