#150 How to Pick Out a Good Book

     Welcome to our new audience in Saudi Arabia.  You represent the forty-eighth country reading one or both of my blogs as reported on my stats pages.  Thank you for joining us in our efforts to develop children's reading interests.

     I am using a special promotion from Amazon.com to offer a free Kindle download of my middle-grade chapter book, Tiny Others (Agent C Series) by Lynda, on January 19, 20 and 21. This eBook may also be ordered using a Kindle App on computers, smart phones and various tablets as well as on your Kindles. Just click on the Amazon link above and enter the full title and author in the search window on the appropriate dates.

     Don't you wish you knew a bit more about the book though?  

     In this case, Amazon's order site will give you more information, but what if you were looking for a good book in a book store or library and you had no idea if you wanted to read a book like Tiny Others, (only one that was in paper and print instead of an eBook for Kindle).

     What are some ways you can tell if you will enjoy reading such a book before you buy it or check it out?

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     The first thing you will probably see is the book's spine:

     It might look like this.  The author's name is Lynda (first name only? Yes.)  The book title is Tiny Others, and it is part of a series called Agent C.  The reading level says it is 4.3.

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     Pull it off the shelf and take a look at the cover:

     It looks like a pencil is writing the title on some paper. Does the paper look old or something?  Why are some of the words faded?  It looks like Lynda also has done some illustrations.  Pictures might be good, don't you agree?  

     There is some kind of a stamp near the top.  It is an old Santa-looking guy, and the tiny words under him read, "Agent C".

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     Turn the book over.  There is usually some stuff about the story on the back cover:

     Did you notice a couple of trees and some information about the book's setting,  "Summer vacation in the mountains"? Two of the characters are named Savannah and Chip.  Savannah is twelve, and she has found a story hidden in in some old paper.

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     Let's open the front cover:

     Here is an inside title page with those same trees as we saw before. Didn't you think that the forest would have pine trees?

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     A dedication page is next:

DEDICATED TO:

     Lynn, who knows for certain that a fairy princess born without wings can learn to fly. 

    (Is there something about such a fairy princess in the book?)

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     Then we find a page about Agent C:

     Agent C is an embedded reading coach.  He makes a cameo appearance in several of Lynda's stories.  In Tiny Others, he takes the role of Mr. Pippin, the little shopkeeper who delivers something special to the main character, Savannah.

     This object, a mysterious ream of old paper, causes the story to change from that point forward.

     When something causes such a dramatic change, it is called a "catalyst".

     The "C" in "Agent C" stands for the word "catalyst".

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     The table of contents page can give some interesting clues about the story--especially if the chapters have titles, and they do:

           CONTENTS

Chapter 1----Pippin’s Market 

Chapter 2----The Geode

Chapter 3----Chips

Chapter 4----The Forest

Chapter 5----Awakening

Chapter 6----Naming a Princess

Chapter 7----Frolic in the Wind

Chapter 8----Secrets Shared

Chapter 9----Surprises

Chapter 10---Broken Ties

Chapter 11---Taming the Wind

Chapter 12---Whispered Warnings

Chapter 13---Whirligigs

Chapter 14---Crossing the Chasm

Chapter 15---Dark Wings

Chapter 16---Confronting Fear

Chapter 17---Into the Caverns

Chapter 18---Forest of Despair

Chapter 19---Suspended Time

Chapter 20---Promise in Gossamer

Chapter 21---A Seedling

Glossary of Plant Names

     There is lots of information in there.  Looks like this book has some adventure, doesn't it?

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     And now we come to the first page with an illustration:

Chapter 1

Pippin’s Market

     “Bump!  Bump!  As our tires rolled over tar-filled cracks on the wet mountain road, their vibrations pounded my senses like the beat of a kettledrum.  Windshield wipers added a sound like brushes on snares, and raindrops on the car roof tied the whole thing together like a crazy syncopated melody.

     

     Suddenly, I realized that my brain was doing it to me again.  It was spinning another wild idea for my entertainment. 

