April 2019
12-year-old
Joanna gaines Her Family Project Blossoms into a Children’s Book
Chris Van Dusen Brings Beloved Picture Book Characters to Life
Juana Martinez-Neal and How She Got Her Caldecott
David Cole Makes Math Fun in New Chapter Book Series
Diane Magras Adds Girl Power to Middle Grade Adventure Series
The Literary Resource for Teachers, Librarians, and Parents
Q&A with
Bob Shea Joseph Goodrich
Wins Story Monsters Approved Book of the Year
ones to Watch:
Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio
One to Read:
Sherrie Todd-Beshore
Judy Newman
Mailbox
James Patterson
Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader
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Linda F. Radke Linda@StoryMonsters.com
Editor-in-Chief
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Special ContributorS Judy Newman James Patterson
StoryMonsters.com
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Cover photo by Mike Davello Story Monsters Ink magazine and www.StoryMonsters.com are trademarks of Story Monsters, LLC. Copyright ©2019 Story Monsters LLC, ISSN 2374-4413, All rights reserved. Contents may not be published in whole or in part without the express written consent of the bylined author and publisher. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the individual writers and are not necessarily those of Story Monsters Ink or its advertisers. Story Monsters Ink is published by Story Monsters LLC Postal mail may be sent to Story Monsters Ink 4696 W. Tyson St., Chandler, AZ 85226 Phone: 480-940-8182
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Honor Roll Gold Award Recipient, Mom’s Choice Awards. 2018 Irwin Award winner for “Best Magazine Writer of the Year.” 2016 Irwin Award winner for “Best Publisher of a Literary Magazine” and “Best Editorial Director.”
APRIL 2019
in this issue ... Features
Columns 16 James Patterson
30 Diane Magras
Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader
Adds Girl Power to Middle Grade Adventure Series
46 Judy Newman Mailbox
34 Joseph Goodrich Wins Story Monsters Approved Book of the Year
04 Joanna Gaines Her Family Project Blossoms into a Children’s Book
10 Chris Van Dusen Brings Beloved Picture Book Characters to Life
18 Juana Martinez-Neal
38 Ones to Watch: Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio 42 One to Read: Sherrie Todd-Beshore 66 Q&A with Bob Shea
50 TEACHING TOOLBOX
A Surprise on Every Page
56 Monsters at the Movies Captain Marvel
58 Liv on Life Speak Up!
Resources 52 SPRING Reading LIST 60 Book Reviews
and How She Got Her Caldecott
26 David Cole Makes Math Fun in New Chapter Book Series
Want to read even more? Check out our Book Briefs page at storymonsters.com to keep up with the latest news, interviews, and happenings at Story Monsters!
Tell us what you think of this issue! Email your comments to cristy@storymonsters.com.
StoryMonsters.com | April 2019 | Story Monsters Ink
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PATTERSON
JAMES
Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader Most people know me as James Patterson, bestselling author. It’s a fair assessment—that’s certainly first and foremost how I got my reputation as a writer of adult thrillers and mysteries. But a lot less people think of me as a book publisher. In May of 2015, I launched my own children’s book imprint, JIMMY Patterson Books. I first had the idea many years ago, when my wife, Sue, and I were teaching my son, Jack, how to read. He had trouble connecting with the books he was reading, and it took some time for me to realize that he didn’t enjoy reading because he wasn’t reading books he enjoyed. That’s when I started writing my own children’s books. I started out with Maximum Ride, a bestselling, much beloved series about a girl with wings and her misfit gang of friends. People fell in love with Max Ride. In the events I’ve done over the years since the first book was released, countless young adults have come to me and expressed thanks for that series, because it turned them into readers. I firmly believe that there’s no such thing as a kid who hates reading. There are kids who love reading, and kids who are reading the wrong books. I continued to write books that I thought kids would enjoy, with the aim to turn reluctant readers into lifelong readers. My Middle School series has 11 books and counting—they’re funny, illustrated, and have a lot of heart. A lot of my middle grade books follow this model, because over the years, I’ve learned that this 16
