Tweens, Summer, and the dreaded, “I’m bored.”

In a few, short days, children will be out of school. Parents have already planned summer activities, booked a camp, or prepared for those long summer days. One of the first things they’ll hear from their tweens is… “Mom, I’m bored!”

Some parents will respond by saying, “Why don’t you go outside and play?” Right, like that’s going to happen. They might also suggest video games, computer time, or the always present TV. After all, these have been great babysitters in the past, haven't they?

But what if a parent could find something new, something different?

Max Elliot Anderson grew up hating to read. That is a fact that led him to explore exactly why this had happened. His findings resulted in a determination to begin writing the kinds of books he would have liked as a child.

His first books, Newspaper Caper, North Woods Poachers, Mountain Cabin Mystery, Big Rig Rustlers, Secret of Abbott’s Cave & Legend of the White Wolf, have been compared by readers and reviewers to Tom Sawyer, The Hardy Boys, Huck Finn, Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, Scooby-Doo, Lemony Snicket, and adventure author Jack London. (Newspaper Caper is only available from the author, and all direct ordered books are signed)

Each book has completely different characters, setting, and plot. Several young readers have written to say, “Reading one of your books is like being in an exciting or scary movie.”

We know that up to the age of 14, kids are making most of their decisions for a lifetime. The choice of reading should be one of those decisions. And these action-adventures & mysteries book contain character and spiritual principles that will help in forming good choices.

So the next time you hear, “I’m bored,” just reach for an action-adventure or mystery by Max Elliot Anderson. All books are ranked by Accelerated Reader.

Find more information at these sites:

Author Web Site
http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/

50 Pages of Reviews
http://maxbookreviews.blogspot.com/

Boys in Peril

Following is a guest article, written by Robert Gould, president of Big Guy Books.

Boys in Peril

Literacy rates fall, dropout rates rise. What it means to us.

There is a crisis going on in this country right now – one that threatens the very future of half our nation’s children. Yet, this dire situation persists with little or no attention from the mainstream media. The problem is that boys are falling further and further behind in their reading skills – and, as a result, they are dropping out of school at an alarming rate.

Think this kind of talk is just “alarmist” in nature? Consider these facts:

55% of College students are Girls, 45% are Boys.

11th-grade Boys now read and write at the level of 8th-grade girls. 30 years ago there was no difference.

In U.S. PIRLS tests, for reading proficiency, 4th-grade girls average 18 points above boys.

40% of fourth graders read below the basic level. 75% of them never rise above average.

By age 17, less than 6% of boys can read science, business and economic sections in the local newspaper.

On average, boys learn to read at a much slower pace than girls. Plus, we reinforce and reward other skills and behaviors in boys that are not tied to reading. Sports, video-gaming, and the social “hangin’ with friends” (without doing anything productive) are three examples of the ways boys are pulled away from reading. These facts present several problems in today’s educational system. For one thing, increased class sizes and more stressed-out, inexperienced teachers in the classroom mean that it is going to be harder to give those boys, who fall behind, the special attention they need to catch up. And, when boys (or any child, for that matter) fall behind, it begins to have a negative effect on their self-esteem.

Once the self-esteem begins to suffer, it becomes very difficult to learn anything. Now, you have boys who associate very negative feelings with school and, consequently, reading. So, that puts the male gender, which has been struggling to keep up in the first place, at an even greater disadvantage. By the time these boys get to high school, they are hardly in a good position to complete the four-year program and move on to college or a solid job.

What happens next is the unthinkable: HIGH percentages of boys drop out of school before they finish the four years of High School that are an absolute necessity for survival.

Consider this alarming information reported in The New York Times:

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is considered the yardstick for academic performance because it is the only test taken all across the country. The test of 12th-grade achievement was given to a representative sample of 21,000 high school seniors attending 900 public and private schools from January to March 2005.

It showed that the share of 12th-grade students lacking even basic high school reading skills – meaning they could not, for example, extract data about train fares at different times of day from a brochure – rose to 27% from 20% in 1992.

The share of students proficient in reading dropped to 35% from 40% in 1992. At the same time, the gap between boys and girls grew, with girls’ reading skills more than a year ahead of those of boys’.

--The New York Times, February 22, 2007

So, what does this all mean to us, as a society?

It should be fairly obvious, that as the number increases, of our sons and brothers who are dropping out, the worse off we all are as a whole. Unemployed and under-educated males find themselves in trouble with the law at a much higher rate than those who finish school and move on to steady jobs or careers.

Our prisons are filled with young illiterate males who went out into the world at a disadvantage because of their lack of reading skills. To illustrate this point, let’s turn again to more disheartening statistics:

90% of welfare recipients are high school dropouts.