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     Just two more book parts to talk about--

     Did you notice the page at the end of the table of contents called "Glossary of Plant Names"? The Tiny Others in this story all have the names of plants or plant parts because they are inhabitants of the forest. This dictionary tells you more about the real-life plants they name. For example:

     Aloe...a plant with thick leaves, believed by some to have healing properties

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     ...And finally we come to the author's page. It looks like this:

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     That ends our little tour of Tiny Others (Agent C Series) by Lynda.   

     If you are interested, I have a summary of the plot on my other blog at http://ebooks4kids.blogspot.com. Just click on the link to go there.

     And don't forget to download your free eBook on January 19, 20 or 21.  Please let others know about this offer too. (If you miss this opportunity, the book will still be available on Amazon.com for only $3.99.)

     As always, please keep reading...

     

#149 Techniques for Increasing Comprehension and/or Desire to Read

     I had planned to discuss reading comprehension in this post, but when I received a parent's comment concerning the need to increase their child's desire to read, I decided to combine the two subjects. 

     They are are often closely related, but unfortunately, even when young readers have the skills required to comprehend, they may not be using them, and therefore, find no joy in reading books.

     Reading Level is not always the best indicator of success or lack of it.  When J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books came out, I observed children plowing through books far above their tested reading abilities.  Thank you, Ms. Rowling.  

     On the other hand, I read A. A. Milne' Winnie the Pooh for the first time in college when some of my friends made fun of my lack of cultural awareness.  I still loved my reading experience, and I'm glad I didn't miss it.

     In the 1970's at Harvard, Howard Gardner began to publish his research on the subject of multiple types of intelligences. He originally identified seven of them; visual-spatial, body-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical.  

     A child who is strongly intelligent in linguistics, for example, might love books, but one who is visually-spatially intelligent prefers illustrations, drawing, or arcade type games.  (Gardner's work is summarized nicely on the following web site: http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html )

     Learning styles are related to these strengths, and it is important to offer appropriate support if young readers are to choose to read books just because they like to.

     Comprehension might be increased with auditory input.  Reading aloud, alone or with a partner can help.  Some readers are auditory learners and need to add this sensory tool.  Encourage them to try mumble reading. (Don't we, as mature readers sometimes have to resort to reading difficult instruction aloud in order to understand them?)

     Attention to detail can be increased by providing a drawing pad and pencils.  Drawing characters, settings, maps, and floor plans often taps into spatial abilities, and helps readers learn to visualize the "word pictures" they are reading.

     Try selecting books in a child's high interest areas.  Animals lovers might like reading The Trouble with Tuck by Theodore Taylor.  (When Helen faces a difficult decision about her blind golden lab, she comes up with an amazing solution.)  Sports lovers will find a wealth of stories--both fiction and biographies.  (Matt Christopher's books fill one or two shelves in every school library, and he writes for girls as well as boys.)

     Another factor might involve the reader's need to multi-task.  Young readers who are especially bright sometimes lose interest in reading because is too "single minded" for them. They find the process boring. 

     I have provided a little "treasure hunt" at the back of my middle-grade eBook, White Rabbit Time (Agent C Series) by Lynda.  It offers readers a list of elements common to both my story and Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.  Some readers have the ability to keep a list like that in the "back pocket" of their brain as they read a story. Oh, those busy, busy brains some children have!

     Some developing readers complain that reading a book "takes too long".  Any librarian will tell you that some children choose books by the width of their spines.  Actually, this isn't a problem if the thinner books are still good literature.

     A sample of wonderful "thin" books is provided below:

     Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
     100 Dresses by Eleanor Estes
     Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
     The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck
     The Twits by Roald Dahl
     The Great Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater.

     I have also been guilty of tearing apart a paperback to offer it as an old-fashioned serialized story--one chapter at a time. I once had chapters secretly delivered and hidden in various places around my classroom.(Hoboken Chicken, in the list above was a big success this way!)

     Reluctant readers often need more support, especially in the first chapter or two, because books tend to have more description and less action just when their readers are trying to get interested.   

     Maps can help with establishing settings. Theodore Taylor's Teetoncey: Stranger from the Sea always makes me want to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  This book is also a trilogy, and there is nothing like a dangling thread at the end of a book to encourage reading the next one in the series! 

