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Code-At-Home Tech Toys Keep Girls Engaged, Away From Computer Screens, During COVID-19 School Closures

Trish Stevens
Claire Downing
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Code-At-Home Tech Toys Keep Girls Engaged, Away From Computer Screens, During COVID-19 School Closures

Are you looking for constructive ways to keep your children stimulated and engaged during the COVID-19 school shutdown? The line of groundbreaking toys from SmartGurlz Inc. uses an award-winning robotics platform to teach basic coding skills to girls as young as 6.

“Many girls’ toys lag behind in the development of spatial skills, hands-on problem solving skills, and confidence with coding and computer science,” explains SmartGurlz founder Sharmi Albrechtsen. “These are exactly the skills that SmartGurlz aims to develop.”

The SmartGurlz line of unique, interactive, self-balancing robots and dolls are controlled with the SugarCoded™ App than can be downloaded onto an IOS or android phone or tablet that once downloaded requires no Wi-Fi, just Bluetooth.

A full, step-by-step tutorial teaches basic coding strategies so young girls can maneuver the toys around obstacle courses of their own design. With several levels of learning and chal-lenges, the toy keeps kids occupied several hours a week for 4-6 months.

The company is also offering a free weekly webinar for parents and kids affected by COVID- 19 that includes getting started, tips and tricks, and weekly home assignments.

Girls playing with SmartGurlz products learn three key concepts:

  1. Spatial Reasoning. Girls learn how to direct/orient their robots in new environments and in-terpret maps.
  2. Computer Programming. Girls learn to program their robots using our kid-friendly coding App called SugarCodedTM.
  3. Storytelling & Problem Solving. Girls learn to tell stories and solve missions via coding.

The SmartGurlz product line also includes an e-book series available through the App that focuses on the everyday adventures of four talented young women studying at the fictional New York Institute of Technology — N.I.T.

We’re all adjusting to a new normal. You can use this extra time at home to inspire the female tech leaders of tomorrow with toys that integrate the power of play with the power of technology.

SmartGurlz CEO Sharmi Albrechtsen is a robotics aficionado, educator, author and mom with a passion for closing the diversity gap in technology.

In 2015, Sharmi started SmartGurlz after becoming frustrated with the lack of STEM toys available for her daughter. The SmartGurlz flagship product, Siggy, was the first robotics product designed specifically for girls. More than 30,000 girls have been educated with SmartGurlz. SmartGurlz partners include BlackGirlsCode, Girl Scouts of America and Morrison Mentors.

SmartGurlz recently expanded its product line to include Smart Buddies (a joint-venture with Pitsco Education), which features a diverse set of characters suitable for both girls and boys, targeted towards schools.

Sharmi was recently given AdWeek’s Disruptor Award in Championing Gender Diversity in Advertising and Tech. She has also been named Women Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 by the Asian Chamber of Commerce as well as named a Morgan Stanley Multi-Cultural Innovation Lab fellow. Sharmi has been featured in Forbes, Huffington Post, Financial Times, Fox Business News, Fox and Friends and CNN. She is also a featured TEDx speaker.

For more information, please visit www.smartgurlz.com or connect with her on social media at https://www.instagram.com/smartgurlzworld/; https://www.facebook.com/smartgurlzworld/; or https://twitter.com/SmartGurlzWorld.

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Climb Aboard The Western Star And Witness The Adventures Of A Lifetime

Trish Stevens
Teresa Hinojosa
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
832.569.5773 Direct
281.333.3507 Phone
832.569.5539 Fax
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Climb Aboard The Western Star And Witness The Adventures Of A Lifetime

The year is 1979, and 12-year-old Annie’s life has been upended. Her parents have announced that their home for the next nine months will be a 53-foot sailboat in the Atlantic Ocean. The thought of leaving behind her pets, friends and a life she loves—plus coexisting in close quarters with her older brother—has left Annie spiraling through a kaleidoscope of emotions. Heartbroken at first, Annie turns to writing, and through her detailed journal of daily life aboard the Western Star, she reveals a remarkable transformation.

Girl Sailing Aboard the Western Star is the engaging, poignant result of Annie’s chronicle of her family’s adventures in the Atlantic. Readers get to experience through Annie’s eyes the raw, unfiltered angst of a girl on the cusp of being a teenager, as she grapples with feelings of isolation, resentment and uncertainty. Page after page, hints of new awakenings rise to the surface, as Annie learns how to trim the sheet, raise the main sail and navigate using a sextant. She also learns about the stars and constellations and about the amazing creatures living under the boat. The journal takes readers along as she snorkels, scuba dives and jet skis her way through The Bahamas, the Caribbean and the Virgin Islands.

