Two for the price of one! I write books which have proved very popular for boys – The Secret Life of Jamie B Series -  under the name Ceri Worman and books that are popular with girls - The Maddy Series -  under the pen-name Carrie Bright. The books are suitable for 9-12 year olds and I generally work with Years 4 – 7. I wrote the Jamie B books to appeal to my reluctant reader son and the ‘boys in the back row’ I used to teach. The Maddy books are for the teenager I once was and the girls I used to teach. See www.ceriworman.co.uk or www.carriebright.co.uk for reviews.

Workshops

I can do whole school assemblies with a piece of drama to introduce the characters. Generally I work with 8-12 year olds and can work with a class or two classes at a time.  Sessions are a fun and interactive introduction to my work and the authorial process. Students (and sometimes teachers!) are called out to act scenes from the books.  I also use power point to show draft book covers and research but can work without it.

Follow-up work.  As one of the books is about spies, students can design a gadget (includes design and language work) or write an alternative chapter. Or I can adapt to suit the school’s curriculum needs.

Feedback

Ceri has visited our school on several occasions. She has done talks about her books, mostly to year 7 and 8 pupils.

She usually has a special way of engaging the children’s interest depending on the book. So for Superspy she brought gadgets to show, for rapstar she did rapping workshops and for hero she read the story while the children acted out the computer fight scenes wearing some simple props.

This makes her visits lively and memorable. Even the most reluctant readers are interested and her visits have helped make her books very popular with pupils at our school. She is a very amenable guest, always pleasant and good-humoured and deals well with all sorts of children. We look forward to her next visit.

Her books are so good and at the same time so accessible that you get a very good deal - an entertaining and impressive author together with readable books.

Fiona Bruce Literacy Development Worker Westborough High School, Dewsbury West Yorks

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A rather belated thank you for your visit last week – the children thoroughly enjoyed it and I understand all the Jamie B books in Wirral libraries are now out on loan!

Thanks again and I hope to see you again soon

Best wishes

Mary Bryning Schools’ Library Service Professional Excellence Centre Wirral

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SKYPOINT LIBRARY and ST JOSEPH’S PRIMARY (WEST DUNBARTON, SCOTLAND)

Teacher’s Evaluation

Teacher 1: Very interactive and fun. Children really enjoyed the event…They particularly enjoyed acting out scenes in Ceri’s books.

Teacher 2: The pupils were keen to read the books and all said they were going to try and get hold of them at the library…it kept them interested and entertained.

Thank you very much for coming, the students and teachers have been singing your praises ever since

Maria, librarian at Djanogoly City Academy Nottingham Worman, Ceri: The Secret Life of Jamie B

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Hi Ceri,

At the end of last year I bought a new selection of books for use in book talks. One of them was Jamie B Superspy.

I’ve just got back from the follow up session at Priory lane Juniors in Scunthorpe, which has been the first group to get the new books. I thought you would like to know that Jamie B was by far and away the most popular! The fire alarm went off while the children were talking about your book and they continued to crowd round me to talk about it while we were all lined up in the playground. There were probably twice as many hands up for Jamie B than for any other book.

Many thanks and best wishes.

Colin Brabazon
Assistant Library and Information Services Manager: Children and Young People
North Lincolnshire Library and Information Services

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Recently you visited X Primary School and the Y4 classes.  My son is currently in Y4 and had lost all enthusiasm for school.  His outlook on school and reading was a very dim one and his love for school and especially reading had almost diminished.

This was until you introduced him to Jamie B!!!  He fell in love with the books and he has now found his love for reading again.  He said it was amazing to have a “real life” author to actually tell him about the books.  I now find him upstairs an hour after bed time reading under torch light the Jamie B books he has borrowed from school.

(Parent from Sheffield School )

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Hi Ceri!  I was wondering, are there going to be anymore Jamie B books. Something like ‘The Secret Life of Jamie B: Inspector’ or maybe ‘The Secret Life of Jamie B: Police’

Also, I would like to say that Jamie B books are great and I’ve recommended them to all of my friends. My favourite book was Rapstar and I’ve yet to read Superspy. And in English we are doing aproject on our favourite authors and I was wondering whether you could tell me somethings about yourself because I’ve chosen you. If you do read this, please, please, pretty please,

(Robert, aged 11years)

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hey carrie,

i am thirteen and i enjoyed your book jealousy junkie. Do you have any other other ‘maddy’ books that you have written?? Are you a new author or have you been writing for a bit of time

thanx for listening from jess

 “The boys enjoyed it”

“A girl thought it was great and told everyone else about it”

“Cover matches the book - perfect”

 Feedback from KS2 Teachers’ Fiction Discussion Group Norfolk Schools Library Service.

Awards

Prizes include the Nottingham Children’s Book of The year, The Leicester Primary Children’s Book of the Year and The Hillingdon Children’s Book of The Year.

Book list

Writing as Carrie Bright:

Jealousy Junkie

Gothic Goddess

Dessert Diva

Writing as Ceri Worman:

The Secret Life of Jamie B Superspy

The Secret Life of Jamie B Rapstar

The Secret Life of Jamie B Hero.com

All books published by Orchard Books (Hachette Group)