The Chestnut Challenge: The Nocturnals

The Chestnut Challenge: The Nocturnals

     In The Chestnut Challenge, Tobin, a sweet pangolin, Bismark, a loud-mouthed sugar glider, and Dawn, a serious fox, are playing a game of Chestnuts when Chandler, a conniving chinchilla, challenges Tobin for the title of Chestnut Champion. However, after a series of strange distractions occur, the Brigade begins to suspect that something is not quite right. Chandler is a competitive chinchilla...but could he also be a cheater?

     Readers will delight in an entertaining animal adventure while learning about playing games for fun and displaying good sportsmanship.

     This book came to us at just the right time. Two of our granddaughters, ages 7 and 6, have recently discovered the game of checkers. It's been interesting to watch them learn basic moves of offense as well as defense. And both of them will occasionally try to bend the rules. So the message against cheating is appropriate for their ages.

     They have also enjoyed learning about the animals in this story that come out to play after dark.

Includes bonus Nocturnals fun facts and animal glossary (Ages 6-8)

Themes include good sportsmanship, forgiveness, and friendship.

See this blog for middle grade adventures and mysteries https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com

Mothers Teachers and Librarians with struggling, middle grade readers

I also grew up as a struggling, reluctant reader. My life took a course of dramatic motion picture, video, and television commercial production. It is from that well of creative experience that my adventures and mysteries originate for young readers.
The following letter is from a middle school teacher who has used my adventures and mysteries in her classroom for the past few years. It most clearly reflects what I hear from mothers, teachers, and librarians who have trusted my books to interest their young children in reading.

Dear Teacher,

    My name is Sandra Stiles. I am a middle school Language Arts teacher in Bradenton, Florida. I have always had a passion for reading. That passion doesn’t always transfer to your own children. My daughter was a struggling reader. It took another teacher to introduce her to an author whose books she devoured.  

    I am here to tell you about that author who has my students reading and fighting over his books.  Max Elliot Anderson has been one of my favorite authors for several years. Not only do I love his books, but my students love them as well.  I have three classes of students who have a remedial reading class, then they come to me for Language Arts.  
     When I did my first book pass with my students I made sure to have one of Max’s books in each pile to introduce them to his books. Both boys and girls love his books. Almost all of his books are not only filled with adventure, but also mystery. 
     One of my lowest readers has made it a goal to read all of Max’s books I have on my shelves. He has read eight books so far. The really cool part is that he started talking to some of the girls in the class. Now he has them reading them, too.

     Max has two major series, “The Sam Cooper” series and “The Accidental Adventures” series.  Both of these have characters that all kids - boys and girls alike - will love. 
     I can’t say enough about his books.  I highly recommend them to classrooms everywhere.

Sandra Stiles

NBCT

ELA teacher/Dept. Chair

     With summer coming, reading won't necessarily be on the minds of middle grade students. You can recommend these books with confidence. And I hope Sandra's words will encourage you to add some of my books to your home, library, or classroom for next year.

Find most of my books here, on Amazon. If you see a title you like, but it isn't available, all of those are being republished by a new publisher and should be ready throughout 2019.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=max+elliot+anderson

You can reach the author at mander8813@aol.com

Animals on the Go

Animals on the Go

National Geographic spins off its best-selling Little Kids First Big Book series into engaging new board books to introduce even the littlest kids to high-quality nonfiction. These sturdy pages showcase animals and how they move, with amazing photographs, super-simple facts, and lively, age-appropriate language to keep babies and toddlers--and their grown-ups--fascinated by every colorful page.

Stunning photos of wildlife in action introduce babies and toddlers to creatures that creep, crawl, hop, slither, soar, and more. Watch how fluffy and scaly creatures, both big and small, move from place to place.

"Animals On the Go" presents great pictures that capture the attention of even the very young. The educational content comes off as fun and informative while using humor in some places. The size of this book is great for small hands and the sturdy construction helps to make sure it will last for a long time.