90% of prison inmates in 2006 were men.

70% of prison inmates cannot read above a 4th-grade level.

In California, the percentage of children who never make it past the 4th-grade reading level is used to help gauge the number of future prisons.

66% of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare.

Since 1970, there has been a 700% increase in the U.S. prison population.

The cost for all the new inmates will be $27.5 billion by 2011.

There’s no end in sight, and the problem may turn out to be cyclical. How is a father going to develop a love of reading in his son if he, too, doesn’t have a high comfort level with books, doesn’t read during his own leisure time, or (in the worst-case scenario) is illiterate himself? It’s easy to see how this crisis can, and has, quickly spiraled out of control in our country.

Consider all the money poured into building new jails and locking up drug offenders. Now, imagine what might have happened if that money was put into our schools – working diligently to help our young boys get a foothold on the basic reading skills needed to survive and excel.

Is there a solution? Absolutely! We must invest a considerable amount of additional time and energy into making our boys more literate. Families simply cannot allow them to fall behind in school. And, the easiest way to do this is to build a life-long love of reading at the individual family level.

First and foremost, fathers and sons need to spend more time focusing on reading-centered activities. A father-son bond formed over any activity is a powerful one. Imagine that bond put to use for something as crucial as literacy!

Dads need to be reading role models, who not only read to their kids as much as they can, but put themselves out there as readers, as well. When a child sees his father reading around the house (instead of watching a game on TV, or working on the computer, etc.), that visualization is going to have a profoundly positive effect on the child’s own behavior.

After committing more time to reading to the boys, it is important to choose the appropriate content. Parents need to select titles that will really engage young boys. Storytelling that utilizes compelling photos and images, tales of heroes, action, history, dinosaurs or space – these elements have all been proven to engage boys at a much deeper, stronger level.

Finally, we need to play a more active role at school. Getting involved with the library and reading to your son’s class (when it is age-appropriate) are two powerful ways to show your child that you have a stake in his education and that reading matters!

As parents, during this challenging time, we must come to grips with this crisis of literacy that is facing boys in this country. Schools will be able to help our children, but not until we make strides at home! Start early. Read often. Break the cycle of literacy problems and open up a world of possibilities for your child.

(used with permission)

Boys and Literacy

I've recently discovered an excellent blog site that might be of help to you in helping the boys, in your life, to become readers.

Boys and Literacy

http://jennykwokmarp.blogspot.com/2008/04/road-map.html

"These Books Are Like BEING In An Exciting or Scary Movie"

"These Books Are Like BEING In An Exciting or Scary Movie"

That's what author Max Elliot Anderson consistently hears from young readers.

"I grew up not especially liking to read," Anderson reports. "My life gravitated to things more visual, resulting in the pursuit of film, video, and TV commercial production. Now, those decades of visual production find their way into action-adventures and mysteries that I write today."

Parents, librarians, teachers, and young readers all agree that Anderson's books capture the imagination of even the most reluctant reader, and they're perfect for summer reading.

"This is music to my ears," Anderson said. "Since I didn't like to read, I'm excited about writing books that reach out to kids who might be growing up like I did." Both girls and boys enjoy his books.

Anderson's books reach far beyond reluctant reader boys. Nearly 50 pages of reviews can be found at http://maxbookreviews.blogspot.com

Readers are consistently enthusiastic about his stories. Each book has completely different characters, setting, and plot. "I did this," Anderson said, "so that stories could take place all over the country, with characters who have different personality traits, strengths, and weaknesses.

North Woods Poachers, Mountain Cabin Mystery, Big Rig Rustlers, Secret of Abbott's Cave, and Legend of the White Wolf are ranked by Accelerated Reader, and distributed by Baker and Taylor. Copies can also be ordered on Amazon.com.

The books have been compared by readers and reviewers to Tom Sawyer, The Hardy Boys, Huck Finn, Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, Scooby-Doo, Lemony Snicket, and adventure author Jack London.

Additional information can be found at the following web sites -
Author Web Site http://www.maxbooks.9k.com

This Books for Boys blog was featured this week in the Children's Writing Update

Earlier this week, this blog was featured in the Children's Writing Update newsletter.

>> ITEM 5 - Featured Children's Lit Blog: Books For Boys

In the past couple of years, there's been an explosion in wonderful blogs about children's books and the writing process. Now, in each issue of the Update, we'll profile a unique and helpful blog.
This issue, we highlight Books for Boys, a blog created by author Max Elliot Anderson. The blog focuses on issues and concerns facing today's boys, how to write for them, and how to encourage reluctant readers. Check it out at:
http://booksandboys.blogspot.com/

Why I Write Tween Books For Boys

It is clear that some of the most critical patterns for a lifetime are decided during the tween years. This is that awkward time between still trying to be a “little kid” and being all grown up.

