More Magic!

After a class of third graders at Moores Hill elementary in Indiana read The Magic Nation Gift Shop, I spoke to them about writing. They thoroughly enjoyed Gift Shop, and asked for more stories. I went home that afternoon and began the sequel, The Magic Nation Playground.

Playground launched today. It has more magic than Gift Shop, but also more reality. I tried to teach various topics through a fun, student-friendly fiction experience. There are stories about animals: birds, bugs, white squirrels, fox, and deer. There’s a history story about the Underground Railroad; a story about Alaska; one about eclipses and northern lights; and one about rumors and gossip. There’s even a myth about chiggers. Not to mention a golf story and a poem!

Which is my favorite? “The Most Important Railroad” has to be my choice. A young girl travels in time to assist the Underground Railroad in Ohio. She helps a passenger learn to read by giving her a copy of McGuffey’s Reader. I hope the end of that story will stay with you! It gives me chills when I read it myself. Coincidentally, I found a copy of McGuffey’s Reader in my old books the very day I wrote the story––after the story was completely finished! Pictures of the book are in that chapter.

“Erik the Red,” a fun story about a cardinal (who just happens to be a Cincinnati reds fan) is another favorite of mine. I learned a great deal about cardinals while writing the story. I guarantee the birds will visit your feeder if you follow the suggestions of Erik the Red!

When I uploaded the new book, I discovered that I now have a series. I needed a name for it, so I decided to mimic my favorite group of stories, and named it Magic Nation Tales. Thanks, Chaucer, for the suggestion.

I guess I need to get started on Magic Nation Tales, book 3.