Winners of the 2019 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards have been announced and I'm Your Daughter, Julie: Caring for a Parent with Dementia by Julie A. Gorges has earned this year’s $500 Grand Prize as well as a First Place designations in the Aging/Senior Living, How-To, and Self-Help/Inspirational categories.
Read MoreCHANDLER, AZ (NOV 2019)—Story Monsters LLC is excited to announce that it will once again participate in Scottsdale Public Library’s Ultimate Play Date, an event for children to connect with writers and participate in a series of hands-on art, science and sports activities. The daylong event will be held Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Scottsdale’s Civic Center Library and is free and open to the public.
Read MoreCHANDLER, AZ (August 29, 2019)—Story Monster, the lovable, huggable mascot for Story Monsters LLC, is returning to the Children’s Learning & Play Festival on Sept. 7 at WestWorld of Scottsdale. Focused on literacy, education and early childhood development, the festival is the perfect place for families to learn, explore and play together. Last year’s event attracted 13,000 attendees. This year, Story Monster will be part of the Story Monster & Friends Reading Zone, where “Reading Takes You Up, Up and Away!” with fun activities for children that center on the love of reading.
Read More“When thinking about how the magazine has evolved over the past five years, I am truly humbled by the diversity and breadth of the folks that we’ve had the privilege of featuring,” says Radke. “Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and ages. I am thrilled to discover that so many celebrities who I have long admired are also lifelong supporters of literacy.”
Read MoreAnjali and her friends are excited to get matching personalized license plates for their bikes. But Anjali can't find her name. To make matters worse, she gets bullied for her “different” name, and is so upset, she demands to change it. When her parents refuse and she is forced to take matters into her own hands, she winds up learning to celebrate who she is and carry her name with pride and power.
Read MoreStory Monsters Ink announced last year that it partnered with the National Education Association (NEA) and Gale/Cengage to offer its digital content through their platforms/databases as well. It’s a monster of a magazine, that just keeps growing.
Read MoreKeep an eye (or three) out for Story Monsters Ink’s new official ambassador, 11-year-old Neha Praveen at BookCon next month. The conference is held June 1 and 2 will be hosted at the Javits Center in New York City. Neha, who got her start as a YouTube book reviewing sensation in 2017, was selected to represent the magazine in early May
Read MoreWinners of the 2018 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards have been announced and Kayla Wayman, Teen Time Traveler: Lost in the Stream has earned this year’s $500 Grand Prize as well as a First Place designation in the Middle Grade Fiction category. This is the first collaborative novel of its kind. Created by Alana Garrigues and Nutschell Anne Windsor with Cassie Gustafson, Tiffani Barth, Angie Flores, Lucy Ravitch, Peleise Smith, V.V. Cadieux, Bryan Caldwell, Inna Chon, Audrey A. Criss, Abi Estrin Cunningham, Scott Cunningham, Cacy Duncan, J.J. Gow, Glenn Jason Hanna, Caitlin Hernandez, Michelle Marchand, Donna Marie Robb, Judy Rubin, Mollie Silver, Amy Terranova, and Bernadette Windsor, the book was written in just one day.
Read MoreCHANDLER, AZ (October, 2018)—Each month, Scholastic Book Clubs distributes fliers to more than 800,000 teachers with images of colorful, promising books for their students, who enthusiastically select which ones they want to order and read. According to Judy Newman, President and Reader-in-Chief of Scholastic Book Clubs, a division of Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, teachers do the most important work on the planet: educating children and inspiring them to see themselves as readers. “At Scholastic Book Clubs, teachers are our partners in our efforts to get more books into all kids’ hands,” Newman says. “Our model is all about choice. And we know from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report, when kids choose their books, they read more. It’s about making books and reading fun and accessible to all.”
Read MoreCHANDLER, AZ (September, 2018)—James Patterson has a way with words. Best known for his suspenseful thrillers and middle grade book series, his titles have sold over 375 million copies and he holds the record for the most New York Times bestsellers. With a generosity as endless as his imagination, he has donated millions of dollars to school libraries over the years through his partnership with Scholastic with one simple goal: To get kids reading. From his vantage point as a literary lion, Patterson knows as well as anyone the power that words can wield.
Read MoreWinners of the 2018 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards have been announced and The Hugsmiler’s Hugs: A Story About Learning Values by Jessica L. Simons has earned this year’s $500 Grand Prize as well as a First Place designation in the Picture Books 5 & Younger and Picture Books 6 & Older categories
Read More
CHANDLER, AZ (July, 2018) – The Baby-Sitters Club series was a literary staple of an entire generation of young readers. Ann M. Martin’s books about adolescent friends Mary Anne, Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, and their charges dominated bookshelves from the late 1980s through the 1990s, becoming one of the most popular young adult series of all time. “I heard from a lot of kids that the club members were like friends to them,” says Martin. The Baby-Sitter’s Club has continued in the form of a television show, a movie, and most recently, graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligan based on Martin’s original stories. Later this month, there will be a special edition release of the first six books of the series in a collectible The Baby-Sitter’s Club tin case. Martin discusses the enduring popularity of the series and her more recent titles in the August issue of Story Monsters Ink.
Lauren and Tony Dungy also took the field to talk about their new sports-themed children’s book series. Lauren, a former teacher and early childhood education specialist, and Tony, a former NFL player, NBC sports analyst, NFL Hall of Fame member, and retired Super Bowl-winning head coach, want to get kids excited about reading. Austin Plays Fair and Maria Finds Courage are the first two books in the new Team Dungy series. “It’s very important to get kids reading early because we know that reading is going to help them in every area of their lives,” says Lauren. “Ideally, they’ll develop a love of reading that will lead to a lifetime of learning.”
