Virtual Visits: Absolutely! $500 per 30 to 60 minute session. Multiple classes from the same school are welcome to participate as long as they’re in the same grade range. That said, students have a richer experience when there are fewer participants.
In person? Let’s talk.
Marsha is an experienced and passionate presenter who tailors each presentation to the group in front of her. She can do up to four 45 to 60 minute presentations in the same school or area in a day. As the author of picture books, middle grade novels, narrative non-fiction and YA novels, she routinely presents to an entire school over the course of a day. She also loves speaking to adult groups, family literacy events and she loves loves loves giving writing workshops.
Presentations about the current war in Ukraine
Since the war began, Marsha has been speaking to students, giving them historical context about the war by referencing her WWII novels and her Holodomor novel and picture book. For the past two years, she has been writing a trilogy titled, Kidnapped from Ukraine, set during the current war. Book one, Under Attack, will be published on January 7, 2025. Book two, Standoff, will be published in the fall of 2025, and book three, Still Alive will be published in the fall of 2026.
Kidnapped From Ukraine: Under Attack: Book one of Marsha’s newest trilogy, releases in January 2025. 
Set during the current war in Ukraine, this story follows twelve-year-old Dariia, who is separated from her father and twin sister Rada on the first day of the war when their Mariupol apartment building is bombed. As the Russian army encircles the city, Dariia and her mom are captured and separated. Dariia is sent to live with a Russian family. As the war rages around them, the sisters and their family must overcome unimaginable hardships. But they will learn how powerful hope is in the face of disaster.
Presentations by grade:
Marsha is an extremely flexible presenter. No two groups are ever the same and no two of her presentations are ever the same. She likes to have a conversation with the audience rather than stand up there like a talking head. For most presentations, she works in why she thought kids’ books were evil when she was a kid herself, and how she finally learned to read. Marsha talks about why she writes on topics that have been ignored by others and why she considers herself a librarian/detective.
Here is an example of her themes by grade:
Kindergarten to 2: Marsha offers two 30 minute storytelling sessions using When Mama Goes To Work in order to halve the group size and to let your youngest students go back to their class before they get too squirmy.
2 to 4: 45 to 60 minutes: Storytelling session plus Q&A on immigration, refugees, war from a child’s eyes. Vietnamese boat people. Writing and researching true stories. Adrift at Sea: A Vietnamese Boy’s Story of Survival, Too Young to Escape: A Vietnamese Girl Waits to be Reunited with her Family.
2 and up: 45 to 60 minutes: Storytelling session plus Q&A on immigration, refugees, war from a child’s eyes, orphanage living, polio, living with a physical disability. Writing and researching true stories. Sky of Bombs Sky of Stars.
The Holodomor and the current war
Marsha’s 2022 novel, Winterkill, is set during the 1930s Holodomor when Stalin tried to erase the Ukrainian nation and culture by stealing Ukrainians’ food, sealing the borders, and shooting anyone who tried to escape. In this presentation, Marsha talks about the real people and history behind her book and how it relates to the current war.
For younger students, Marsha educates about the Holodomor with her picture book, Enough, a folk tale historical that’s a gentler approach to this time in history.
World War II presentations
4 to 8: The bulk of Marsha’s presentations are for this age group. 45 to 60 minutes. Includes how she transformed herself from a non-reader into a writer, how she does research, historical background on the books of your choice. Writing tips and Q&A are worked in.
Using her novels, Making Bombs for Hitler , The War Below and Stolen Girl, Marsha discusses the real people behind her novels, her family connection to her stories and how she did her research. Lots of time for Q&A.
Don’t Tell the Nazis was inspired by the true story of one Ukrainian girl and her mother who hid three Jewish friends under their kitchen floor during the Holocaust.
Trapped in Hitler’s Web is a companion novel to Don’t Tell the Nazis. Krystia’s younger sister Maria escapes to the Reich with her Jewish friend Nathan, thinking that it will be easier to stay alive by hiding in plain sight under the nose of the Nazis than it would be if they stayed in the killing zone.
Traitors Among Us is the final book in the Don’t Tell the Nazis trilogy. Just when the sisters think they’re safe in an American refugee camp, they’re accused of being Nazi spies and thrown in prison by the Soviets. How can they prove their innocence and how can they escape? Based on true accounts of refugees.
Marsha talks about the real people behind her novels, how she does her research (and the new stuff she learned) and why it is important to tell the stories of real people who lived in the past.
During her WWII presentations, Marsha will focus on the research and stories behind one book, but she’ll reference the others as well.
Marsha is also delighted to speak to high school, college and adult groups. Her focus and perspective is tailored to audience interests. Here’s a listing of her books.
Maximum group sizes for presentations: 45 for K to 3. For everyone else, group size is not an issue as long as the room and acoustics can accommodate. Of course, smaller is better because I can give more individual attention.
Writing Workshops work best with 16 or so participants
Writing Workshop Topics:
WWII Propaganda: tips for evaluating historical sources
Teaching fun self-editing techniques to students in grades 4 to 12.
Educators’ workshop: How to assist gifted student writers (of any age) without tearing your hair out in frustration.
Techniques for punching through writer’s block.
Other topics upon request.
All Venues, library preferred.
Equipment required: A glass of water, lunch (egg or chicken sandwich on wheat bread) if she’s staying for the day. A table to spread her things out on. A microphone for groups over 100 or if the room acoustics are questionable. A screen and projector for power-point. Marsha brings a flash drive with images on power-point.
Please note: Her surname is pronounced SKRIPP-ick.
Contact Marsha: