Friday, July 31, 2015

FREE Short Story For Kids - Willy The Wrong Way Rabbit

Willy The Wrong Way Rabbit
brown rabbit

  

by

Max Elliot Anderson

            A young rabbit stood outside his home, looked down at the ground and mumbled, “Willy the wrong way rabbit.” He shook his head and repeated, “Willy the wrong way rabbit.” He took a deep breath. “That’s what they call me, Willy the wrong way rabbit.”
            Willy wasn’t worse than other rabbits. His ears stood up straight like theirs, he had the same color of fur, and his bushy tail looked just as nice as any other rabbit’s in the woods. But poor Willy really did have a big problem. No matter what he was supposed to do, Willy always did it the wrong way. For example, most rabbits take off running with a hop, skip, and a jump. But not Willy. He started out with a jump, skip, and then a hop.
            His mother had nearly given up trying to teach Willy the right ways. That’s because two days ago, she asked him to take out the garbage. Instead, Willy brought trash into the house and stacked it neatly in the hallway. “One of these days,” his mother scolded, “something very bad could happen to you if you don’t stop, look, and listen.” In fact, earlier on that day, she had taken him down to the railroad tracks where a sign with those very words of warning stood guard at the crossing. But Willy didn’t stop, he didn’t look, and he didn’t listen. He charged right toward the tracks just as a fast-moving passenger train roared through. Lucky for Willy, his mother grabbed his little coat just before that monster streaked only inches in front of his twitching nose. He held his breath and closed his eyes tight.
            For nearly a minute after the train had passed, his mother couldn’t speak. But when she did, Willy knew he was in trouble. “Willy the wrong way rabbit,” she said in a trembling voice. “Whatever shall become of you?” And that was the last time she had tried to teach him.
            When Willy’s friends teased him about being the wrong way rabbit, they weren’t simply being unkind. Willy always did things the wrong way. Like whenever he ate dinner with his family. If all the other rabbits at the table passed serving bowls from the left to the right, Willy tried to pass them in the opposite direction, which was wrong. If he were told to turn right, he went left. It was no use telling Willy to go up the path because he’d turn and go down. To Willy, left was right, black was white, day was night, up was down, hot was cold, in was out, under was over, and fast was slow.
            Willy hopped out into the woods where he could think about his problems. He stayed out there for a long time. Later he wandered down by Webster’s Creek where he spoke quietly. “I’ve always been a happy rabbit. Having fun is just a habit. If there’s a carrot, I will grab it. I can’t help it I’m a wrong way rabbit.” After sitting on the bank for a while longer, he heard a familiar voice.
            “Hey Willy! Where’ve you been?”
            He looked up at his friend Wilbur.
            “We haven’t seen hide nor hair of you?”
            Willy blinked. “Huh?”
            His friend laughed. “It’s a rabbit joke, Willy.”
            Willy rubbed his nose. “I’ve been around. What about you?”
            “We hopped past where the watermelons grow.”
            Willy smacked his lips. “Watermelons. What a wonderful taste. Who was guarding them?”
            “Old Man Woodman, why?”
            Willy’s ears stood up a little straighter. “What was he doing?”
            “Whistling.”
            “Why was he whistling?”
            Wilbur sat next to his friend. “Whenever he knows we aren’t around, he whistles.”
            Willy turned to Wilbur. “Where was his dog, King?”
            “Whining in the bushes at the end of a strong rope.”
            Willy shook his head. “Wonder why?”
            “Who knows?”
            Willy stood up. “Wow, wouldn’t a watermelon be delicious on a hot day like this?”
            Wilbur stood next to him. “What are you thinking?”
            “Well, Wilbur, why don’t we get all of our friends, hop on over to Woodman’s yard and go through his fence tonight?”
            “What if King whines?” Wilbur asked in alarm.
            “Who cares? That dog can’t catch all of us. Besides, Old Man Woodman doesn’t hear very well anymore.”
            So, after dark that night, Willy, Wilbur, Wyatt, Weldon, Walt, and Warren headed for the back fence behind Old Man Woodman’s property. A full moon shined its light on their path. Willy had been warned many times, by his mother, “Stay out of gardens. We have plenty of our own food. A rabbit can go into a garden and never come out.”
            Mr. Woodman’s fence hadn’t been repaired for many years. Several of the boards had loosened so that, if a rabbit wanted to, he could easily push them to one side and have all the fresh carrots, lettuce, radishes, and other vegetables he wanted. And right now, Willy wanted all of them; even though he knew it was wrong. He and his friends pushed their way through the fence. They stopped on the other side, right in front of the straightest garden rows any rabbit has ever seen.
            Willy looked closer. “Not a weed anywhere,” he told the others. Then, as if they were in their own, personal produce department at the grocery store, each rabbit began picking and eating nearly everything in sight. Before long, they completely forgot about Old Man Woodman, his dog King, or anything else. And that was a big mistake.
            On their very first visit to this garden, Willy and his friends made sure to know where the dog had been tied and the length of his rope. Willy may have been the first to hear it tonight, he wasn’t really sure. But one thing he was sure of is a low growl cut through the night air, just to his left, or was it his right? No matter which one it was, Willy knew he and his friends were in danger.
Good thing that hound is still tied up, he thought. Willy slowly opened one eye. What he saw made him squeeze his eyes shut and wait. The next thing he felt was the hot breath from Mr. Woodman’s dog. Willy noticed that Old Man Woodman had tied an extra length into King’s rope. Now he could chase rabbits two times farther than before. Right then Willy knew he was in the wrong place, at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing, and he hadn’t even made it to the watermelon patch yet.
Willy opened his other eye. That’s when he noticed his friends eating lettuce in the row next to where he hid. He had two choices. Willy could stay hidden, or he could warn his friends and put himself in danger. He thought for only a second or two. Then he stood up, took a big bunny breath, and called out in his loudest voice, “Run for your lives!”
His friends dropped what they were eating and dashed for the fence. The growling hound turned around toward Willy and cut off his path of escape. And that’s when Willy noticed something. In an instant, he dove under King, ran through his four legs, and streaked toward the iron stake at the other end of the rope. Well, King had no choice. He spun around and followed as fast as he could. When he reached the stake, Willy ran around and around and around as King chased only inches behind him until something surprising happened. The dog had wound his rope around that stake until he could run no more.
Next, Willy did the right thing for only the second time in his life. He didn’t run the wrong way. Instead, he raced straight for the fence, burst through, and tumbled into the grass on the other side where his friends met him. They all cheered and hopped around as they shouted, “Willy, Willy, the right way rabbit!”
From that day on, Willy listened to his mother, and even though he made mistakes from time to time, Willy tried his best to do the right thing so no one could call him Willy the wrong way rabbit ever again.
-          The End -
Max Elliot Anderson writes adventures and mysteries for middle grade readers. An additional 23 books are contracted for publishing over the next several months!
Amazon Author Page 

