ROCKFORD,
ILLINOIS: --As a child, Max Anderson hated to read. This was ironic because
his father was an author. To make matters even worse, his father also wrote
children's books. Max grew up in a family of seven children. It was easy for
this lack of interest in reading to go unnoticed. As he grew older he found
that doing well on tests was difficult because much of that testing included
reading comprehension.
Somehow he managed to squeak through
high school. In college, psychology attracted his attention, setting up a
life long interest in understanding how people think and why.
When his own two children were born,
his wife, Claudia, saw to it that their son and daughter were exposed to
hundreds of books. This early pattern established the importance of reading.
Today those children are well on their way to careers in law and
teaching.
Now, years later, Max has made a
discovery. "I wanted to understand why I hated to read," Max says.
"I found that the style in which most children's books were written
didn't necessarily welcome in the reluctant reader. There seemed to be a kind
of, 'This is the way we've always done it,' frame of mind. This carried over
into my early relationships with acquisition editors at publishing houses
where I attempted to have my books published. The more rejections I received,
the more determined I was to write books in a fresh new way. I hoped that
this would attract young readers today who feel like I did when I was just a
boy."
Mr. Anderson's rejection folder is
stuffed with letters turning down his proposals. But he continued writing his
Christian adventure chapter books. "I just kept focusing on that one
boy, from 8 - 13, who was struggling to read the books his mother kept
bringing home. In my research, I also went looking for young readers who
would be willing to try out my theory about the books I was
writing."
Here is an exchange of emails
concerning one such young boy:
Email # 1 Ethan, my reluctant
reader, would like to read either "Newspaper Caper" or
"Mountain Cabin Mystery".
Email # 2 You know, maybe it's really a matter of
preference.
My reluctant reader is right this very moment reading
one of your stories....and he is very engrossed -- keeps
telling me about parts of it....likes the humor.....so you
just never know. I'd say you may be onto something here!
Email # 3 Ethan is still reading.....likes your
writing (he said,
"Mom, he doesn't write like you...instead of saying could
you, he says couldja, just like we talk!")....and
your humor....I'll have him write you an email.
Email # 4 Dear Mr. Anderson,
Your story was funny and exciting. My favorite
part was when Tom was stuck in the building with
the attack dogs I liked it cause it kept on getting
more and more interesting and exciting.
Other books start to get boring but this one didn't.
Can I read Mountain Cabin Mystery next?
Ethan
This past week his mother wrote to me saying, Ethan decided he'd buy ALL of your books - so
I guess I'm committed to buying them for a while to come.
"In
August of this year, my first book, Newspaper Caper, will be published by
Tweener Press. They have over 20 years of publishing industry experience.
These are the first people to "get it" and understand what I'm
trying to accomplish. The second title, Terror at Wolf Lake is due out
this November. After that the plan is to release one new title every two
months at least through 2004. To date, fourteen manuscripts are
complete."
If you would like additional information,
or if you are in a position to review new books for children, please let us
know.
The Market Place
P O Box 4126
Rockford, Illinois 61110
mander8813@aol.com
Feel free to forward this
information to anyone interested in books for tweeners, especially boys who think they don't like to read.
