Saturday, September 24, 2016

THE SAILWEAVER'S SON

The Sailweaver’s Son combines traditional fantasy with a dash of steampunk and takes readers to a unique world—Etherium. A world where mountains rise like islands above a sea of clouds and adventurers travel the sky in sail-driven airships.

When  fifteen year-old Tak rescues the survivor of an airship destroyed by one of the giant flammable gas bubbles mysteriously appearing in the sky of Etherium, the authorities react like a flock of startled grekks.

Admiral Scud accuses Tak of sabotage. Tak’s father grounds him for reckless airmanship. The King’s advisors declare the bubbles are weapons devised by the Gublins, a race of devious—and dangerous—underground creatures. To clear his name, solve the mystery, and prevent a misguided war, Tak must visit the Gublins and find out what they know. When the odd and beautiful wizard’s daughter asks Tak to venture to the underworld with her, he reluctantly agrees.

The adventure will take Tak from the deepest underground caves to a desperate battle on Etherium’s highest mountaintop. It will force him to face his worst fears, and to grow up faster than he expected.

This very cool novel is by Jeff Minerd.  To learn more about Jeff and his Adventure Book, click here.

Friday, September 16, 2016

True Vert

In this coming-of-age story, fifteen-year-old Josh Lowman earns a spot as a pro skateboarder on the Alpha Dog Skate Kru team. With the help of washed-up skate legend Dave McSteel, Josh pushes the limits of what’s humanly possible on a skateboard.

He’s living the dream, he’s cool, an Alpha Dog skater; but he starts to lose focus on the things that truly matter. His goal is to impress Erin, but he’s so caught up in the pro skater thing that Erin and the rest of his old friends don’t want to be around him. And he’s not sure if his new friends are even friends at all.

Dirk Davies, the ambitious owner of Alpha Dog Skate Company, isn’t satisfied. Hungry for even more corporate sponsors, Dirk persuades Josh to skate the most treacherous ramp of all, and now Josh has to decide what he’s willing to risk to maintain his spot on the Alpha Dog team.
True Vert offers a glimpse into the dog-eat-dog world of professional skateboarding and takes the reader along for a wild ride as Josh discovers that it takes as much courage to drop into the Mega Ramp as it does to stay true to oneself.

This very cool skateboard book is by Janet Eoff Berend.  Janet loves all things that end with the word “board,” especially skateboard, surfboard and snowboard, which she considers the trifecta of boarding sports.  To learn more about Janet and her books, click here.

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

FREE Seattle Boys Read Workshop September 14th

FREE workshop.   Boys Read is offering a FREE workshop in Seattle on September 14th.  The workshop is called “Transforming Boys Into Lifelong Readers.”  This unique professional development opportunity is a great way to kickoff your 2016/2017 school year.

Course Description: Prepare educators, parents and guardians to be more effective in transforming boys into lifelong readers. Focus on reluctant-readers, address the 4th grade reading-slump, and narrow the gender reading gap between boys and girls.

You will learn:
• How to better connect with your boy
• The most up-to-date research on gender and learning
• How educators should consider gender as they design and
implement lesson plans
New programs should include:
• Energy-focused activities
• Seating and room arrangement
• Graphics Novels and Non-fiction
• Implementation of high-interest fiction into curriculum
• Gender-friendly resources and materials
• Parent and volunteer involvement

You will learn: (continued)
• Strategies to deliver boy-friendly teaching tips and
techniques so that each teacher and parent is better
prepared to engage boys in reading activities
• Strategies to improve the primarily female teaching
staff members’ skills when interacting with boys
• Strategies for fully maximizing schools current
resources (books currently in library)

Course Details:
Dates: September 14th
Times: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Cost: FREE
Location: Fremont Public Library, Seattle

To register, reply to jmmartin4@mac.com