Drawn directly from Anderson’s real-life story of living on a sailboat with her family, this charming coming-of-age tale shares Annie’s day-by-day emotional evolution, as she discovers new worlds above and below the deep blue sea and lives the adventures of a lifetime.

Author RA Anderson is a wanderer who has lived all over, from California to Belize, and currently, home is a town called Rome, in Georgia that is! She grew up on horseback and sailboats—“the most amazing way to grow up!”

A lifelong passion for creative writing and photography became her life. Her award-winning photographs have been featured in table books, magazines and front-page news, and her writing has been published in magazines, poetry books and children’s books. Her children’s series include If Pets Could Talk and Iceland: The Puffin Explorers.

Three boys—her heart and soul—call her Mom. She and her husband—whom she calls her “strength and passion”—are recent empty-nesters, leaving them more time to travel.

For more information, please visit ra-anderson.com, or connect with her on social media at https://www.facebook.com/raAndersonAuthor/; @ra_anderson_author Instagram;
@aruthanne Twitter.

Girl Sailing Aboard the Western Star
Publisher: My Favorite Books Publishing Company, LLC
Release Date: January 1, 2020
ISBN-10: 1950590038
ISBN-13: 978-1950590032
Available from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

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Join The Adventure As Playful Puffins Encounter Fire And Ice

Trish Stevens
Teresa Hinojosa
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
832.569.5773 Direct
281.333.3507 Phone
832.569.5539 Fax
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Join The Adventure As Playful Puffins Encounter Fire And Ice

Summertime in Iceland means nearly 24 hours of glistening sunlight each day—perfect for lighting the way for adventurous little puffins. But when two puffin friends, Árni and Birta, embark upon a journey of exploration, an Icelandic Faery plays clever tricks on them, making their grand adventure take longer than expected. The extended darkness of September’s nightfall looms large on the horizon, and the pufflings must find their way home in a hurry.

Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice is the third installment in RA Anderson’s delightful Iceland: The Puffin Explorers Series, and this time around, Iceland’s natural wonders take center stage. Árni and Birta discover glaciers, volcanoes, natural energy, lava fields, waterfalls and some of the legendary folk of Iceland. But as nightfall draws closer, Árni’s parents must step up their frantic search for these two curious puffins to help guide them back to their burrows before dark. Will they succeed? Join the adventure to find out!

Although intended for children who have a love for all animals, birds and nature, adults will find that these books hold a unique type of travelogue, complete with fun facts and breath-taking photography shot by the author as she explored the beautiful country of Iceland.

Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice follows in the webbed footsteps of Puffins Take Flight and Puffins off the Beaten Path, the first two books in Anderson’s entertaining and educational Puffin Explorers Series.

Author RA Anderson is a wanderer who has lived all over, from California to Belize, and currently, home is a town called Rome, in Georgia that is!

A lifelong passion for creative writing and photography became her life. Her award-winning photographs have been featured in table books, magazines and front-page news, and her writing has been published in magazines, poetry books and children’s books. Her If Pets Could Talk series includes Cats, Dogs, Farm Animals and A Service Dog. Iceland: The Puffin Explorers Series is her newest children’s series. She also recently released a YA book, Girl Sailing Aboard the Western Star.

Three boys—her heart and soul—call her Mom. She and her husband are recent empty-nesters, leaving them more time to travel.

For more information, please visit ra-anderson.com, or connect with her on social media at https://www.facebook.com/raAndersonAuthor/; @aruthanne Instagram; @ra_anderson_author Instagram; or @aruthanne Twitter.

Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice
Publisher: My Favorite Books Publishing Company, LLC
Release Date: January 8, 2020
ISBN-10: 1950590097
ISBN-13: 978-1950590094
Available from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

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New Adventure Follows Playful Puffin Árni “Off The Beaten Path”

Trish Stevens
Teresa Hinojosa
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
832.569.5773 Direct
281.333.3507 Phone
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Adventure Follows Playful Puffin Árni “Off The Beaten Path”

Playful puffin Árni and his best friend Birta embark upon another lively adventure in Puffins Off the Beaten Path, the delightful follow-up to RA Anderson’s Puffins Take Flight.

This time, Árni and Birta are exploring Iceland’s breathtaking landscape in search of two lost lambs, but along the way, they come face-to-face with a predator, the Artic Fox, and other an-imals in Iceland.

