Books:

Fiction, grades three and up: Anna's Blizzard, A Spy on the Home Front: A Molly Mystery, Fires of Jubilee, Return of the Gypsy Witch, Rescue: A Police Story, Chase: A Police Story, Emma’s River, Belle’s Star, Risky Chance. American Girls Innerstar University series: Dive Right In and Taking the Reins.

Fiction, grades five and up: Gabriel's Horses, Gabriel's Triumph, Gabriel's Journey, Shadow Horse, Whirlwind.

Fiction and nonfiction for younger ages including: Sea Turtles, Tide Pool Creatures, Mystery at the White House, Why the Ocean is Salty, etc., written under Alice Leonhardt.

Alison Hart, a Virginia author of over twenty children's books, loves to inspire students' interests in reading and writing. Her mysteries and historical suspense novels are used as springboards to the creative processes. She has presented talks and workshops to libraries, schools, Girl Scout troops, and professional organizations, the lengths ranging from hour-long sessions to week-long author-in-residence.

In addition to being an author, Ms. Hart has a masters degree in Communicative Disorders from Johns Hopkins University. She taught elementary school and is currently an adjunct instructor in Developmental Reading and Writing at Blue Ridge Community College, specializing in improving reading and writing skills. She would love to develop a program specifically for your school or group. All presentations are interactive and designed to get kids (and adults!) excited about reading and writing.

Topics have included:

1. Bringing History to Life—The author's love of history shines through in all her presentations whether it's Readers Theatre, Writing Historical Fiction (ages 9 and up), Historical Fiction in the Classroom (professionals), or Take a Field Trip Back in Time (all ages).
   
   
2. The Case of the Missing Necklace—Mysteries are a sure-fire way to get kids engaged in reading and writing. A variety of interactive presentations are offered for young through adult mystery lovers.
   
   
3. Creating a Book: From Idea to Cover—The author's work is used to demonstrate how a novel is crafted from the idea to the cover. By the end of the presentation, students will realize that all writers-from second graders to (gasp!) J.K.Rowling—use the same process to create a story.
   
   
4. A Basketful of Ideas—Authors are always on the hunt for new ideas and-guess what-they're everywhere! Young (and old) writers will discover the secrets of collecting a basketful of ideas and then spicing them up with imagination for the start of a great story or essay.
   
   
5. Boost Those Writing Scores—For schools/teachers who are grappling with SOL's and Writing Literacy Test Scores. This is a two-day to three-day workshop (depending on number of classes and grades) involving teachers and students. Advanced planning to meet the needs of each school is necessary.
   
   
6. The Writing Life—designed for older students/adults. Writing careers from technical writing to journalism as well as the importance of strong writing skills for all careers is explored. In addition, the reality of 'the writing life' of an author is discussed.
   
   
7. The Magic of Writing—No rabbits appear, but students use their imaginations and 'five senses' to create fantastical characters, settings and plots and in the process realize that writing is truly magic!
   
   
8. Writing 911—Workshop for writers designed to pin point areas that need strengthening as well as remedies/ideas to help them on the path to publishing. Interactive and informative.