     Mystery books also tend to pull the readers along.

     Some books need to have historical foundations established. Ellen Klages' The Green Glass Sea and its sequel White Sands, Red Menace about the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, New Mexico are examples of these. They offer fascinating stories told from the perspective of the children who lived on the site with their families.

     Sensitive children will love reading about the courage 
of August Pullman in R. J. Palacio's wonderful book entitled Wonder. Born with a facial deformity, August was  home-schooled until he entered fifth grade. 

     I hope you will find some of this information helpful.

     Don't hesitate to ask your children's teachers to share their thoughts about their learning styles.

     Visit with the school librarian.  He/she will probably have more book lists to offer, and prowl through a book store or two.  I think the best ones have old, used books-- sometimes those that are out of print and unavailable anywhere else. 

     In the mean time, please keep reading.

     

     

      
   

           

#148 Plot Diagram for Jessie's Journey

     Welcome to our newest reading audiences from Chile and Italy.  You represent the 46th and 47th countries reported on the stats page for my blogs.  Thank you for joining us.     

     In this post I will be discussing the plot plan for Jessie's Journey, my current work-in-progress for young readers. 

     Since, by definition, the plot describes a story's action and the reader's emotional reaction to it, I think it may be  helpful to compare it to a roller coaster ride.

     A diagram of the plot to Jessie's Journey might look like this: 

     1. The Back Story gives the reader needed information about the setting and the main character. The action is moving along without too many bumps until...

     2. A Catalyst changes things. Suddenly there is a need for action.  

     3. Caught in the middle of the Rising Action, the main character tries several things in an attempt to stabilize the rocky situation, but nothing works. In fact, each seems to complicate it more. The reader's heart begins to pound as the main character races toward...

     4. A Climax. This is the peak of the action, and it is followed by...

     5.  Falling action.  The tension dissolves, but the reader still doesn't completely understand why things happened as they did.  That is revealed in...

     6. The Denouement.  The translation of this French word is something like "untying the knot".  Everything is cleared up, and the main character realizes...

     7. In the Conclusion, that she has changed in some very significant ways. 

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     Next time I want to discuss some techniques for improving comprehension in young readers.  The post will not focus on any specific book, but will cover subjects such as adjusting readability and/or interest levels, shared and "mumble" reading, drawing, and mapping.

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     And don't forget to visit my other blog at: www.ebooks4kids.blogspot.com. I have offered some recommendations for Christmas reading on Amazon's Kindles and/or  Barnes and Nobles' Nook devices.     

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     Until then, please keep reading.

     

       

#147 Characters in Jessie's Journey

     The following list contains most of the characters in my developing ebook entitled Jessie's Journey:

     Jessie is the main character.  She is a fourteen-year-old girl who trusts technology more than any of the people in her life.

     Jessie's mother has become increasingly ill and dependent on some kind of medicine.

     Rosie and Daisy are Jessie's four-year-old twin sisters.

     Granny Annie is Jessie's grandmother.  She sometimes takes the twins to her house because Jessie isn't able to care for them and her mother too.

     Cookie is Granny Annie's black and white cat.

     Agent C (Catalyst) takes the role of a worker from the Animal Control Department in Jessie's Journey.  (He takes different roles in other ebooks of this series.)

     Mr. Forester owns a used bicycle shop and also repairs computers in his back room.

     Ran is a sixteen-year-old boy who works for Mr. Forester.  His name is short for "Random".

     Mr. Wolf is the wealthy man who owns Jessie's house and many other buildings in town. He wields enough power to frighten most people.

     Percy is Jessie's friend. The girls have identical electronic journals and communicate long distances with the devices until Jessie's stops working.

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     Readers can expect Jessie to change over the course of this story. Main characters do that.

     Secondary characters mostly support the activities of the main character.  They don't usually develop and change very much.

     This story follows the usual literary pattern with a conflict between the protagonist (in this case the "champion" is Jessie) and an antagonist ( the "bad guy" she opposes is Mr. Wolf).

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     Next time I will discuss the plot structure of Jessie's Journey.  However, don't expect me to fill in too many details.  You will have to read the ebook when it is published to find out how everything turns out.

