Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Motivating Readers: Introducing Evertaster, a Novel by Adam Glendon Sidwell

Working for a reading company over the past six years has provided me with an elevated perspective on "the value of literacy". (I've blogged about it before here.) In addition, working for a reading company that possesses a vision to teach new and struggling readers how to read, I have gained increased appreciation for literacy -- appreciation not only for the need to teach reading using effective strategies and guided practice, but for providing text that is engaging to ensure students' motivation to read is not only maintained, but also constantly escalating...escalating so that reading skills can improve and "reading to learn" can take place. As a curriculum writer, I am also mindful of what it takes to write...to produce text that is motivating, engaging, and level-appropriate. 


I have a friend, Adam Glendon Sidwell, who is getting ready to release his first book, Evertastera novel written for youth ages eight to 12, which will be released June 14, 2012. Adam is a good friend of mine from a few years back. I recall days when Adam would quarantine himself in his unfinished basement, disciplining himself to write for hours at a time. At the end of a successful day, he would enthusiastically report the number of pages he was able to crank out that day. I read a draft of a book he was working on during that time. Suffice it to say that Adam was born to be a writer. 


Evertaster is one of those books that stimulates students with the motivation to read...and to keep reading. That's "the value of literacy". 


Here is a synopsis of Evertaster:


When eleven year-old Guster Johnsonville rejects his mother's casserole for the umpteenth time, she takes him to the city of New Orleans to find him something to eat. There, in a dark, abandoned corner of the city, they meet a dying pastry maker who tells them of a legendary recipe called the Gastronomy of Peace -- a recipe created hundreds of years ago, shrouded in secrecy, and sought after by connoisseurs everywhere.

So begins a perilous adventure that will take Guster, his clever sister Mariah, and the rest of the Johnsonvilles on an adventure to ancient ruins, faraway jungles and forgotten caves, where they discover that their search is more than just a quest to satisfy Guster's cravings -- it is a quest that could change humanity forever.



You can read more about Evertaster at http://www.evertaster.com/. I've included a snippet from the website here:


"Evertaster is the first novel in a children’s adventure series by author Adam Glendon Sidwell. When a couple of kids start a worldwide search for a legendary taste, they find out they’ve bitten off more danger than they can chew."

3 comments:

  1. the plot sounds awesome!I (and adult) would be excited to read this novel!

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    1. I agree, Karina! I'll let you know when the book is released! :)

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  2. Thanks Heidi, for the interview! Yesterday was awesome. Evertaster shot up the Bestseller list on Amazon. The book hit #51 overall at one point, and was #1 in Children’s Mystery, right next to John Grisham and Percy Jackson.

    Thanks for everyone’s support out there! http://amzn.to/MCwMgo

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