World’s No. 1 STEAM Program Launches New STEM/STEAM Book Series
(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 Challenge Island chapter book series perfect for fans of The Magic School Bus and Magic Tree House, but with a spectacular, hands-on STEM/STEAM twist!
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
Bee Scared Plants the Seed of Environmentalism in Young Minds
(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
“Your Majesty,” said the Scout Bee to the Queen of the Bees, “The Honeybees are in trouble. They are disappearing in great numbers!”
What will the queen do? Who will she turn to? How will she keep her hive safe from harm? Without bees there will be no fruit, no vegetables and no flowers.
Bee Scared, an Old Doc Turtle adventure from author Richard Faith, follows the Queen and her community of family and friends as they try to find a solution to this scary problem. They use music. They call on Auntie Bee. Even Old Doc Turtle becomes concerned! Can your young reader think of any ways to help Auntie Bee save the honeybees?
This delightful children’s tale delivers a simple lesson about the challenges of climate change and global warming — and the impact on nature’s tiniest but mightiest of creatures — in a way that young audiences can understand. Bee Scared can help you open a dialogue with the curious young people in your life about the importance of conservationism and protecting the future of our planet.
Author Richard Faith is passionate about raising awareness regarding the impacts of global warming and climate change. He is also the author of the science fiction series, Megamerse, which features a superhero who fights for Mother Earth. Megamerse has been turned into a screenplay and talks are ongoing with a movie studio. Faith’s other book titles include “I Can Barely See” Said Mandy Manatee, Barkley & Silvia, Crocodilly Lilly: Not so Toothy A Grin and The Owl that Said What.
Faith is also the executive director of Mother Nature Festival Live Incorporated (http://mothernaturefestival.live), a 501(c)3 nonprofit that works to educate, inform and inspire everyone to get involved in helping Mother Nature.
Bee Scared Publisher: Jongleur Publishing ISBN-13: 979-8652428013 Available from Amazon.com
Trish Stevens Alex Winters Ascot Media Group, Inc. Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com 281.333.3507 Phone
Fool’s Errand an Action-Packed Adventure that Poignantly Explores Complex Father-Son Relationship
(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
The love between a father and son is often complicated, and John “Blackie” Rinaldi’s relationship with his son was no exception. Blackie was a charming rogue who circled the fringes of organized crime, endlessly pursuing “The Big Deal” but always coming up short. His son had long suspected his father’s ties to the mob and had adeptly avoided the pitfalls of his father’s vocation, choosing instead a safe, respectable career. But when an enigmatic letter describing a cache of stolen money surfaces six years after Blackie’s death, his son feels compelled to pursue his father’s ultimate dream, and he embarks upon the adventure of a lifetime.
Fool’s Errand from Jeffrey S. Stephens is a fast-paced, mob-inspired mystery that follows Blackie’s son on his life-altering pursuit to unravel the decades-long mystery his father left him to solve. Why hadn’t his father simply told him about the hidden treasure before his death?
Blackie’s son reluctantly begins his quest, but his conviction builds as he finds there are other secrets that his father has buried. He follows the breadcrumbs 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 perils of a journey his father may or may not have planned for him.
Fool’s Errand is poignant and entertaining, humorous and exciting, romantic and mysterious — an adventure that explores the relationship between a father and son, and the events that will eventually lead a young man to discover both the treasure and himself.
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.
For more information, please visit www.jeffreystephens.com.
Fool’s Errand Publisher: Post Hill Press Release Date: December 8, 2020 ISBN-13: 978-1642937381 ISBN-10: 164293738X Available from Amazon.com
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
Trish Stevens Ascot Media Group Post Office Box 2394 Friendswood, TX 77549 (281) 333-3507 Phone (832) 569-5539 Fax [email protected] www.ascotmedia.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
If You Give A Donkey The White House: Fast Relief For Political Tension
Teaneck, NJ – As this election year moves towards a close, some of us may feel like we’ve had enough politics to choke a horse. Political satire is one viable option. Since the stone ages, whenever there is organized government, political satire is not far behind. David E. Levine’s colorfully illustrated book, If You Give a Donkey the White House (Dog Ear Publishing), will have right-leaning readers in hysterics from beginning to end!
If You Give a Donkey the White House, modeled after Laura Numeroff’s vastly popular children’s series If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, is riddled with wit and loaded with sarcasm. Levine’s book blends political humor into a meaningful story with a clear and indisputable message: “People need to be careful where they put their trust because even one well-intentioned act can create a chain of events that leads to disastrous results!”
The story begins with a boy and his dog opening the gates of the White House to let in an arrogant donkey, believing it’s a good idea. “Unfortunately, once the donkey gets in,” says Levine, “he’ll want to expand the government and in no time at all, the boy gets taken on a misguided adventure that ruins his life.”
What makes bashing bureaucracy so popular? If we went back to the oldest example of political satire around 400 BC and asked Aristophanes, there’s a very good chance that his answer would be the same today: It’s entertaining, and it’s a satisfying outlet that provides a good chuckle at the expense of government blunders.
David Levine lives with his wife and four children in New Jersey, where he finds ample opportunity to make fun of donkeys.
For more information, please visit: http://www.ifyougiveadonkeythewhitehouse.com/
Available at Amazon.com and all major online outlets If You Give a Donkey the White House Dog Ear Publishing ISBN-10: 1457530279 ISBN-13: 978-1457530272