Young readers can join Árni and Birta on their adventure, as they meet Icelandic horses, sheep, and reindeer, and experience other natural wonders of Iceland. Meanwhile, the puf-fin parents take on a journey of their own as they venture beyond their puffin colony to search for their wayward little ones, encountering Whooper Swans and a family of sheep.

Eye-catching from start to finish, Puffins Off the Beaten Path features photographs captured by the author as she explored the beauty of Iceland. The story is also woven with fun facts that readers will enjoy, including how Icelandic farms manage to grow their own fruit despite the cold temperatures and why sheep are allowed to walk in the streets!

Puffins Take Flight and Puffins off the Beaten Path are the first two books in Anderson’s Puffin Explorers Series. Watch for future escapades with Árni and Birta in the upcoming Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice.

Author RA Anderson is a wanderer who has lived all over, from California to Belize, and currently, home is a town called Rome, in Georgia that is!

A lifelong passion for creative writing and photography became her life. Her award-winning photographs have been featured in table books, magazines and front-page news, and her writing has been published in magazines, poetry books and children’s books. Her If Pets Could Talk series includes Cats, Dogs, Farm Animals and A Service Dog. Iceland, The Puffin Explorers Series is her newest children’s series. She also recently released a YA book, Girl Sailing Aboard the Western Star.

Three boys—her heart and soul—call her Mom. She and her husband are recent empty-nesters, leaving them more time to travel.

For more information, please visit ra-anderson.com, or connect with her on social media at https://www.facebook.com/raAndersonAuthor/; @aruthanne Instagram; @ra_anderson_author Instagram; or @aruthanne Twitter.

Puffins Off The Beaten Path
Publisher: My Favorite Books Publishing Company, LLC
Release Date: December 12, 2019
ISBN-10: 1950590089
ISBN-13: 978-1950590087
Available from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

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Fact-Filled Children’s Book Tells Adventurous Tale Of Playful Puffin

Trish Stevens
Teresa Hinojosa
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
832.569.5773 Direct
281.333.3507 Phone
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Fact-Filled Children’s Book Tells Adventurous Tale Of Playful Puffin

Playful little puffin Árni is about to leave his burrow for a four-year adventure at sea. But Árni doesn’t want to go—at least not today. He wants one more day to play with his best friend Birta, but she is nowhere to be found. While Árni searches Iceland for Birta, his mother and father are searching for him. Little pufflings shouldn’t be wandering about all alone!

Puffins Take Flight is the entertaining and educational first installment in RA Anderson’s Iceland: The Puffin Explorers Series. Aimed at children ages pre-K through 2nd grade, Puffins Take Flight introduces readers to puffins and their breathtaking surroundings in Iceland. Fun facts are sprinkled throughout the book and include interesting tidbits about Iceland, puffins and a mention of Icelandic sheep.

Will Árni find Birta and will Árni’s parents find him before it’s too late? Come along on Árni’s big adventure to find out! Illustrated with actual photographs taken during the author’s exploration of Iceland, this eye-catching picture book is sure to entertain readers of all ages.

Watch for future adventures with Árni and Birta in the upcoming Puffins off the Beaten Path and Puffins Encounter Fire & Ice.

Author RA Anderson is a wanderer who has lived all over, from California to Belize, and currently, home is a town called Rome, in Georgia that is!

A lifelong passion for creative writing and photography became her life. Her award-winning photographs have been featured in table books, magazines and front-page news, and her writing has been published in magazines, poetry books and children’s books. Her If Pets Could Talk series includes Cats, Dogs, Farm Animals and A Service Dog. Iceland, The Puffin Explorers Series is her newest children’s series. Coming soon is her YA fiction release, Girl Sailing, the Western Star.

Three boys—her heart and soul—call her Mom. She and her husband are recent empty-nesters, leaving them more time to travel.

For more information, please visit ra-anderson.com, or connect with her on social media at https://www.facebook.com/raAndersonAuthor/; @aruthanne Instagram; @ra_anderson_author Instagram; or @aruthanne Twitter.

Puffins Take Flight
Publisher: My Favorite Books Publishing Company, LLC
Release Date: November 20, 2019
ISBN-10: 1950590062
ISBN-13: 978-1950590063
Available from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

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Are You Raising Or Teaching A Bully?