This book provided by the publisher, at no cost, for my honest review. Max Elliot Anderson https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com 

Brother, Sister, Me and You

Brother, Sister, Me and You

From playing to tumbling to cuddling, this playful nonfiction picture book pairs rhythmic, rhyming text with adorable photographs as it explores sibling relationships in the animal kingdom.

Little ones will delight in the similarities lion, turtle, and even bee siblings have with human brothers and sisters in this charming read-aloud book. It opens with 10 kinds of animal siblings and segues naturally into young human brothers and sisters. The children reprise the animal actions, from leaping and pouncing to splashing and bouncing, and finally snuggling down to sleep. Interesting facts about each featured animal are provided for further learning. 

Our young readers, all girls, liked the rhyming in this book along with the delightful animal photographs. Though none of the girls have brothers, that didn't stop them from enjoying the activities of the animals and children presented in the book. 

This book provided by the publisher, at no cost, for my honest review. Max Elliot Anderson https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com 

The Diggers

The Diggers

Dig, dig, dig! Join the animals and machines as they dig an incredible journey of discovery underground in this imaginative story from best-selling children's author Margaret Wise Brown. This amazing adventure is brought to life by French illustrator Antoine Corbineau, using a patchwork of texture and color in his vibrant illustrations to bring the fun and energetic world of the diggers to life.

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Even though she died over 45 years ago, her books still sell very well. Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading. She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them. She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper. Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.

At first glance, "The Diggers" looks like it could just be a book for boys. Of course, boys love anything about heavy equipment and digging in the dirt. We only have little girls in our family, so I wondered how this book would go over. Well, they loved it. 

The story might remind older readers of a book like "The Little Engine That Could." The colorful artwork helps young eyes follow the story, enjoy the fantasy ride, and learn to never give up.

This book provided by the publisher, at no cost, for my honest review. Max Elliot Anderson https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com 

Sleep Tight Sleepy Bears

Sleep Tight Sleepy Bears

This beautifully illustrated magical story from best-selling author Margaret Wise Brown - creator of the children's classics 'Goodnight Moon' and 'Runaway Bunny' - will enchant children and parents alike; it's a perfect bedtime story for your little one.

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Even though she died over 45 years ago, her books still sell very well. Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading. She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them. She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper. Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.

We now have a new, favorite bedtime story at our house. This sweet story uses the power of suggestion to help little ones get ready for sleep. Much like the old song, "Cool Water," made the listener thirsty, "Sleep Tight Sleepy Bears" makes the listener's eyes get heavier and heavier after each page. Our five little grandchildren were here for a few days recently, and we read the book to each of them. The older ones wanted to hear it every night.

This book provided by the publisher, at no cost, for my honest review. Max Elliot Anderson https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com 

Little Larry Goes to School

Little Larry Goes to School

A young, orphaned chimpanzee must start at a new school, where he will learn how to climb and build his confidence. Stunning photographs from award-winning photographer Gerry Ellis are sure to captivate young readers and raise awareness about chimps and the threats they face.

Little Larry is an orphaned chimpanzee who doesn't know much about being a chimp. He has to go to his first day at the forest school to learn what chimp life is all about. Nestled in a primate sanctuary in Cameroon, Little Larry and his group of chimp friends go to the school each day to learn how to play, communicate, and climb like they would if they were chimps in the wild. The only trouble is, Little Larry doesn't want to learn how to climb. He's perfectly happy on the ground. Will the sanctuary keepers and other chimpanzees be able to teach Little Larry how to climb so he can graduate from forest school?

This sweet story, with its beautiful photographs, explores the challenges of going to school, learning, and gaining confidence in yourself. This is a perfect read-aloud tale for children reluctant to try new things, preparing to enter kindergarten, or starting preschool for the very first time.

Three of our granddaughters are already in school and two will be soon. So this story interested them very much. They also felt sorry for Larry because he didn't have any parents. The excellent photographs helped tell the story and some of Larry's expressions are priceless.

This book provided by the publisher, at no cost, for my honest review. Max Elliot Anderson https://middlegradeadventureandmystery.blogspot.com