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     I am able to offer you an opportunity to download a free copy of Pomegranate (Agent C Series) by Lynda for your kindle reading devices on December 8 and 9. Just log on to Amazon.com and enter the ebook title in the search window.

     Pomegranate is the book in which Jessie was first introduced as Percy's friend (in Chapter 5), and this book  will give you a nice connection to Jessie's Journey.

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     Feel free to read the latest post in my other blog too.  I have recommended some Christmas ebooks for kids on www.ebooks4kids.blogspot.com.

     And, as always, please keep reading.

     

#146 Setting of Jessie's Journey

     Before we begin to examine the setting of my latest writing project, Jessie's Journey, I want to extend a warm welcome to our brand new audience from Spain.  You represent  the 44th country in my pageview stats provided by Blogger for www.jumpup2chapterbooks.blogspot.com.

     Learning to read is really a universal need. It's amazing, isn't it?

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     The setting of a story is sometimes divided into three parts; time, place, and mood or atmosphere.

     

     The time element in Jessie's Journey was partly developed in my earlier book, Pomegranate (Agent C Series).  As I explained in the previous post, Jessie was introduced in that book as Percy's friend.

     The Prologue of Pomegranate reveals that Percy's story takes place nine years after the great Techno-Crash. In other words, it is futuristic.  In Chapter 13 of Pomegranate, we discover that Jessie has moved away from her friend, but now their stories continue in Jessie's Journey.

     We have also move forward in time a bit, perhaps a year or more.

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     Jessie is living in a different place with her mother and her twin sisters.  Her only means of communication with her friend Percy is through their electronic journals that they call "Pomegranates".  That seems to indicate that they live some distance away from each other.

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     The mood and atmosphere at the beginning of our story might be described as desperate.  After Jessie finds herself alone, she returns to her love of technology. Unlike the people in her life who always seemed to let her down, computers have remained consistent and undemanding. However she has trouble feeling the same kind of trust for people.

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     Two of these three, the place and mood or atmosphere will begin to shift and change as our story progresses. 

     And of course, time marches on.

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     Now for a bit of business. I have made some changes to the availability of my eBooks.  All eight titles are now offered exclusively for Kindles on Amazon.com.  I signed an agreement with them for at least 90 days, and after that I will decide whether or not to resume sales through Barnes and Noble for their Nook. 

     I will notify you if I make any further changes around the beginning of March, 2013.

     My current eight eBook titles on Amazon.com for Kindles are:

          

     In the Mind of a Cat, by Lynda, a picture book about my cat, Topper

          

          

     Circles in the Wind, by Lynda, a picture book about the life cycle of a dandelion

          

         

     
     Monkey Tales, by Lynda, for a beginning reader

          

    

     Margaret's Christmas Cookies, by Lynda, a short chapter book for middle-grade readers 

          

     Tiny Others (Agent C Series), by Lynda, a chapter book for middle-grade readers

          

    

     Pomegranate (Agent C Series), by Lynda, a chapter book for middle-grade readers

          

     Lucky Alana (Agent C Series), by Lynda, a chapter book for middle-grade readers

          

     White Rabbit Time (Agent C Series), by Lynda, a chapter book for middle-grade readers

     

     

     Next time we will examine some of the characters in Jessie's Journey.

     Until then, please keep reading...

         

    

      

      

       

  

#145 Progress Report for Jessie's Journey

     My newest project is another "Agent C" chapter book entitled Jessie's Journey.

     The art work has progressed through four steps.  All of them involve either the cover or the inside title page.

     This one is an early sketch for the cover design:

     

     Initially, I had thought that the following image of the cover was finished.  Do you notice anything missing?

      

     It was missing a sticker that all of the books in my "Agent C Series" have on their covers.  This is how it looked with the sticker added:

     Then using the same basic design without some of the detail, I created the following inside title page:

     If I follow my current plan, the book will have eighteen chapters.  Each will have its own illustration, but my text guides me in the decisions about artwork, and the text is not finished. Thus, the illustrations have to wait.

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     Let me tell you more about the text...  