Trish Stevens
Kim Weiss
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
ascotmedia.com
(800) 851-9100 Ext. 9212

Are You Raising Or Teaching A Bully?
This enlightening children’s book shows that the key to creating a generation of
kinder, more resilient kids is to stop the first bully they encounter—THEMSELVES!

Words have power. The words others say to us can either lift us as high as the clouds, or drop us down like a crashing plane. But what about the words we tell ourselves? What about that constantly running inner voice? In truth, what we say to ourselves impacts us even more than what others say to us.

“Pigtails are for babies!” she snarled at me. Her words hurt more than the time I broke my arm. I quickly untied my hair. I wore my hair down for the rest of the school year.

That was the first time I met the Big Bad Bully … She called me names like “fatty,” “piglet” and “ugly.” Things are worse now that I am in the 6th grade. Even when I don’t see her, I can always hear the whispers, the giggles, and the growls.

So goes the mesmerizing story of a young girl who grows up with a voice that ridicules and demeans her. In the end, we discover that her tormentor is staring back at her every day in the mirror.

Featuring stunning artwork–and small enough to fit in a backpack–this profound book is a tool for engaging children, young adolescents, parents, and caring adults about the impressions they make on themselves with their thoughts and self-talk. Included are powerful workbook exercises and resources for implementing healthy self-esteem habits that can last a lifetime.

About the Authors:

Jack Canfield is an award-winning speaker and an internationally recognized leader in personal development and peak performance strategies. As the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series, he’s taught millions of individuals his formulas for success. He is the author and co-author of more than 150 books (including 66 bestsellers) with more than 100 million copies in print in 47 languages around the world. His bestselling book, The Success Principles has been hailed as the new self-improvement classic.

Miriam Laundry is a sought-after speaker at schools nationwide. She is the author of I CAN Believe in Myself, I CAN Make a Difference, and I CAN Be Me. On an average year, she visits 100 schools speaking to 50,000 children. She set a Guinness World Record on May 7, 2014 for the largest online book discussion in a 24-hour period. More than 100,000 children and adults participated in this record with the purpose of promoting positive mental health. Her books have also received numerous book awards including a Mom’s Choice Award and a Readers Favorite International Award. Miriam was also awarded the 2014 Winspiration Award.

The Big, Bad Bully
ISBN-13: 9780757323089
ISBN-10: 0757323081
On Sale: 10/29/2019
Hardcover
48 pages, Juvenile Fiction

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Teen Heroes Show That By Working Together They Become More Than Their Disabilities

Trish Stevens
Kathleen Timberlake
Marketing Coordinator
Turner Publishing
4507 Charlotte Ave, Suite 100
Nashville, TN 37209
901-485-3721
[email protected]
www.turnerpublishing.com

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Teen Heroes Show That By Working Together They
Become More Than Their Disabilities

Philip Sallinger was 12 years old when his father had “the talk” with him, and it was the single greatest moment of his life. What Philip thought was going to be a cringe-worthy discussion about the birds and the bees turned out to be the revelation that not only were superheroes real, but that Philip was the latest in a long line of “custodians” — those who use their superpowers to protect others.

Philip was used to dealing with his blindness—he’d been blind from birth, but he wasn’t prepared to hear that he’s also telekinetic. He had a superpower? Really? Thrilled by the prospect of attending a special high school for emerging superheroes, Phillip’s enthusiasm is dashed when he gets placed in a “special ed” class for disabled empowered kids.

Now Philip and his fellow outsiders, who call themselves The Ables, must overcome more than villains. Bullied, threatened, and betrayed, these underestimated kids must find ways to maximize their powers to overcome their disabilities and fight together as the ultimate enemy is poised to strike.

The Ables is a fast-paced, entertaining debut novel from Jeremy Scott, a bold new voice in fantasy and sci-fi, and already a widely popular storyteller as co-creator and narrator of CinemaSins, a YouTube channel that has amassed more than 8 million subscribers. A former online marketing consultant, Scott spends his time writing, being sarcastic and generally hoping to find a good laugh once a day. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Ables readers who upload a proof of purchase at theablesbook.com will receive bonus content plus access to a 30-page digital comic book written by Jeremy Scott with art by renowned storyboard artist Jeremy Simser, who worked on Deadpool 2. Plus, they’ll be entered to win one of three virtual meet-and-greets with Jeremy Scott and one of 10 personalized, signed copies of The Ables.

The Ables
Publisher: Turner Publishing
Release date: June 11, 2019
ISBN-10: 1684423368
ISBN-13: 978-1684423361
Available from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Indiebound.org

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