My thoughts on Back to School, Ereaders, and Reading

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m Lisa Orchard the best-selling author of the Super Spies series, I’m a guest here today, and I’d like to share my thoughts on going back to school and reading.

I have two boys and they are not excited about the prospect of school at all. They’ve had a lot of fun this summer, and now the beginning of a new school year is looming.

I’ve tried instilling in them the reasons why school is important, but they’re not buying it yet, they’re a little young. However, I have been able to push reading over the summer. In my opinion, reading is one of the most important life skills an individual can have.

Every day they read a few pages from their books. It was strange though, my youngest, who is reading at a higher-grade level, gave me a hard time about it. And he’s the one who likes to read! Alarmed by this new development, I took both boys to the bookstore. I pretended that I was there shopping for myself. Somehow, we ended up in the children’s chapter book section (wink). When the boys saw all the different books, they became interested, and started checking out all the titles. They were like kids in a candy store. They both ended up choosing a book that was at a higher reading level than their current one.  I considered this a success and was very happy when they both actually read the books we bought.

I believe kids will love to read, if you let them choose books that interest them. That day in the bookstore reinforced this belief.

Of course, that got me thinking. I’m always thinking and sometimes I come up with some whopper ideas! Anyway I started thinking, wouldn’t it be cool if schools could offer the same selections as a bookstore? As I thought about it, I realized that they could. If schools invested in e-readers for every student, just think of the endless selection of books that would be available. Even the most reluctant reader would be able to find something that interests him or her.

Kids would be able to carry a virtual library around in their backpacks! And the thing is kids love electronics. My boys are always playing with my kindle. They would think it was so cool to have one of their own.

Of course, manufacturers would have to make them very durable. Just like they made those toddler cameras toddler proof, they could do the same thing with e-readers.

Studies have shown that by increasing the selection in a library, it has a direct effect on the literacy levels of that community. Just think of the possibilities! Not only would we have more enthusiastic students, but they’d be better educated as well. J

Thanks for reading my post today, and if you have any thoughts on getting e-readers into schools, please share them. I’d love to read them!

Below are the covers and blurbs to my Super Spies series! They’re great reads for tweens and teens. They can be found at the Astraea Press website, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo.

This book opens in a small town in Michigan where fifteen-year-old Sarah Cole is stuck spending the summer at her Aunt and Uncle’s with her sister, Lacey. She’s not happy with the situation until she befriends a girl named Jackie. The three girls stumble upon the ruthless murder of a reclusive neighborhood woman. One of the officers investigating the crime believes the girls are responsible for her death. Fearing that this officer will frame them for the murder, the girls organize their own detective squad. They become the Super Spies and start their own fact-finding mission.  The Super Spies can’t understand why anyone would want to murder the “Cat Lady” until they start digging into her past and discover a horrible crime that happened thirty years ago. They uncover a connection between the two crimes and attempt to bring this information to the police, only to be reprimanded for meddling in the inquest. Not only are the girls upset by the admonition, but they also struggle with the fact that their exuberant investigating could provide a legal loophole allowing the killer to go free. To make matters worse, the police don’t even believe them. Frustrated by this turn of events, the Super Spies realize it’s up to them to snare the Cat Lady killer, or die trying…

This book opens in a small town in Michigan where Sarah and her sister Lacey are now living with their Aunt and Uncle. Still reeling from the fact her parents have disappeared, Sarah starts the school year with her new friend Jackie Jenkins. When Sarah learns the school has been bombed, she’s filled with dread. Uncle Walt is a teacher, and he was in the school when the bomb exploded. Taking matters into her own hands, Sarah decides to search for him. The rest of the Super Spies are right behind her. When a fireman chases them away from the school, Sarah becomes suspicious. She decides to investigate. The FBI arrives on the scene. Sarah realizes this bombing could have even bigger implications. Searching for the bombers, Sarah is introduced to the world of terrorism. She fears that the bombing and her parents’ disappearance are connected and terrorists are involved. To make matters worse, the bombers are determined to finish the job. Can the Super Spies find the bombers before it’s too late?

Sarah Cole and her sister Lacey are at it once again when their missing parents’ cell phone is traced to Alden, Michigan. When the FBI declines to continue the investigation, Sarah takes matters into her own hands. She calls upon the Super Spies and they delve into the situation. Suddenly the teens find themselves immersed in small town intrigue and mystery involving a menacing stranger, who Sarah dubs “The Stalker.” But when Sarah finds out he’s connected to her parents’ disappearance she’s determined to find out what that connection is. The Super Spies embark on a journey that leads them into a web of corporate corruption at its highest level that leaves innocent victims in its wake. Can the Super Spies stop the greedy corporation before it’s too late?

Thanks again for stopping by! :)