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CBCA Book Week 2019

M.C.D. Etheridge — Sun, 18 Aug 2019 05:40:51 +0000

Aside from Christmas itself, there are few times of the year that I enjoy more than the Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Book Week. Celebrating the joy of reading is a really wonderful part of the school calendar and I congratulate everyone involved at the CBCA for all the effort that goes into making Book Week such a special event and so much fun.

Reading Is My Secret Power is the theme of Book Week 2019. Hard not to ignore the nod to all our favourite super heroes with that one. It’s sure to be a great theme for all those who enjoy dressing up as caped crusaders. I can picture the array of colourful heroes and villains on display at the annual book parade even now.

When we celebrate books and reading, so often the focus is on authors and illustrators and the amazing characters they create. But just for a moment, I’d like to acknowledge the real heroes here; and that’s the teaching staff who do so much to encourage and enthuse young readers into developing their skills. If reading is a secret power (which it is by the way), the source of that power is surely the army of teachers and librarians who keep the joy of reading and literacy so well supported all over the world.

Reading is one of the most incredible powers we can access. Perhaps the greatest power known to anyone, anywhere in the universe. It’s powerful because it unlocks the imagination, and when you unlock the imagination, you really can achieve anything. As a writer, reading is probably my most useful tool. If ever I get writer’s block, I start reading and it’s not long before the words start flowing again.

This year, thanks to the CBCA’s Central Coast crew, I enjoyed touring Whitebeard on the NSW Central Coast. I had a terrific time introducing Whitebeard and the crew of the Rudolph’s Revenge to students at Brooke Avenue PS, The Entrance PS, Gosford East PS and Woongarrah PS; as well as the CBCA Luncheon at Breakers Country Club near Terrigal. It was so much fun and I can’t thank Sharlene Evans and Lyndall Coles enough for inviting me up the coast to share Whitebeard with new readers.

WHITEBEARD’S ADVENT READING CHALLENGE

M.C.D. Etheridge — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 20:54:55 +0000

Ahoy there young scallywags!

The countdown to Christmas is almost upon us and school children all over the world are beginning to get more and more excited in the lead up to the big day.

At this time of year Advent calendars are very popular, but here on the Northern Beaches in Sydney, school children I have visited are preparing to take up the Advent Reading Challenge.

Can you read a chapter a day in December to make your Christmas even more special?

Whilst Whitebeard doesn’t contain any chocolate, it does contain 24 fun-filled, bite-sized chapters and is absolutely jam-packed with festive adventure. So it’s just like an Advent calendar, but better! Way better!

After an exciting visit to St John’s Catholic Primary School in Narraweena (see picture above), the children there were the first to take up the challenge and now the whole school is making it an event.

Why not join in the fun too? If you complete the Whitebeard Advent Reading Challenge, you will receive a special message from Captain Whitebeard himself on Christmas Day.

If you live in Sydney, you can find your copy of Whitebeard on bookshelves at Humphrey’s newsagency in Manly, Berkelouw Bookstores, Harry Hartog’s Bookshops and the Children’s Bookshop in Beecroft. Alternatively, if you live in other regions, click the BUY NOW button below.

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WHITEBEARD FANS – THANK YOU!

M.C.D. Etheridge — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 05:54:42 +0000

Ahoy there, young scallywags!

After a cracking launch week, here’s a hearty thank you to all the Whitebeard fans who’ve helped get this book to young readers all over the world.

Whitebeard has got off to a great start and made a few of the Amazon Best Seller lists in its first week. Whitebeard is still #1 for Children’s Pirate Literature in the UK at the moment. I can’t believe that this is even a category, but to be at the top of it feels like a dream come true. Yarrr!

It has been lovely to receive the first reviews for this work and to get the opportunity to share my story on the Today show, but it’s the pictures some of you have sent me of big kids and small getting stuck into the pages of this book that makes my heart fit to burst whenever I see one. Thank you all for your support.

It really wouldn’t have happened if not for the love and support of my family and friends. Ilaria, you have been absolutely amazing. Not only are you a rock of support, but your enthusiasm and ideas have also been a never-ending source of inspiration. Mum, Dad, Phil & Colleen, thank you for providing me with a writing hideaway whenever I’ve needed to crack on without distraction and for helping in every way you can. Jon, Ula, Tom & Leanne, thank you for your constant love and support. I can’t wait to read Whitebeard to baby Stella when we return to England next year.

Massive piratical thank yous must also go to Olivia Ong for her beautiful illustrations, Megan Sheer for her lovely book design and Tegan Morrison for her excellent work in editing this text. Whitebeard wouldn’t exist were it not for you.

To everyone else who has supported Whitebeard along the way, I simply can’t thank you enough. You are true friends and will all have a place on the Rudolph’s Revenge when it sets sail.

PLEASE WRITE A REVIEW AND SHARE WHITEBEARD’S AVAILABILITY

So far, Whitebeard’s momentum has been absolutely fantastic. If I could ask one last favour. To those who have received, read and enjoyed the book, do please tell other people about it and leave a review on Amazon as it will really help encourage others to enjoy this festive tale. Thank you again, you scurvy knaves. You’re the best!