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is what kids love. Kids will flock to these types of books over and over again, because they always deliver. Kids devour these books— whether they’re the books in my series, or similar successes, like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, and Dogman. So when I launched my imprint, JIMMY Patterson Books, I knew that our goal would be to put books in the hands of kids who otherwise wouldn’t be seeking them. I wanted to instill a lifelong habit of reading in young children by creating books that would entertain them and educate them, however subtly. We want every kid who finishes a JIMMY book to say, “Please give me another book.” Because kids who read grow into informed adults—adults who are open to empathy, who like to learn, who care about their planet. In addition to writing books for my imprint, I also act as the publisher. People think it’s “simple” enough to write a book: you write the manuscript, get an agent, and the agent sells it to an editor at a publishing
JAMES PATTERSON
house. But no one thinks about all the work, and the gigantic teams, time commitment, and resources that go into actually creating a physical book. There are editors, copyeditors, book cover designers, book interior designers, publicists, marketing experts, advertising gurus, sales directors, booksellers, production crews. Most of these people never get to experience the spotlight—they work behind the scenes to make people’s dreams come true. A lot of my job as publisher is to make decisions about every aspect of the publishing process. It’s up to me to decide what books we publish on our list. And after that, I give editorial notes, input on covers, copy, publicity and marketing plans, advertisements, sales figures. It’s up to me to make sure we publish great books and publish them well. I want every one of our JIMMY Books to be a bestseller. Yes, I have high expectations! But that’s because I know the greater the book is—the more page turning, exhilarating, pacey, entertaining it is—the more kids will want to read it. Everyone likes when something lives up to the hype. And I want to make sure that JIMMY books are delivering on our promise to
inspire kids to keep reading. As you can imagine, it’s no easy feat to run a company, a whole publishing imprint, and write books at the same time. It takes a lot of self-discipline. I spend my mornings writing, and save most of the decisionmaking for the afternoons. And I have a great team working for me—a team that understands my vision and believes in our mission. I think that with every child we turn into a lifelong reader, we’re succeeding. That’s why I started writing kids’ books to begin with, and that’s why I decided to become a publisher. I believe in making a difference in the world. That’s also why I have a thriving college scholarship program, and I frequently donate books to schools and to soldiers. I am proud every single day for what I do to support literacy in our country. And though I was technically an author first, being a publisher is one of my greatest achievements.
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James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller with one unwavering goal: to turn kids into lifelong readers. jamespatterson.com
The world’s #1 bestselling author has teamed up with the world’s most famous genius to entertain, educate, and inspire a generation of kids with the first and only kids’ book series officially approved by the Albert Einstein Archives.
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FEATURE
JOSEPH GOODRICH
Joseph Goodrich Wins Story Monsters Approved Book of the Year by Melissa Fales
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B
oo
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JOSEPH GOODRICH
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of study,” he says. “Once I tapped into that potential, there was nothing stopping me. I fell in love with academia. I basically went to college for almost 19 years straight.” Goodrich enjoyed being a student so much, he recently earned his doctoral degree in Education from Northeastern University. At Northeastern, Goodrich first learned about emotional intelligence and mindfulness. Researching for his dissertation, he discovered an undeniable link between emotional intelligence in children and their future success. “Individual performance, no matter if child or adult, is profoundly affected by the individual’s level of emotional intelligence and their ability to deal with their emotions in various situations,” he says. Goodrich discovered a dearth of literature for children about emotional intelligence. “There are many books steered towards parents,” he says. “There are books for adults to read about teaching kids about emotional intelligence, but I couldn’t find anything that teaches this subject directly to children.”
