The Magic Makers was published in August 2016, since when it has proved very popular as the key text in the Year 6 Workshop: Reading and Writing Poetry. Occasionally, the Workshop has been provided for children at the end of Year 5.  So far, well over 200 children have been involved. Both the outcomes and staff feedback have been very positive, as you will see if you explore this website.

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When a school purchases a class set (a minimum of 25 copies), the associated Workshop is provided free of charge. For schools already holding sets of the book, there is a charge of £150 for future standard half-day Workshops and an additional £100 to re-run the Workshop with a second group on the same day. John’s wife Jackie sometimes co-delivers the Poetry Workshop.

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Complementing The Magic Makers is the recently-published children’s story Leafcutter (September 2017). It has been commissioned by Clive Farrell, who owns the Butterfly Farm in Stratford-upon-Avon, and tells the story of a young girl who is inspired to go to Belize to investigate the life of the leafcutter ant! Whilst in Belize, she also discovers a number of things about the Maya culture.

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A second Year 6 Workshop has been developed to accompany the new book; this focuses upon Reading and Writing Narrative. Workshops on the new book are offered on the same basis as those for The Magic Makers.

 

 Given that I am based in Lancashire, I would have to charge something for expenses if I travelled further than 25 miles but would only ask for the cost of my actual train fare plus modest overnight accommodation in addition to the purchase of a minimum of 25 books for each participating class. It would be more convenient for me if two or more schools decided to commit to a Workshop within a 2-3-day period; the expenses could then be shared between them.

 

We hope that you find our work of interest and hope to hear from you!