The August issue also includes interviews with Vanessa Marshall, who voices Gamora on Disney XD's Guardians of the Galaxy; Children's book authors Tim McCanna, Fiona Basile, and Linda Kranz; Maceo Smedley, who stars in Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger; and young adult author Jennifer Rose, who offers life lessons for Autistic teens.
To read the full interviews or learn more about Story Monsters Ink, visit www.StoryMonsters.com, email info@storymonsters.com or call 480-940-8182.
To celebrate the 19th anniversary of the original AuthorsandExperts.com site launch, AuthorBookings.com is offering the limited-time price of only $19.99 for a 12-month membership, compared to the standard $99 annual membership.
Read MoreThis year alone, the combined goal for these two literacy powerhouses is to reach 65,000 children with over 200,000 new books and make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged children, one book at a time.
Read MoreWinners of the 2017 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards have been announced and October Song: A Memoir of Music and the Journey of Time by David W. Berner has earned this year’s $500 Grand Prize as well as a First Place designation in the Biography category.
Read More
2017 Purple Dragonfly Book Award GRAND PRIZE WINNER
2017 Purple Dragonfly Book Award FIRST PLACE DRAWING WINNER
CHANDLER, AZ (June 2017) – Winners of the 2017 Purple Dragonfly Book Awards have been announced and The Crystal Chronicles by Alessia Dickson has earned this year’s $500 Grand Prize as well as a First Place designation in the Youth Author Fiction category. Dickson has been writing novels since she was six years old. By the time she turned 10, she had completed the 50 novellas, and at age 16, her first book, The Crystal Chronicles, was published. The plot centers around a seemingly normal teenage girl who finds out that she’s an Elemental, a member of a supernatural race that controls the elements. With the future of humanity in danger, it’s up to her to save it.
Now 18, Dickson’s work has been compared to that of J.K. Rowling and Cassandra Clare, and the judges of the Purple Dragonfly Awards agree. “If this book had been written by an adult author, it would have been an impressive debut novel,” says Joe Murkette. “Given that it was written by a young woman in her teens, it is not only impressive, but inspirational. Alessia Dickson qualifies not only as a literary prodigy, but a potential literary star.”
The winner of this year’s $100 drawing is Meghan Colvin, author of Edison's Tackle Box. Colvin earned First Place in the Outdoor Recreation category. A complete list of winners is available on the Dragonfly Book Awards website.
"What impressed me most about this year’s entries is the pool of talent," says Linda F. Radke, president of Story Monsters LLC. “We had 63 entries earn First Place awards, which means the judges scored them with a minimum of 72 out of 80 points. This number speaks to the quality of writing that is competing in our book awards contest. I want to extend my sincerest congratulations to all of our winners.”
Now in its eighth year, the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards contest has grown by 33% in just the past two years alone. “We have seen an increase in entries from both traditional and independent publishers” says Radke. “I love that we offer a place for authors to be recognized.”
The next Purple Dragonfly Book Awards contest is already underway. Final deadline for submissions is May 1, 2018. The deadline for the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards contest, which recognizes outstanding literature in all genres, is October 1, 2017. For complete rules and submission forms for these contests, visit www.DragonflyBookAwards.com and click on the contest of choice.
Story Monsters Approved!, part of the Story Monsters LLC family of programs, is aimed to highlight quality children's books and products. All entries are kid-tested and judge-certified, making it easier for buyers to choose exceptional books and products that parents will approve and youths will enthusiastically devour. There is no deadline to enter and books are judged as they are received.
Story Monsters LLC, formerly Five Star Publications, Inc., is dedicated to helping authors of all genres strive for excellence with book production, marketing and promotion. From publishing the award-winning Story Monsters Ink® magazine, to providing Publishers Support Services in areas such as editing, cover design and publicity, Story Monsters LLC is a place to tell your story. For more information, visit www.storymonsters.com, email info@storymonsters.com or call 480-940-8182.
###
Story Monsters Ink’s new June issue features a behind-the-scenes interview with The Wonder Years actress Danica McKellar. Beyond acting, McKellar is an author and mathematician on a mission to demonstrate to middle school-aged girls that it is cool to be smart.
Read MoreThe new campaign, aimed at promoting literacy both in and outside the classroom, asks teachers and families to submit videos “catching” their kids and students reading—in the classroom, in the cafeteria, on the playground, in the living room and more. In addition to fostering a love of reading, the campaign hopes to encourage participation through a contest: One lucky winner will be chosen each month to receive a one-year print subscription to Story Monsters Ink and a Story monster plush reading buddy.
Read MoreSince the 1960s, Stan Lee – and his ever-growing roster of superheroes – has been a household name.
In response to the lack of children-appropriate multimedia, the Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics launched Stan Lee’s Kids Universe in 2013. The multimedia publishing company offers content for kids like books, mobile games, apps, and more as a way to expand children’s imagination, literacy and art education.
Read MoreFrom The Waterboy, Click and Holes to Arrested Development and Parks and Recreation—not to mention, of course, Happy Days— Henry Winkler’s 40+ year career has made him a household name. Despite his onscreen success, Winkler told Story Monsters Ink magazine in a recent interview that his proudest achievement stems from a different medium: literature.
Read MoreThe Literary Resource for Teachers and Librarians. The Marketing Solution for Authors and Publishers. Home to the award-winning Story Monsters Ink® magazine, we support authors of all stages through a host of publishing and marketing programs and services. Get started now.