Joseph Goodrich’s debut book helps children understand the different feelings we all experience and offers them effective, age-appropriate strategies to manage their emotions. Recently named the Story Monsters Approved Book of the Year, Ellie’s Emotional Dragons has received accolades and positive reviews since its November 2018 release by Wisdom House Books. Goodrich says he never dreamed Ellie’s Emotional Dragons would receive this much attention. “I literally wrote this book for my two kids,” he says. “It was not meant for the masses. I didn’t set out to write it for the public, but I’m so glad and so grateful that it’s been so well-received.” Goodrich says he’s always wanted to write a book, no matter how unlikely that might have seemed when he was younger. “I wasn’t the greatest student in high school,” he admits. “I had a ton of potential, but I didn’t know how to tap into it and I was bored. I lacked direction.” Immediately after graduation, Goodrich enlisted in the Marine Corps. “I knew that I needed to get some discipline in my life and I definitely received it,” he says. During his second year as a Marine, Goodrich started taking college classes. “I was finally ready for that level
Over the course of his 20 years in military service, Goodrich has seen what can happen when adults are unable to manage their emotions. “As Marines, we deal with tough issues like suicide, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and spousal abuse, due to the high stress nature of the job,” he says. Goodrich says military families in particular are affected by frequent moves and long separations due to deployment that can bring up many complex emotions. He believes that teaching children how to control their feelings at a young age will better prepare them to face whatever challenges they’ll face later on in life. Goodrich was on the road for his job as a Marine Corps pilot, sleeping in a hotel when an idea came to him in the middle of the night. “I have OCD, so I couldn’t go back to sleep until I got up and wrote it all down,” he says. “I just kept writing and writing. Between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. I wrote about 90 percent of Ellie’s Emotional Dragons.” The book follows Ellie, a young elephant, whose family has just moved to a new home. Not surprisingly, she has mixed feelings about having to adjust to a new place and sometimes she feels sad, mad, scared, and happy. “As she goes through her day, the dragons come to help her get through the difficult moments,” says Goodrich. “Each dragon is a different color and represents a StoryMonsters.com | April 2019 | Story Monsters Ink
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JOSEPH GOODRICH
Goodrich admits he was surprised by the steep learning curve for writing a children’s book. “I think a lot of people don’t understand that when you self-publish, it’s a huge commitment, both time-wise and financially,” he says. “If people are going to get into writing children’s books, I suggest that they definitely do their research. Talk to lots of people. Join the SCWBI. Read Story Monsters Ink. Learn as much as you can about the business. You can spend a lot of time and money and get nowhere if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
“For my own kids to like it, that was the test. But to have other kids saying how much they like the book, that’s just the best feeling in the world.”
specific feeling. They give her advice and help her manage how she’s feeling. There are even some tips on mindfulness meditation to get kids starting to think about steps they can take to help control how they feel.” Initially, Goodrich saw the story he drafted during those predawn hours as a book he would write for his two sons. He began working on the project, keeping it a secret from his family. “I wanted to surprise my wife and kids with the finished product,” he says. Goodrich started researching how to publish a kids’ book. “Finding the right illustrator for Ellie’s Emotional Dragons was the key,” says Goodrich. “I wanted something very colorful that would flow across the pages.” Through the website for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), Goodrich connected with Traci Van Wagoner. “I was almost in tears the first time I saw her illustrations for the book because she nailed it,” he says. 36
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Already, Goodrich has been bombarded with requests for a second book about Ellie, which he is currently working on. “It’s going to be a series,” he says. “The next book is about Ellie going to school and being bullied.” Goodrich also has another series planned designed to help kids learn emotional intelligence skills. “It’s a totally different type of book,” he says. Goodrich says he’s still almost in disbelief when parents send him photos of their kids reading Ellie’s Emotional Dragons, or tell him that the book is their son or daughter’s favorite. “Sometimes I just think, Wow, Traci and I did that,” he says. “For my own kids to like it, that was the test. But to have other kids saying how much they like the book, that’s just the best feeling in the world.” For more information about Joseph Goodrich and Ellie’s Emotional Dragons, visit josephgoodrich.com.
