March 2019
The Literary Resource for Teachers, Librarians, and Parents
Lisa Graff Offers an Up-Close Look at New Middle Grade Novel
Rhett Miller
John Martz
Illustrates a Hilarious How-to on Cat Bathing
Lisa Shawver
Pens a Poetic Collection of Parenthood Dilemmas
Releases the First Tale of New Children’s Book Series
ONES TO READ
Kathleen Cummings
Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld Kelly Starling Lyons Sparks Interest in Science with Popular Chapter Books
Writes a Heartfelt Story Based on a Special Sibling Bond
James Patterson
Humor Helps the Medicine Go Down
Judy Newman
FABIEN Cousteau Shares His Aquatic Adventures in New Graphic Novel Series
A First Name Basis
Teaching Toolbox
A Digital Classroom Q&A
To Swipe or Not To Swipe?
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MEET THE STAFF PUBLISHER
Linda F. Radke Linda@StoryMonsters.com
Editor-in-Chief
Bring Story Monsters Ink into Your Classroom!
WRITERS
Visit our website at StoryMonsters.com to download free classroom question sheets to aid in learning comprehension and encourage your students to discuss what they’ve read in each issue!
Cristy Bertini Cristy@StoryMonsters.com
Melissa Fales, Nick Spake, Olivia Amiri, Julianne Black, Larissa Juliano
Special ContributorS Judy Newman James Patterson
DESIGN
Jeff Yesh
Science & Nature Editor Conrad J. Storad
PROOFREADER Deb Greenberg
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Linda F. Radke Info@StoryMonsters.com Cristy Bertini Cristy@StoryMonsters.com
Book Reviewers Darleen Wohlfeil, Diana Perry, Jessica Reino, Sherry Hoffman, Diana Fisher, Dawn Menge, Denise Bloomfield, Macaulay Smith
Cover photo by Carrie Vonderhaar Photography 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 Contents may not be published in whole or in part without the express written consent of the bylined author and publisher.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.”
MARCH 2019
in this issue ... Features
Columns
24 Kelly Starling LYONS
Sparks Interest in Science with Popular Chapter Books
A First Name Basis
Illustrates a Hilarious How-to on Cat Bathing
44 TEACHING TOOLBOX A Digital Classroom
32 Lisa Shawver
Shares His Aquatic Adventures in New Graphic Novel Series
10 Lisa Graff
Offers an Up-Close Look at New Middle Grade Novel
Releases the First Tale of New Children’s Book Series
36 Kathleen Cummings
46 Monsters at the Movies
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
48 Liv on Life
What is Writing to Me?
Writes a Heartfelt Story Based on a Special Sibling Bond
62 Q&A: To Swipe or Not To Swipe?
Humor Helps the Medicine Go Down
40 Judy Newman
28 John Martz
04 Fabien Cousteau
14 James Patterson
Resources 50 SPRING Reading LIST 56 Book Reviews
16 Rhett Miller
Pens a Poetic Collection of Parenthood Dilemmas
20 One to Watch: Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld
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.
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PATTERSON
JAMES
Humor Helps the Medicine Go Down When my son Jack was a kid, my wife Sue and I had a hard time getting him to read. Even though we were giving him books that had been lauded by kids and critics since the day they were published, he couldn’t find a way to connect with the characters, the plot, or the writing. Admittedly, I was the same when I was a kid. I wasn’t super into books or literature. I didn’t really get into reading until I was in college and had my first job, working as an aide in a psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts. It was called McLean Hospital, and it was one of the top private psychiatric hospitals in the US. I used to work the night shift. Long hours in quiet hallways used to bore me to death, until I started bringing reading material to work with me. I found that I was in a frame of mind to seek literature that spoke to me on a human level, that taught me about the human experience, in a way that countered what I was seeing at the hospital. I needed a balm for the stress of that job. I remembered those experiences when my wife and I discussed how to get Jack to read. We realized something that I think is a vital message for all parents: Jack didn’t love to read because he was reading the wrong books. He was reading books that didn’t speak to him in the moment—he was a middle schooler, dealing with friend drama, school drama. The awkwardness of pre-teen life. Middle school is a really tough time in any kid’s life. As adults, we may think 14
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back and laugh about the silly things that stressed us out. But in that moment, those things were our lives. A bad grade, a terrible fight with a best friend, a bully poking fun at the way our hair looked. I firmly believe that one of the best ways to cope with the stress of being alive is through laughter. I think humor is one of the best ways we can relate to each other. Making someone laugh is a great way to make a friend. It’s a way to forget that you’re sad, or mad, or frustrated. Humor gives us the strength to keep moving even when the circumstances feel impossible. So we started giving Jack funny books about being in middle school. We gave him Roald Dahl, Harriet the Spy, Shel Silverstein, Beverly Cleary. And, to our delight, he loved them. He had finally found books that he connected with, specifically because the humor appealed to him. He was a funny kid; he liked to tell jokes. He liked to make people laugh, and he liked to laugh. And I’m very happy to report that those funny books turned my kid into a lifelong reader. My experiences getting my son to love books are what motivated me to write my own kids’ books. Many of them are laugh-out-loud funny. And a lot of them deal with some pretty heavy issues. My books deal with tragic circumstances that teach kids valuable lessons— but I always take care to mask them in humor, so kids won’t get turned off by the material. The jokes keep kids reading.
