Win a set of The Time Pirate by Ted Bell for your book
club.
Enter to win by emailing Ted's publisher (write "KidsBookclubbing" in the subject line). Dear
Reader,
I was inspired
to write The Time Pirate by what I believe is a lack of good, old-fashioned flesh and
blood heroes in today's books for young readers.
Anyone who
reads this book will, I hope, be inspired by the heroes in these pages. Two are
ordinary children who overcome great obstacles to find the hero within and one
is an extraordinary man- General George Washington- from another century, truly
one of greatest heroes in history. But all three share common values:
self-reliance, courage, persistence, love of country and family, and an
unrelenting determination to succeed despite all odds.
In The Time Pirate, the
thrilling sequel to the New York Times bestseller Nick of Time, the young time traveler
Nick McIver must prove his courage once more, on two fronts: in WWII-era
England, where Nazis have invaded his homeland, and in America during the
Revolution, where Nick stands shoulder to shoulder with General George
Washington. Meanwhile, the evil pirate, Captain Billy Blood, kidnaps Nick's sister and warns Nick that if he wants to see her again, he must hand over the wondrous time machine...
I only hope readers have half as much fun reading The Time Pirate as I did writing it!
All the best,
Ted Bell
Book reviews for Nick of Time (first book in series):
"If someone
you love loves Harry Potter, Long John Silver, or Indiana Jones, this is the
book for them!" -Chicago
Public Library Best of the Best Award
2009 "Wow! Some books sweep you away. Nick of Time amazed me, dazzled me, and swept my
imagination off to sea.... I've been craving an adventure story with a good mystery,
and this arrived in the 'nick of time' to rescue me." -School Library Journal
"A blast - the best of Robert
Louis Stevenson, Horatio Hornblower, and Harry Potter. The kid in me loved it,
and so did the adult." -James Patterson, New
York Times bestselling
author of the Maximum Ride series
Discussion Questions for The Time
Pirate:
1.
Nick
uses a time travel device known as Tempus Macina to travel across two different wars:
the American Revolution and World War II.
What event must Nick stop to save his own country during World War II?
Why does Nick feel compelled to stop the event from happening? Why does Nick
feel "traitorous"? 2. Nick
takes his sister into the Dark Forest, where they locate their father's World
War I Sopwith Camel fighter biplane in an old barn. Together, he and his friend
Gunner, restore the old plane. Describe Nick's relationship with Gunner. Why
does Nick want to restore the plane? 3. Nick's
sister Kate is kidnapped by Captain Blood and taken back in time to the 18th
century. Why does Blood kidnap Kate? What important information does she
discover and why is that information important? 4. Describe Nick and Kate's relationship.
In what ways are they alike? How are they different? How do their personas
complement one another? 5. Part of
the fun of reading The Time Pirate is identifying historical references and determining
whether Bell is being true to history or whether he is taking poetic license.
Find a favorite scene and explain how Bell stays true to history and/or takes
liberty with the truth. Read the first three chapters, a discussion guide, and what people are saying about the Nick McIver books, visit the author's website and become a Nick McIver Facebook fan to keep up with
the latest!
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Ages 6-10 / Non-fiction
picture book / Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing Win a set of Independent Dames by Laurie Halse Anderson for your book club.
Enter to win by emailing Laurie's assistant (write "KidsBookclubbing" in the subject line) Dear
Reader, I packed Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women and Girls of the American Revolution with history, humor and "Huzzahs"
especially for readers who have been bored out of their wits by dull textbooks. Dames looks at the American Revolution from a fresh angle; through the
activities of dozens of women and girls who actively helped the Patriot cause. I dug into
the archives and found dozens of women and girls who fought for freedom. They
spied on the British, rescued Patriot prisoners-of-war, acted as scouts for the
frontier troops, ran their husbands' farms and businesses, took care of injured
soldiers, defended their homes, and, occasionally, fought on battlefields -
even though that was against the law. You'll find
all kinds of supplementary information as well as discussion guides to my books
on my website: www.writerlady.com. I would be very happy to set up a Skype visit with your book club to discuss
Dames or any of my other historical books: Chains, Fever 1793, and Thank You, Sarah!
You can email my assistant for details: [email protected]. Bookishly
yours, Laurie
Halse Anderson
Book Reviews for Independent Dames:
"I LOVED
the voice in this book. Absolutely loved it. This is a picture book built for intermediate
grades and middle-schoolers, and the voice will speak to them.... Anderson makes
the information accessible and dare I say, even fun!... Laurie Halse Anderson
has created the ultimate non-fiction book for middle-schoolers. I can't wait to use it for my
multi-genre study and my Women's History Month project. Independent Dames: What You Never Knew About the Women
and Girls of the American Revolutionis an absolute MUST for all classrooms and libraries!