     It begins with the idea, then progresses to one simple statement called the story line:

     This story is about ________ (name of main character) who wants _______(what)  more than anything, but can't get it because _______ (what prevents her?)

     The story line for Jessie's book would read something like:

     "This story is about Jessie, who passionately wants to become more involved with technology, but she can't because there are real people who depend upon her."

     I have written a chapter-by-chapter outline which I may not follow completely. However, it includes most of the story details I plan to use.

     The short prologue that I've written might not be used either. That's another decision for later.  

     Chapter 1 has been finished (?) as a rough draft. 

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     So that's where I am with this project.  It all takes time, and I can't hurry it.  From this point on a story seems to have a mind of its own.  It speaks to me when I'm taking my daily walks.

     Jessie's character first appeared in Pomegranate (Agent C Series) as Percy's friend. 

      After Percy described her as a "joyful rebel", I decided that Jessie was a character who deserved further study. When she moved away from Percy, I was determined to find her again and allow her to tell her own story.  Jessie's Journey is the result.

     Next time I will begin to discuss some additional  writing approaches that I use with story elements, starting with an explanation of the setting (time and place) in Jessie's Journey.

     Until then, please keep reading...  

#144 Source of ideas for White Rabbit Time

     The obvious source of the ideas for my chapter book, White Rabbit Time, is Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. If your contact with Alice is limited to the Disney movies, please let me remind you that a ninety-some minute film cannot tell the entire story. (However, movies usually do have music and popcorn.) 

     Carroll's real books offer exposure to additional characters like Humpty Dumpty.  Did you know that HH is in the original version?  HH also appears in White Rabbit Time.

     An "Imagining Connections" page follows the story text in WRT and provides a list of thirty-one elements found in both Louis Carroll's books and mine.

     Of course, the story is very different.  Where the original Wonderland setting is either at the bottom of a rabbit hole or in a mirror's reflection, the setting of WRT is Wondermart, a huge "anything and everything" kind of a store. (Do you recognize a connecting element there?)

     And my own eBook's message comes from my experiences. As a child, I was given lots of time to explore my interests and abilities.  I loved creating things, and remember making tiny doll-house dishes from mud.  When they were dry, I painted them with an inexpensive watercolor set--the kind with eight or ten pads of paint in a tin box.

     I didn't take classes to learn the correct way to do things. I just followed my curiosity and interests.  I also wrote my first "novel" in sixth grade on theme paper. I kept it hidden away on a high shelf in my bedroom. I sometimes wonder what ever became of it.  As I recall, the chapters rambled a lot.

     As was the case with many girls at that time, I wasn't particularly enchanted with athletics, though I shared a boy's bicycle with my brothers. My parents purchased a "family ticket" to our city swimming pool every summer, and I loved to climb trees. I took one series of tennis lessons at the city park before deciding that it was not a biggie for me. However, I was not inactive either, and my weight was never a concern in those days.

     I read a lot of books (also comics and newspapers), and the books mostly came from our city and school libraries. I explored every corner of those magical "transports of the mind".

     So when I grew up, I had a healthy imagination, a creative spirit, and a wealth of naturally acquired knowledge; the tools I needed to write, illustrate, and publish eBooks for kids.

     Others will find different paths in life, but the point is, each of us needs have the time and opportunities to seek our own way. Structured classes may help, but they need to be balanced and limited to children's interests. Kids need time to "dabble".

     Am I ranting? I won't apologize for my passion about this.  It is too important.

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     Margaret's Christmas Cookies is currently offered as a free download for your Kindles on  Amazon.com. This promotion is only effective November 10 and 11.  MCC is a short holiday chapter book for middle-grade readers (reading level 4.8), but it would also be a nice early holiday gift for families. Time is short, but if you miss this promo, the book will still be available on Amazon.com for $2.99. 

     I think that concludes this series of posts about where my story ideas come from.

     Next time I will give you a progress report on my next eBook, Jessie's Journey. I am just getting a good start on it. 

     In the mean time, please feel free to click on the following link to my other blog.  The current post is about my recommended eBooks about strong, independent children. My own Margaret's Christmas Cookies is one of the featured recommendations.  www.ebooks4kids.blogspot.com.

     And, as always, please keep reading.