JAMES PATTERSON
I’m a firm believer that humor helps the medicine go down. That’s why I think being a comedian is one of the hardest jobs on earth. It’s near impossible to teach people important lessons about society and humanity and how we behave using a few pithy comments that end in a punchline. It takes a lot of guts and a lot of smarts—but sometimes that’s the only way to make us learn, by disguising the lesson in something a lot more palatable. So if you find that you’re having a hard time getting your kids to read, put something funny in front of
them. There are plenty of humorous books for middle schoolers that deal with important topics relevant to what kids are experiencing. And in the meantime, I hope you have a good laugh today. Sometimes, a good laugh is all we need to keep us going.
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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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LIFE OF A READER
JUDY NEWMAN
A First Name Basis On the eve of Women’s History Month, I started thinking about the role of women in my reading life and realized that when I was a kid, most of the books I read and loved were by—and about—women and girls. I grew up in an era of disruptive feminism. As an adult, I read and appreciate the work of the now-called “second wave” feminists that began in the 1960s: Gloria, Betty, Angela, and Erica. But as a kid, set against the frightening backdrop of Kent State, the Vietnam War on the TV in the kitchen each night, and the threat of a world leader pushing the dreaded “red button” and sending us all into oblivion—I was pretty terrified. Before I understood the role of activism in society, I was scared by these loud feminist voices. My mother worked as a teacher, then as a social worker. My grandmother worked as a piano teacher. My own teachers were women. Miss Bartel was the principal of
Marching for women’s liberation. © Fred W. McDarrah/Getty Images
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the John Ward School I attended, and even though she “went to hell” in an underground school anthem, she had real power and was revered and respected. I didn’t see any limits to what I could accomplish. Obviously, I didn’t get it. But now decades later, I realize something. While I was too young to be out protesting (I felt so self-conscious even trying on a bra in Filene’s dressing room, let alone burn one in public!) and while at the time I didn’t see what “women’s lib” had to do with me, I must have internalized these feminist messages and expressed my interest and concern in my own way. Looking back, I recognize virtually all of the books I read and loved as a kid featured two types of feminist heroes: real-life women who were the subjects of the Childhood of Famous Americans biographies; and a group of outspoken, self-determined characters who were usually around my age and fictional.
I loved reading books by these women—Beverly Cleary, Louisa May Alcott, Astrid Lindgren, E.L. Konigsburg, and Louise Fitzhugh. From left to right: © Terry Smith/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images;© Culture Club/Getty Images; © ullsteinbild/ullsteinbild/Getty Images; © AP Photo/Florida Times-Union, Jon Fletcher; © John Cech/Recess
A FIRST NAME BASIS
I went through a period in third grade when I would read and reread the biographies of women who had made their mark in American history. I was inspired by the paths of Amelia, Betsy, Florence, Clara, Harriet, and Sacagawea. I really wanted to fly around the world, make flags, volunteer for the Red Cross, abolish slavery, become a translator and a naturalist, and help others. Beginning in fourth grade, other than the gorgeous National Geographic magazine that came to our house every month, I read mostly fiction. And the authors of those books—Beverly, Louisa, Astrid, Elaine, Louise, and Virginia—were mostly women I adored. And their characters—those outspoken, fierce girls— Beezus; Jo, Beth, Meg, and Amy; Pippi; Claudia, Harriet; and Zeely—were my role models for girls who could do anything. They inspired me. I consider them my friends for life. Now that I am (mostly) a grown-up, I still believe in the unparalleled power of female characters in books to show how strong and self-determined and worldchanging women can be. My bookshelves always make room for new role models and friends who came into
LIFE OF A READER
the world after me in life: Ha, Lanesha, Esperanza, Hermione, Katniss, and Stargirl, and so many others. In the world we live in, many heroes—real and fictional—don’t live up to their hype. They disappoint in some big or small way or fall out of style and become irrelevant. But not my girls: they are forever indomitable, fearless, and above reproach. They are equal-opportunity entertainers. They are generous and enthusiastic about each new generation of readers who comes their way. They often live in a man’s world, but they push through and around it. They take on boys and men and injustice in the neighborhood and in the world. They own their own stories. They don’t pass the buck or place blame. For them, every month is Women’s History Month. We are on a first name basis and they set the bar high for me.