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Reviews for Lost Island Smugglers!

 
Following are a few examples of what people are saying about  Lost Island Smugglers, book #1 in The Sam Cooper Adventure Series.



5
A Great Adventure Story!


This is a great book for teenage and younger boys, or for anyone who enjoys an adventure!

You will love getting to know Sam, Tony, and Tyler, as you follow them taking scuba lessons, testing out their new skills without permission, and then suffering the consequences, along with making an unexpected discovery.

The author weaves an exciting story while giving good old-fashioned moral lessons on obedience to parents, not submitting to peer pressure, and the fact that we may have the freedom to make decisions, but we may not be able to control the consequences.

This is a 5-star book! Enjoy!

I received this book from The Book Club Network in return for my honest opinion.

5Action-packed!

What a great first in this series for teens! The author knows how to keep the suspense going to keep the reader intrigued. The story was a good mix of danger, suspense, dialogue and mystery. You feel for the new kid who has the dilemma of peer pressure to make friends or doing what is right. This story also teaches that each decision has consequences and you have to live with those. What a great teaching tool for teens who are in the middle of these peer pressure years. This well written story will gently remind them that God sees everything and will be with you always. I recommend this for any teen and even pre-teens as a great story with wonderful morals.
I received this book from bookfun.org for an honest review.

