I am obsessed with video games.  It’s true.  But not the way my kids are obsessed with video games.  Rather, I am obsessed with how much my kids play video games.  That’s one of the reasons that I decided to write a book for kids who would prefer playing video games to just about anything else (if I’d let them.)   

A couple years ago, after failed attempts to publish an earlier children’s book I’d written, I was ripe to begin a new book, and thus, Danny in a Newfangled World was born – on two sheets of lined paper.  When I shared the story at bedtime with my three boys, they’d insisted that I turn it into a book as soon as possible.  At the time, I was pursuing a career as a short story writer and freelancer with moderate success and was eager to begin a novel for adults.  But their eager insistence that I begin a new project to their liking altered my priorities and I started to write my latest book, Danny in a Newfangled World. 

The most intriguing aspect of my story was that the hero gets sucked inside his computer.  At least, that’s what intrigues kids enough to pick up the book and start reading.  But my greater goal in writing the book was to create a modern-day fairy tale that imbues some important lessons about the new reality, or should I say virtual reality, of today’s children. 

In the story, Danny embarks on one madcap adventure after another and ultimately learns that his fantastical digital world isn’t all fun and games after all, and the choices he makes have consequences.  The toughest part of writing this book was in creating the perfect balancing act between a page-turning suspenseful adventure with deeper messages about internet safety.  After all, there’s no sense in writing a book for kids that kids don’t want to read.  Thankfully, a number of parents have admitted that their kids devoured the 105-page book in one day, they were so immersed in it.  And what did these kids learn about internet safety?  Well, the messages are subtly woven through the story in the hopes that a child will naturally absorb the understanding that bad things can happen while surfing online.  It will not magically change a child’s behaviour over night, but rather help grow that seed of caution that’s been planted in their minds. 

I’m still obsessed with how much my kids play video games and enforce tough rules around computer usage to ensure they develop healthy online habits.  But, like all parents who struggle with finding the appropriate boundaries of the internet, every little bit helps… And Danny in a Newfangled World is so much more fun than another lecture. 

Find out more about this cyber-tale at Dannyinanewfangledworld.com

 

Harry Potter doesn’t do it for my nine-year old son.¬† While he did not start out as a reluctant reader, I’m beginning to think he’s headed in that direction.¬† Only a year ago, he would hop off the school bus with a chapter book in hand, touting that he’d read halfway through it during the ride.¬† Boy, it made me proud.¬† My son, the literary whiz.¬†

Things have changed.

I’m beginning to realize it’s not so much that my son has changed, but rather the books.¬† He likes to complete an entire novel within an hour… Maybe two.¬† Any book that requires focused reading for more than that is “boring.”¬† Of course, now that he’s entered grade four, the books in his age group (officially middle-grade fare) are longer and harder.¬† Now, when he walks in the door reading¬†The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, I’m not impressed.¬† “You’ve got to move on,” I beg him.

Every once in a while I manage to bring home a book that he can’t put down.¬† Of course, Diary of a Wimpy Kid¬†was an instant classic in our house¬†(he introduced that one to me.)¬† The formula?¬†

1. Can be read within an hour and a half,
2. Is very witty, and
3. Has cartoon drawings. 

There is another, lesser known, series out there that I stumbled upon while researching for my own book’s market.¬† Star Jumper: Journal of a Cardboard Genius is the first in a series of three books written by Frank Asch.¬† They follow a formula similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid (the names sound kinda’ similar, too – don’t ya’ think?)¬†

My nine-year-old read them back to back in one weekend.¬† Now he’s¬†returned to perusing the Guinness Book of World Records and re-reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid.¬† I’m¬†looking for another book with that perfect formula.