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FEATURE
ONES TO WATCH: BIANCA AND CHIARA D’AMBROSIO
Ones to Watch:
Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio by Melissa Fales photo by Ricky Middlesworth
Talented 13-year-old twins Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio got their start in show business when they were just toddlers. Now they’re accomplished actresses, models, and musicians with fans eager to follow their every move. Thanks to the twins’ Young Entertainer Award-nominated YouTube series A Day in the Life, they can.
“A Day in the Life is a weekly vlog where we take our viewers behind the scenes on sets, on travels, award shows, and our crazy, fun life,” says Chiara. “It gives our followers a personal look at our endeavors and adventures,” adds Bianca. Born into an extended family that currently boasts six sets of twins, the D’Ambrosios grew up in Los Angeles. Their first big break came when they landed the role of Summer Newman on the longtime soap The Young and the Restless, and took turns playing the part. “I had so much fun on the set and fell in love with acting and kept pursuing it after that,” says Bianca. The experience was also positive for Chiara. “The first time I was on set and in front of a camera, I fell in love with it and haven’t turned back since,” she says. Over the decade that’s elapsed since they made their acting debut, the D’Ambrosio twins have appeared in 38
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commercials and in several rock videos like Famer’s Daughter by Crystal Bowersox and What Do You Got by Bon Jovi. You’ve also seen one or both of them on hit shows such as Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn, The Closer, Criminal Minds, and Parks and Recreation. The twins have joined the YouTube channel Squared where they post videos every Thursday. After watching Miley Cyrus performing as Hannah Montana, the two developed an interest in music. “We used to listen to Hannah Montana and aspired to be like her,” says Bianca. “That’s when we started taking guitar, piano, drum, and singing lessons,” says Chiara. All of those lessons paid off, with the twins having released numerous musical tracks. They also have an album called Got You Covered which is comprised entirely of cover songs. The album includes songs by a wide variety of artists including The Clash, Twenty One Pilots, The Ramones, Bay
ONES TO WATCH: BIANCA AND CHIARA D’AMBROSIO
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ONES TO WATCH: BIANCA AND CHIARA D’AMBROSIO
City Rollers, and Weezer, giving the sisters a chance to show off their substantial guitar and drum prowess. Their most recently released tune was Young and Free, written by Marko DeSantis of the rock band Sugarcult. Although the girls have recently stepped away from music in order to focus on their acting careers, they’re hoping to be in the recording studio this summer and able to offer their fans some new music soon. Bianca and Chiara have starring roles in the new TigerBeat original TV series Sage Alexander: The Dark Realm. It’s a dark story about a teen who must fight the seven princes of hell in order to save mankind. “When we filmed, we had a blast with Brooke Butler (Leah) and Hayden Summerall (Sage Alexander),” says Bianca. “We can’t wait to film with them again soon.” Chiara said working on set was like a friendly reunion. “It was super fun because I knew Hayden and Brooke from previous events and I also got to work with some cool new actors as well.” Keep your eyes out for the D’Ambrosio twins to appear on the big screen soon. They recently finished filming a movie and have another one set to start filming this spring. More than just two identically pretty faces, the D’Ambrosios make charity work a priority and find time in their busy schedules to give back through
“Chiara and I try to set a good example on social media. We like being positive role models for our followers.” community service. They proudly serve as youth ambassadors for the Boo2Bullying Organization and even created a song and music video about standing up to bullying, called Let Your Light Shine. In 2013, it won a Gracie Allen Award for Outstanding Viral Video. Bullying is a topic that hits close to home for the twins. “We faced bullies when we were younger and wanted to help out other kids,” says Bianca. “We wanted to let kids who are being bullied know that there is always someone to help and it always gets better,” adds Chiara. The twins urge their fans to let an adult know if someone is bullying them. “When I was bullied, I always told an adult or talked to my friends about it,” says Bianca. “I try to let the person being bullied know that they can always find help and don’t be afraid to tell an adult,” says Chiara. “In real life and online, Bianca and I always try to spread positivity to our family, friends, and viewers.”
