Lisa Orchard grew up loving books. She was hooked on mysteries by the fifth grade and even wrote a few of her own. She knew she wanted to be a writer even then. “The Super Spies and the High School Bomber” is the second book in the “Super Spies” series. Her first book was published in March of 2012 and it has received rave reviews.
After graduating from Central Michigan University with a Marketing Degree she spent many years in the insurance industry, pining to express her creative side. The decision to stay home with her children gave her the opportunity to follow her dream and become a writer. She currently resides in Rockford Michigan with her husband, Steve, and two wonderful boys. Currently, she’s working on the third novel that stars the same quirky teens. When she’s not writing she enjoys spending time with her family, running, hiking, and reading.
According to an article in USA Today a federal study has found that an estimated thirty two million adults are saddled with such low literacy skills that it would be tough for them to read anything more challenging than a children’s picture book or to understand a medication’s side effects listed on a pill bottle. For more information from this article click here: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-01-08-adult-literacy_N.htm
I find this alarming, don’t you? The statistics for our youth are just as bad. According to RIF.org http://www.rif.org/us/about/literacy-issues.htm nearly forty percent of US fourth graders do not achieve basic levels of reading proficiency. The number is higher among low income families, certain minority groups, and English language learners.
So, how can we turn this around? That is a very good question and as I ponder it the memory of a conversation with my second grader comes to mind. We were getting ready to do his reading homework and he was grumbling that he really didn’t want to do it. Feeling frustrated, I started to argue with him and then I stopped and asked him, “Why don’t you want to read tonight?”
He looked at me and said, “Because these books are boring.”
“Well…did you tell your teacher that?”
He shook his head. “No…she would get upset.”
I just stumbled upon part of the problem. Some of these books that schools are requiring students to read just don’t interest them. And with no interest in the subject reading becomes a “pain” and the young student’s motivation turns to dread. With all the millions of books in the world I’m sure we could find topics that would be interesting to our young readers. Why can’t we offer them choices? I feel that offering our little chickadees a choice and letting them pick a topic they like would be a step in the right direction. It would solve the motivation issues that seem to be a problem with our reluctant readers.
As I pondered this I thought, what if all of the students were given e-readers? Look at all the books available today that are in e-book format. I’m sure we could find something to please even the pickiest reader. I know what you’re thinking…that’s kind of unrealistic. Or is it?
When you think about it…look at the cost of a paperback versus the cost of an e-book. I mean educators will be making up the difference in cost relatively quickly.
And while we’re at it…why don’t we put text books in e-book format? Can you imagine the savings for educators in that arena? With our educators trying to cut costs I think that e-readers represent a viable solution.
Did you know that Scholastic has an e-reader right now? It’s called Storia and parents can get most of the books available from Scholastic in e-book format.
I see E-books as the wave of the future and if our schools hop on board maybe we can turn this literacy problem around. What do you think? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you! J
You can find more information about Lisa Orchard at her website. www.lisaorchard.com
Buylinks for her books:
“The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-Lady-Killer-ebook/dp/B007JZH61K
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-super-spies-and-the-cat-lady-killer-lisa-orchard/1109518725?ean=2940014338202
“The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Spies-School-Bomber-ebook/dp/B008P8O7OY
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-super-spies-and-the-high-school-bomber-lisa-orchard/1112263058?ean=2940014992244
And both of my books are now available as audio books too!
“The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer”
http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B00BGBSLCG&qid=1363019958&sr=1-1
“The Super Spies and the High School Bomber”
http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_2?asin=B00BIRIEDO&qid=1363019958&sr=1-2
The covers and titles are bold to grab the readers attention.
Each story has a life lesson weaved through it. In “The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer” the lesson is basically, “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
In “The Super Spies and the High School Bomber” the lesson is the negative effects of steroids. Sorry…I didn’t mean to spoil the story for you. J
If you have any questions or concerns you can contact me via my social media links or by e-mail, you can find my contact information at my website.
http://www.lisaorchard.com/
A Thank You and a Note:
I would like to thank Lisa for coming! Lisa, you did a great job! I hope you felt welcomed and will stop by again some time.
Lisa and I both welcome your comments. So, please feel free to let us know what you think of the post. Thank you.