As a child, I grew up as a reluctant reader. In a family of seven children, I wasn’t especially pushed to read, so I never formed good reading habits. This was ironic because my father has published over 70 books. A number of these were written for children.

A few years ago I decided to look into some of the reasons for my lack of interest in reading. My findings lead me to begin writing chapter adventure books, for readers 8 - 13, that I would have liked as a child. My books are highly visual, with lots of humor, dialog, and plenty of heart-pounding action. Early responses from children indicate that I’m right on target. Reluctant and avid readers now devour each new title as it is released. Parents are also vocal in their appreciation for books that are reaching their children.

Marketing executives will tell you to find a need and fill it. But this isn’t exactly the way I got started. How that came about is a story in itself. My purpose was to craft books that would excite the interest of reluctant readers.

After a detailed study into why I didn’t like to read, and looking at books that were written for children, I set out to write the kind of stories I would have read when I was a child.

A further target audience I wanted to write for was boys who might be without a positive male role model in their lives. I felt that if I could tell a good story, the moral, ethical, responsibility elements could then be planted in their minds. Hopefully, at some time in the future, those concepts would be useful when these boys became men. I have a degree in psychology and this helps in communicating these concepts, and understanding my audience.

The biggest surprise, outside of the fact that reluctant reader boys love these books, is that avid boy readers, girls, and even adults do too. I believe it’s our responsibility to do everything we can for the next generation, to leave this world a better place than when we found it. I hope my books will have a small part in that process.

The first seven books are NEWSPAPER CAPER, TERROR AT WOLF LAKE, NORTH WOODS POACHERS, MOUNTAIN CABIN MYSTERY, BIG RIG RUSTLERS, THE SECRET OF ABBOTT’S CAVE, and LEGEND OF THE WHITE WOLF. But this is not a “series” in the traditional sense. Each book takes place in a different part of the country with different characters, setting, and plot. Readers and reviewers have likened my books to The Hardy Boys, modern day Tom Sawyer & Huck Finn, Nancy Drew, Star Wars, Tom Swift and Scooby-Doo, Lemony Snicket, and adventure author Jack London.

When I first began writing, I decided that if I could help one reluctant tween to become a reader, it would be worth it. From the emails and letters I have already received, that goal has been reached many times over. I received the following email right after Christmas. It underscores the effect that my books are already having on tweeners.

“I gave my son (11) a couple of your books for Christmas (he read "Northwoods Poachers" when you asked for some "reviews" and loved it). He is definitely a reluctant reader...I have to be on his case constantly to get him to read. When he opened the package I could tell he was not too thrilled with getting books...until he saw that you wrote them. ‘Oh, these are THAT guys books...thanks, Mom!’ Later in the day I mentioned to him that I expected him to read the books. He said ‘You don't have to tell me that, Mom...I want to read them!’ As a mom who is almost never without a book in her hand, it really warmed my heart to see him excited about reading! Thanks, Max! And please, keep them coming!”

My books are distributed nationally to bookstores by Baker & Taylor, and are

available online at Amazon.com. Each book has been ranked by Accelerated Reader.


Biography: Max Elliot Anderson

Max Elliot Anderson grew up as a reluctant reader. After surveying the market, he sense the need for action-adventures and mysteries for readers 8 – 13, especially boys.

Using his extensive experience in the production of motion pictures, videos, and television commercials, Mr. Anderson brings the same visual excitement and heart-pounding action to his stories. Each book has completely different characters, setting, and plot.

Seven books are published, with an additional twenty-seven manuscripts completed. Young readers have reported that reading one of his books is like being in an exciting or scary movie.

Additional information can be found at http://mailto:mander8813@aol.com,
nearly 50 pages of reviews http://maxbookreviews.blogspot.com/,
and Books for Boys blog http://booksandboys.blogspot.com/

Children’s Literature Conference focuses on what boys like to read, books for boys

This Friday and Saturday, March 14 and 15, there will be a gathering of educators and librarians that interests me.

Children’s Literature Conference focuses on what boys like to read, books for boys

http://www.niu.edu/northerntoday/2008/march10/litconf.shtml

If you’re interested in books for boys, then the above link will offer encouragement.

From the very beginning, I began writing my action-adventure & mystery books for boys, because I grew up hating to read, and not many books could reach me as a reluctant reader.

I’m encouraged by this conference at Northern Illinois University, focusing on books for boys, and look forward to an increased awareness of the critical need to publish more books for boys that boys want to read.

Max Elliot Anderson
Author of books for boys