And the best part is, students will actually want to read it! It can be
read at a glance, with the narration and dialogue bubbles, or kids can read
deeper and examine the crawl/timeline. This is a book that can be read
over and over, with kids learning something new each time." -The
Reading Zone "...A
few of the names are familiar - Phillis Wheatley, Martha Washington, Abigail
Adams, Deborah Sampson-but as the author establishes, there are many women and
girls whose large and small contributions to the cause of independence have
been largely ignored. Prudence Wright and Sarah Shattuck guarded their village
when the men were fighting at Concord and Lexington, and they captured a
British spy. After her husband was killed in battle, Margaret Corbin fired his
cannon until she was shot, making her the first American woman to receive a
military pension. Whether the women were disguising themselves as men in order
to be soldiers, raising money for suffering soldiers, sewing and knitting for
the troops, or participating in protests or a boycott of British goods, their
actions were significant. Faulkner's ink-and-watercolor illustrations are
exuberant, often amusing, and filled with crosshatching and dialogue balloons.
The spreads are busy and information-packed, and readers will be both
engaged by and educated about this critical period." -School Library Journal A CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book
Storytelling
World Award Winner
Discussion Questions for Independent Dames:
1. Who is
your favorite Independent Dame? Why? 2. Did the
activities of any of the Dames surprise you? Why? 3. Why do
you think earlier generations did not talk about the activities of these Dames? 4. What
surprises did you find in the timeline? 5.
Historians say that Americans in the Victorian-era downplayed the role of women
and people of color in the revolution. Why would they have done that? 6. Which one
of the Dames would adjust the best to our modern society? Which one would have
struggled?
You'll find
loads of information about Independent Dames including music from the period,
web links for further reading, a game and more at the Independent Dames mini-site. Plus you can find out about Laurie
Halse Anderson's book awards and keep up with her on Twitter, MySpace,
Facebook, her blog and more at her website. Author call-in information: Laurie Halse Anderson is happy to
call-in to or skype with your club. E-mail Laurie's assistant to submit your request.
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Ages 10 and up
/ Fantasy / Random House Delacorte PressWin a set
of The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones for your book club.
Enter to win by emailing the author (write "KidsBookclubbing"
in the subject line).MDear Reader,
I started
writing The Owl Keeper in November, 2001, when the world felt dark and
bleak: a
tale of hope. I imagined a lone
boy in a forest. Overhead, an
owl. This boy loved the dark. He wanted desperately to be brave, but
he was afraid. Why?
I was drawn
to the mystery surrounding the boy, the owl, the forest. All I knew
was, he had a dangerous
secret -and his orderly world was about to crumble.
Set in a
future ruled by fear, The Owl Keeper explores courage, loss, betrayal
and
friendship. I hope readers will
empathize with Max's struggle to be brave on his perilous journey with
the owl
and his friend Rose. Isn't the
unknown something we've all faced at one time or another?
Enjoy the
adventure!
Christine
Brodien-Jones Book Reviews for The Owl Keeper:
"The post-apocalyptic setting is nicely done here, with hints that this is indeed our world gone horribly wrong: terrifying genetic mutants, eerily similar to familiar animals, haunt the night, a global climate disaster has made the season eternally winter, and an all-controlling government threatens to take over people's minds...Animal lovers and budding environmentalists...may enjoy Max's relationship with his owl." - Kate Quealy-Gainer, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Christine Brodien-Jones carefully mixes in hints of dystopia, mystery, adventure, and fantasy to create hands down the best novel aimed at younger teens that I have read since the Harry Potter series...From the amazing depth of her characters to the non-stop action, this novel was a blast...The action and adventure in this novel will be sure to captivate and inspire anyone's imagination." -Kate Bourne, The Neverending Shelf (selected as The Neverending Shelf's Book of the Month) Discussion
Questions for The Owl Keeper:
1.
Although The Owl Keeper is a fantasy, it explores issues we face in our everyday
lives. Choose a theme from the
book and discuss how it relates to you personally. Examples:
friendship, courage, self-esteem, family
relationships, trust and betrayal, censorship, the morality of genetic
experiments,
oppressive governments, dealing with loss.
2. What
monsters have you encountered in literature? If you were a mad
scientist in a secret laboratory, what
sort of monster or genetically-altered creature would you create? Write
a story and put your hero/heroine
in a situation with this monster. Do they tame it, destroy it, or find a way to escape?
3. After a
rocky beginning, Max and Rose become close friends, sharing secrets,
disagreements and terrifying adventures. Write a character sketch about a friend, including descriptions of your
adventures and misadventures together, and details to illustrate why
your
relationship is unique.
4. "PERFECT
WEATHER FOR A PERFECT WORLD. CITIZENS' DOME CONSTRUCTION SCHEME." Max
dreads the time when the citizens
of his town, including his parents, must leave and move into the domes. What would it be like to live in a
controlled environment? Would a
world without darkness be a perfect world, as the High Echelon's
billboards
claim? Write a short story about a
character living inside one of these domes.
5.
"Rose
was his one true friend: she would risk everything to save him. And he
would risk everything to save
her." Do you think Max's opinion
of Rose changes over the course of the novel? If so, how? Would you
risk your life, as Max does,
to save the life of your best friend?
You'll find
an excerpt, Q&A, and book trailer at Christine's website. Follow her blog and keep up with her via Twitter and
Facebook.
Author
call-in information: Christine is happy to call-in to your club.
She also may be able to meet with your group if you live in the Boston area.
Send an email to Christine via her website
to submit your request.
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