4A great read

The book reminds me of a more modern Hardy Boys story with more current problems and a tidy solution. It is something I would like to have my boys read.

4Good story for boys

It is quite interesting to read. I'd like to tell my 7-year boy the story. Main characters are typical and educational.

5Great book!

Actually, my 12-year-old son read this book and loved it. He is already asking me to buy the other books in the series.

5Anderson writes for the young person

I bought these books for a young reader who has just begun to enjoy having his own story to read. The chapter are exciting and short. The print and format are very clear making it easy to read. The young person feels a nice feeling of accomplishment when finishing the books by this author.

5My son who wouldn't read, read this book straight through!

My son has refused to read books, instead wanting me to read to him. He is now 12 and needs to be reading some books on his own. A friend who knew of my reading struggles with my son saw these books advertised for boys who don't like reading and told me about them. I bought 2 and he read them both in under one week! He loved these books!! It was just a matter of finding a book that kept is interest and these books did it! Another good set of books is the Trail Blazer series by Dave & Neta Jackson.

5Couldn't Put It Down

This is the review that my teenager wrote up after reading Lost Island Smugglers.
***The Lost Island Smugglers was an extremely enjoyable book. I felt that each character was well-developed and I could feel what they were feeling. I enjoyed the struggle against the storm, how they gradually got weaker as the storm progressed. I really like how Sam took charge and was able to help them survive. The book, in all, was very exciting and it really kept me at the edge of my seat.

5Great Adventure!!

I thoroughly enjoyed "Lost Island Smugglers" by gifted Author Max Elliot Anderson. This fictional novel reminds me of my youth and the pleasure I received in reading both the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery series. My twelve year old grandson would be intrigued by the adventure that Sam Cooper and his two new friends, Tony and Tyler, face in this well-written suspense novel.

Sam Cooper is an eleven year old boy who moves around more than the average boy of his age. His father is a biologist and must go where his job takes him. This occurs more than Sam likes. His latest move takes him to Harper's Inlet in Florida and once again Sam must seek out new friends. He does so at Sunday School where he meets up with Tony and Tyler. Tony's father owns a marina and many opportunities arise for the boys to spread their wings. After taking scuba diving lessons, they decide to venture out into the ocean on their own and put their skills to the test. An unexpected storm is brewing and the three boys manage to survive and end up on Lost Island. The adventure that ensues is most enjoyable and sure to capture the hearts of many younger readers.

There is an added thread throughout this novel, that intertwines lessons to be learned, as well as the importance of morals and values in the lives of these youngsters. "Lost Island Smugglers" can be seen as a valuable educational tool in teaching these ethics as well as stressing the role parent's play in shaping the lives of their children. I'm sure many young boys and girls can identify with the desire to be popular with their friends and the tendency to be disobedient to their parents in order to attain that popularity. Sam is faced with this challenge. This thought-provoking novel, demonstrates the sometimes peril consequences of ignoring the warnings of concerned parents. The illustrations in this book also add to the reading pleasure of the young audience it will appeal to.

5Christian contemporary Hardy Boys

Lost Island Smugglers by Max Elliot Anderson is about Sam Cooper and his family's latest move. Sam's dad's job has them moving frequently. While Sam has learned to adjust and makes friends quickly, it's hard to leave relationships behind over and over. When the Cooper family visits a local church, Sam meets two boys who seem to know how to find all the excitement. Tony's dad owns the marina and Tyler is Tony's sidekick. After getting all three boys free scuba lessons, Tony borrows one of his dad's boats so he and his friends can do some real scuba diving. The boys learn a lot about themselves as well as a few secrets of the island that someone else wants kept secret.

Growing up I loved reading Hardy Boys (preferred them over Nancy Drew) and this reminded me of a Christian contemporary version of Hardy Boys. There is definitely action, adventure and suspense for both boys and girls 8-12 years.

Thursday, July 02, 2015

On The Cover of July's BOOK FUN MAGAZINE

I have the privilege to be featured on the July cover of Book Fun Magazine and with an interview on pages 118 - 127 

Max Elliot Anderson