Top 5 Ways to get kids to read

M.C.D. Etheridge — Sun, 30 Sep 2018 07:37:11 +0000

Want to know how to get kids to read?

With so many distractions it can be hard to get kids to read. Experts reveal five simple tips to motivate and encourage them.

1. Let them choose their reading material.

“It needs to be fun and not a chore,” says Susan Stephenson from The Book Chook blog. Forcing your kids to read and pushing them to pick up your childhood favourites won’t work. It’s all about engagement. Give them freedom to choose for themselves and help them find reading material that relates to their interests. Libraries are great for this.

2. Read with them.

If your kids are young this is absolutely the best thing you can do. Read with your kids, read to your kids and get them to read out loud with you. It’s one of the surest ways to build confidence. “It’s the best way to keep reading a social activity and not a task”, says Professor Beryl Exley, National President of the Australian Literacy Educators’ Association.

3. Invest in audio books.

As your children get older there’s a good chance bed time stories will become a thing of the past. But now audio books are making it easier than ever to keep the magic of storytelling alive. “Audio books are a fantastic opportunity to engage children who are struggling with reading,” says Professor Exley who also suggests getting a favourite relative to audio record books on an i-pad and send it to your kids as a way to boost engagement.

4. Incentivise reading.

Even writers of children’s fiction can struggle to get their kids reading. But offering rewards can work. The Peski Kids author R A Spratt had reluctant readers in her family and even paid her daughters pocket money to read.

“Harry Potter was $4. They’d get 20 cents for a comic.”

Reading in exchange for screen time is another good method. “Half an hour a day or no i-pad seemed to work too. Now they’re older they read a lot for pleasure,” says Spratt.

5. Let them see you reading.

This is a big one. You spend a lot of time looking at your phone and guess what, your kids want to look at your phone too. If they see you enthralled in a book, it sends a powerful message.

“Role model reading is so important,” says Professor Exley.

“Children want to be connected to adults. In this sense we can use psychology to our advantage. If your child sees you reading for pleasure they’ll see it as an opportunity to be connected to the adult world.”

On a personal note, the best advice I can give you is to keep trying. Never give up. I was a late developer and didn’t really enjoy reading until I reached double figures. Now as a writer, words are my life. I’ve written a children’s book called Whitebeard – jam packed with action and adventure it’s sure to get your kids into reading and a perfect book for you to enjoy together.

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COULD YOU BE A PIRATE? – Asks Whitebeard author M.C.D. Etheridge

M.C.D. Etheridge — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 03:44:22 +0000

If you have a talent for being naughty – and I suspect you probably do – a pirate’s life is probably for you.

Shouting and pulling horrible faces is a good start, but if making mischief appeals to you more than making your bed, you might just have what it takes.

For pirates, being flexible with the truth is as important as bending the rules. Fabulous fibs and despicable lies are greatly encouraged. Cheating celebrated.

Scraps, brawls and fighting of any kind is in the diary for most days. As is talking with your mouth full, burping, breaking wind, picking your nose and secretly wiping the bogey on your mate’s back.

Not the sort of thing that gets you in the good books with Santa Claus is it my dearios? Or so you think.

For there was a time when the naughtiest behaviour you can think of was exactly what the man in red was looking for; back when he was known only as the feared Pirate Captain Whitebeard.

That’s right my friends, it was back in a time when to loot and plunder was every young sea urchin’s dream.

Back when jolly jack-tars trawled the Caribbean in search of treasure chests filled to the brim with gold as bright as the summer sun, and sapphires more magnificent than the glistening blue tropical waters below.

Back when the seas were rammed with princely plunder hidden away on enormous wooden ships the size of palaces.

Back when each floating palace was guarded by grizzled gun-wielding maniacs, armed to their missing teeth with primed pistols and brandished blades.

Back when the sweet smell of salt, tar and gunpowder filled the sunburnt nostrils of swaying swashbucklers, each spirited alive by seafaring song riddled with the rudest words you can think of.

Aye, it was back in the days when naughtiness knew no limits, Captain Whitebeard put together a crew of some of the naughtiest pirates ever to have lived.

Dasher loved sword fighting. Almost as much as he loved not doing what he was told and answering back.

Dancer loved staying up late, partying to loud music and wearing disguises to trick people.

Prancer loved games and especially cheating at games when no one was looking.

Vixen lied her way to being a pirate by pretending she was a boy (girls were not allowed to be pirates in those days).

Comet was expelled from the Royal Navy for claiming to have seen a mermaid.

Cupid was kicked out of his orphanage for making a crossbow in class and using it to break all the windows.

Donner, who never brushed his teeth or trimmed his beard, loved rude words and used them in most sentences.

Blitzen liked fighting, tattoos and piercings.

Despicable, terrible, unforgivable behaviour, you’ll agree. But for our pirates aboard the Rudolph’s Revenge, it was fun.