I just finished my second virtual author visit with Patrice, and both times were fantastic! She brings such a fun energy and the students had a blast. Her message encourages students to believe in themselves and teaches them about the contributions of many amazing people. Patrice is so easy to work with and is genuinely kind and compassionate. Highly recommend!

The National Youth Book Conference was proud to feature Patrice McLaurin at Asa G. Hilliard Elementary School on December 5, 2025, and she delivered two inspiring, uplifting and learning readings to first and second-graders that left everyone feeling gratified for the experience. More than 200 student enjoyed her book, “Dandi McLion Has Her Say.” It’s an entertaining and educational book, and she engaged the students in a fun and interactive way. Many had questions and they all enjoyed the free book signed by Patrice and donated by the NYBC. When she was done, many kids lined up to give her a hug as a show of their excitement about the experience.

I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with you. I appreciate how you inspire me to show up in the world.

WHAT A DAY! Thank you for your perseverance and patience today! But, oh my goodness, we loved your presentations! I know, despite, the snafus, it was still a good day. You are such a fun person to work with and I appreciate you working with me.

Thank you for everything! (Including your phone call riddles!)

Simonton Elementary was thrilled last year to partner with local author Patrice McLaurin for author visits with all of our grade levels. Ms. McLaurin was a pleasure to work with! She was very easy to work with in regards to booking, payment, and offering her books for sale to our students. Her presentations were adjusted to match the learners at each grade level. She was enthusiastic about each and every presentation, whether it was the first one in the morning or the last one late in the afternoon. The presentations were interactive and included fun props and a science experiment. Her topics focused on creative thinking and African-American inventors. These were wonderful Social Studies and STEM enrichment and connections for our students. This was especially important as these subjects are sometimes not covered as in-depth in the classroom due to the instructional focus on literacy and math. Ms. McLaurin was infinitely patient with all of the students and answered all of their questions. She demonstrated how classroom skills are applicable to a career as a writer. The presentations allowed the students to get to know her as a person. She was also excellent with behavior management and positively refocused the students when their enthusiasm and energy led to being a bit too chatty. I loved how positive the presentations and interactions were with the students. Ms. McLaurin affirmed them and allowed our diverse student body to see themselves in the history and science information she shared. I highly recommend Ms. McLaurin to any teacher, media specialist or administrator for a visit to their school.