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Judy Newman is President and Reader-in-Chief of Scholastic Book Clubs. For more information, visit judynewmanatscholastic.com. StoryMonsters.com | March 2019 | Story Monsters Ink
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TEACHING TOOLBOX
Teaching Toolbox:
A Digital Classroom by Larissa Juliano
More and more teachers and librarians are utilizing digital magazines in their classrooms, including me! Now that Story Monsters Ink has gone digital, let’s explore all the different ways you can make the most out of each issue! Be sure to head to your library and do a “book hunt” after learning about your students’ favorite authors, newly released books in the Book Reviews section, and dozens of books and authors featured across the colorful pages of each and every issue. Most have active links so you can hover your mouse over the text and you will quickly see what links are available to you. 44
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When I open a new issue or look through a back issue, my first stop is the table of contents to see which articles and books are being featured, and how I can incorporate them into my class:
Do an author study Every issue will have someone for you and your students to meet. Jeff Kinney, Sandra Boynton, James Patterson, Lauren Child, Tomie DePaola, Kate DiCamillo, and so many others have all graced the covers. Choose one to research further and follow along in their writing journey, or have your students write the author a letter.
TEACHING TOOLBOX
True life inspiration Learning more about real-life heroes with wisdom and insight into life’s challenges (big and small) will certainly motivate and personally connect with readers.
Feeling nostalgic When Mister Rogers’ and Levar Burton’s familiar faces pop up on your screen, take that opportunity to share some of their magical and inspirational shows, find books about friendship and kindness, and even act out some puppet shows!
Fresh ideas for tweens Ann M. Martin’s Babysitters Club is featured on the August 2018 issue and will surely generate interest for a whole new generation of Kristy, Mary Ann, Stacey, and Dawn followers. Stars like Kelly Clarkson, Ruby Jay, Danica McKellar, and more can be real role models for girls learning to find their voice and navigate through the complexities and challenges of middle school relationships and academics.
Classroom projection devices Bring up your magazine on your Smartboard, Prometheum, or other computer/projector device and ask questions for children to come up and click, or circle with computer pens, to get them moving and interacting! There are extra fun and interactive pages to bring up on your projection device, such as the reading guide, book reviews, author websites after reading the article, videos, and movie reviews. With so many districts using computer projection technology, many classrooms will have the ability to project this literary resource for all students to see.
Nonfiction scavenger hunt Focus in on the magazine for a high-interest resource to begin a nonfiction feature scavenger hunt (prep ahead of time). Explicitly teach what nonfiction text features are (they are to nonfiction what story elements are to fiction) and what purpose each one serves (this can be open-ended). Text feature examples: captions, table of contents, headings, photographs, quotation marks, bold words, graphs, charts, glossary, index, and more.
Bonus things to ask children/tweens/teens as you flip through the magazine… *What genre of books are featured in this section? *What is the theme of this author’s work? What is their inspiration? Find out if the author Skypes and set up a visit with your class! I have done this multiple times in my school district and in my graduate studies. Same with real-life heroes. *Follow Story Monsters’ social media pages to stay upto-date of upcoming articles and writing contests
Explore the Monster’s website The Story Monsters team is constantly updating their site with so many features and tools for teachers and students to access on their own. Teaching guides are available as PDFs to go along with each issue. Questions in the teaching guide can be modified depending on the child’s age—use your teaching experience and love of literature to make the magazine come alive in the hands of your students!
Student writers One of my favorite links on the website is “Student Writers Wanted” which gives our readers monthly opportunities to feature their own writing pieces— book reviews, articles, essays, poems, and drawings! This would be a dream come true for me as a middle schooler in love with writing!
Share with us! Send us pictures or comments of how your classroom and children are using the digital version of Story Monsters Ink! Tag us on Facebook or Twitter @ StoryMonsters and use the hashtag #teachingtoolbox. We would love to feature them in future Teaching Toolbox columns and/or Story Monsters social media! Let’s learn and grow together with this literary resource at our fingertips!
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Larissa Juliano is an elementary school teacher, reading specialist, and children’s book author. Follow her on Twitter @larissasjuliano or visit larissajuliano.com.
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