World’s No. 1 STEAM Program Launches New STEM/STEAM Book Series
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“This is a great STEAM-infused addition to the fiction section of any elementary or middle school library.” — School Library Journal
With 120 franchise locations and a cumulative audience of 5 million children and thousands of schools, Challenge Island has been providing kids with award-winning STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) learning adventures through field trips, afterschool enrichment classes, summer camps, scout workshops and family nights for almost two decades. On National Stem Day (Nov. 8), the magic of the world’s No. 1 STEAM program will combine with the magic of reading to launch the first book in the Challenge Island STEAM book series.
The Bridge to Sharktooth Island: A Challenge Island STEAM Adventure (West Margin Press) is written by award-winning educator Sharon Duke Estroff M.A.T. (founder and CEO of Challenge Island and author of Can I Have a Cell Phone for Hanukkah?, Penguin Random House); and award-winning author Joel Ross (Alley and Rex, Simon & Schuster; Fog Diver, HarperCollins; Beast & Crown, HarperCollins); and illustrated by Monica de Rivas (The Grumbles, Hatchette; Hello, Future Me, Scholastic; Big Bad Wolfsville, HarperCollins).
The Bridge to Sharktooth Island artfully intertwines action-packed fantasy with real-life engineering as cautious Daniel, his brave cousin Joy and their studious new friend Kimani find themselves suddenly stranded on a mysterious island surrounded by sharks. The kids find clues hidden around the island and realize that if they want to escape, they’ll have to work together to build the strongest bridge they can to get to safety! The characters return in the back of the book, where they speak directly and intimately to the reader, sharing engineering tidbits learned during their adventure, cool shark facts from Kimani’s notebook, and fun STEAM activities kids can do at home, including building a bridge, mixing up a blue slime ocean and designing ferocious paper sharks.
Making the Challenge Island book series even more groundbreaking is the fact that readers can experience the same STEAM adventures as the characters in the story in real life, through one of Challenge Island’s 120 franchise locations. For example, on National STEM Day, Stephanie Edwards, owner of Challenge Island Gilbert, AZ, will be running a Bridge to Sharktooth Island book launch celebration and field trip for 350 6th grade students at the American Leadership Academy. Edwards worked closely with the charter school’s leadership to create an unforgettable engineering adventure complete with balloon arches in the gymnasium, a professional photographer and a copy of The Bridge to Sharktooth Island for every student.
“As an educator, an author, a mom, and the creator of the Challenge Island program and curriculum, the release of the first book in the Challenge Island book series is among the proudest moments of my entire career,” says Sharon Duke Estroff, founder and CEO of Challenge Island Global. “But more importantly, I truly believe that this is exactly what kids need in this moment in time. What better way to reignite a child’s love of learning than by turning a beloved STEAM enrichment program into a fantastical new book series? And — for the millions more children who will first come to know Challenge Island inside the pages of this book — to see that magical story come to life, not only in their imaginations, but in the real world!”
The Bridge to Sharktooth Island: A Challenge Island STEAM Adventure Release Date: November 2, 2021 Publisher: West Margin Press ISBN-10: 1513289535 ISBN-13: 978-1513289533 Available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Target.com, Walmart.com and everywhere books are sold
Trish Stevens Rebecca Brown Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Fool’s Errand: Treasure Hunt Filled with Surprising Twists Offers the Perfect Escape
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The love between a father and a son can be both complicated and captivating, especially when the father is a charming rogue. “Blackie” Rinaldi had ties to the mob, and his only son has done all he can to avoid the pitfalls of his father’s chosen path. But when an enigmatic letter hinting at a cache of stolen money surfaces six years after Blackie’s untimely death, the younger Rinaldi is forced to confront his father’s colorful past.
An international treasure hunt ensues, with surprising twists and engaging characters. Fool’s Errand from Jeffrey S. Stephens, author of the popular Jordan Sandor series, is an entertaining story of family ties and a parent’s never-ending influence.
Blackie’s son follows a series of clues from the mean streets of New York to the Las Vegas Strip, and ultimately to the South of France. Along the way, he is confronted by dangerous mobsters, dishonest relatives, suspicious friends, a mysterious woman and the risks of a journey his father may or may not have planned for him.
With the ideal balance of humor and heart, adventure and romance, Fool’s Errand features compelling, relatable characters and a fast-paced narrative that will keep readers guessing as each new secret is revealed.
Author Jeffrey S. Stephens lives in Greenwich, Connecticut. He is also the author of the Jordan Sandor espionage thrillers, beginning with Targets of Deception and, most recently, Rogue Mission. He is also the author of the recent thriller, Crimes and Passion, the first in a planned series featuring Lieutenant Robbie Whyte.
Trish Stevens Jenny Crain-Harrison Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 281.333.3507 Phone [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
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Fast-Paced Mystery Dishes Up Murder On A Dinner Train
Honey Howell returned to her small, quiet hometown of Bardstown, Kentucky, thrilled by the prospect of working with her grandfather at his legendary bourbon distillery and reconnecting with K.C. Cleary — a master distiller and “the one who got away.”
What she didn’t expect was to discover K.C. with a knife in his chest. Honey’s a marketing whiz, not a sleuth, but that doesn’t curb her determination to bring the murderer to justice. Honey’s digging dredges up more than clues, and soon she realizes that her genteel hometown has dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of their polite society.
Also in the hunt for K.C.’s killer is Texan Sam Gentry, Bardstown’s newest detective. When he meets Honey he falls in love at first sight — with her bloodhound, Elvis. Sam and Elvis are a match made in heaven — both are relentless in their dogged pursuit for a murderer. When Honey finds another dead master distiller on a dinner train, Sam and Elvis work together to sniff out the truth. Sam’s greatest challenge, however, is thwarting amateur sleuth Honey from interfering with his investigation while preventing her from becoming another victim.
With a charming, relatable protagonist, the inviting backdrop of Kentucky Bourbon Country, and an irresistible bloodhound, Murder on the Bluegrass Bourbon Train from popular inspirational romance author Scarlett Dunn marks Dunn’s fantastic first voyage into the cozy mystery genre.
Puzzle-solving readers will enjoy the fast-paced narrative and believable characters as Hon-ey and Sam scout for clues — with a little help from Elvis, of course! With no shortage of po-tential suspects, the twists and turns throughout attempt to throw readers off the track. Who did it and why? Hop aboard to find out!
Before becoming a published author, Scarlett Dunn was an entrepreneur. In addition to writing cozy mysteries, Dunn has published several historical inspirational romance novels. She lives in Kentucky, and as an avid outdoorswoman she enjoys any activity under the sun, where she develops her characters and plots. When not writing, her favorite days are spent with those she loves. She has many hobbies, including making bourbon balls. She would tell you her closely guarded recipe, but then she’d have to throw you off the train!
For more information about the author, please visit www.scarlettdunn.com.
Murder on the Bluegrass Bourbon Train Publisher: Lone Dove Publishing Release Date: July 2019 ISBN-10: 1733179615 ISBN-13: 978-1733179614 Available from all online retailers and Louisville, KY, area Barnes and Nobles stores