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The girls acknowledge that they’re lucky to have each other when times get tough. “I love having a person to always talk to and having a forever best friend,” says Bianca. “My sister is my best friend and I am happy to have someone always by my side,” says Chiara. The D’Ambrosios are aware that many impressionable young women are looking up to them and they take their status as role models seriously. “Chiara and I try to set a good example on social media,” says Bianca. “We like being positive role models for our followers.” Their message to their fans is simple, yet heartfelt: “Keep pursuing your dreams even if you think they’re far out of reach,” says Bianca. “Always dream big,” says Chiara. Find Bianca on IG @therealbiancad and follow Chiara @therealchiarad! Follow both girls on Instagram and YouTube @dambrosiotwins and visit their website dambrosiotwins.com.
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MONSTERS AT THE MOVIES
Captain Marvel reviewed by Nick Spake • grade: B+
Captain Marvel is the 21st film in the MCU, but it’s also a first for Marvel Studios. From Black Widow to Agent Carter to Valkyrie, Marvel has given us no shortage of compelling heroines. The Wasp even got upgraded to a co-lead in the sequel to Ant-Man. Up until now, however, a female heroine has yet to take center stage in this cinematic universe. That alone makes Captain Marvel a significant milestone, but in order to truly break the glass ceiling, it’s not enough to simply give a female superhero her own movie. The filmmakers need a fully fleshed-out character at the forefront of a story that balances action, humor, and heart. Fortunately, Captain Marvel does exactly that. Oscar-winner Brie Larson is dazzling as Carol Danvers, a soldier living amongst an alien race known as the Kree. As a member of the military unit Starforce, Carol finds herself in a war against the Skrull, another alien race that can take on any form. In the midst of this intergalactic conflict, Carol winds up on Earth, which seems oddly familiar to her. Soon enough, she begins to have memories of a past life as an Air Force pilot. Searching for answers, Carol enlists the help of a young S.H.I.E.L.D. agent named Nick Fury, who’s naturally played by Samuel L. Jackson. Captain Marvel easily could’ve been a Thor retread with Carol being a run-of-the-mill fish out of water. Even when she is unfamiliar with earthen concept, though, she’s cool under pressure and can adapt with little trouble. The comedy stems less from how Carol reacts to her environment and more from the environment itself. Since the film is set in 1995, the story is able to weave in a lot of hilarious retro throwbacks, from Blockbuster Video, to RadioShack, to AOL. There’s even an ingenious reference to the Kevin Smith comedy Mallrats. The wonderful chemistry between the cast is also a great source of humor. 56
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The dynamic between Carol and Fury is reminiscent of a classic buddy cop movie, almost making you forget that one of them can blast beams of energy from her hands. It’s especially refreshing that a romantic relationship never blossoms between them, making for one of the MCU’s best friendships. The de-aging effects used to make Jackson look 20 years younger are quite impressive, although Jackson already looks pretty good for somebody who just turned 70. In
MONSTERS AT THE MOVIES
addition to Fury, Carol shares strong dynamics with an old Air Force buddy (Lashana Lynch), her Starforce mentor (Jude Law), and a crafty Skrull leader (Ben Mendelsohn), not to mention a cat named Goose, who completely steals the show. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have made an exhilarating entertainment that’s one-half Wonder Woman and one-half Top Gun. It’s also probably the closest we’ll ever get to a good Green Lantern movie. The film admittedly doesn’t deviate far from the standard Marvel formula and there’s a twist concerning the villain that’s beyond predictable. Even at its most familiar, however, Captain Marvel stands out primarily thanks to its titular character. Carol Danvers has the wit of Tony Stark, the nobility of Steve Rogers, and the strength of Thor, but at the same time is a completely unique individual. She’s an empowering figure for females everywhere who touches upon the hardships women have faced and puts an even stronger emphasis on how they’ve
overcome those obstacles. What’s more, she may be the only hero who can put Thanos in his place with Avengers: Endgame just around the corner.
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Nick Spake has been working as a film critic for ten years reviewing movies on his website: nickpicksflicks.com.
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