NEWS...NEWS...NEWS...NEWS!

 My writing journey began eleven years ago. The books I write are action-adventures & mysteries for readers 8 - 12 and up. And the path, like for most writers, has had its twists and turns. My first publisher went out of business, forcing me to start all over again.

Today, 10 books have again been published. I’d like to acknowledge my excellent agent in all of this, Terry Burns at Hartline Literary.

Recently I signed contract for action-adventures & mysteries that will be sold directly to public schools in Canada and the US.

Since I grew as a struggling, reluctant reader, even as the son of a father who published 70 + books. It's extremely important to me to develop books, today, that kids will want to read. If that doesn't happen, in a culture where more and more people admit that they aren't reading books, then where will the next generation of readers come from?

We know that reading helps point young people to success in life, and I like to conclude my school visits by telling students, “Remember, readers are the leaders others follow."

NEWS #1

A 6 book contract has been signed with Chestnut Publishing in Toronto, Canada. These will be action-adventures & mysteries that will be sold directly to schools. Each book is a stand-alone story. If you’re interested in books like this, you can learn more at http://www.chestnutpublishing.com

NEWS #2

Comfort Publishing has republished several of my original titles, and has also made them available as e-books. In addition, Comfort has released an original title. Two new manuscripts have been delivered to this publisher, a third is in progress now, and more are planned for the future. Each is a stand-alone story. http://comfortpublishing.com/content/default.aspx

NEWS #3

 Port Yonder Press has released a traditional series, The Sam Cooper Adventure Series. Three books are published with a fourth title in the works now, and they are also available as e-books. Additional titles for this series are being explored. http://www.portyonderpress.com

NEWS # 4

Lighthouse Christian Publishers has released The Scarecrow. This title is especially designed for ministries, churches, and others who reach out to children in especially difficult circumstances. The story reminds everyone that there is a friend who will stick closer than a brother. http://lighthousechristianpublishing.com

 NEWS # 4

Work continues with Knowonder Magazine on short stories for young readers. A fresh, new story can be found every day and can be accessed on most electronic devices. Several of my stories have been published, others have been purchased, and more will be written in the future. http://www.knowonder.com/max-elliot-anderson

THE FOLLOWING NEWS REEASE MAY BE REPRODUCED

 NEWSRelease

          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

 

CONTACT: Max Elliot Anderson

 

Mander8813@aol.com

 

Children's Adventure Author
Signs 6 Book Deal

Author Max Elliot Anderson has signed a six book contract with Chestnut Publishing Group of Toronto, Canada.  Chestnut Publishing offers a wide variety of books, especially for reluctant and struggling readers. Chestnut publishes books under a variety of imprints, including High Interest Publishing (HIP), which offers novels that are specifically written, edited and designed for reluctant readers from ages 8 to 18. For some students, these are the first books they will ever read from cover to cover. Anderson’s books will be released as HIP publications.

Mr. Anderson is a multi-published author known for his action-adventures and mysteries for young readers 8 years old and up. He currently has 10 published books for young readers.

            “I’m particularly excited about this relationship,” Anderson said, “because I grew up as a struggling, reluctant reader myself. Nearly eleven years ago, I set out to write the kinds of books I would have enjoyed as a child. Chestnut Publishing Group concentrates on reaching out to struggling, reluctant readers, while providing exciting books that any young reader will enjoy. And they specialize in selling directly to schools”

            Bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins says, "Max Elliot Anderson brings a lifetime of dramatic film and video production to the pages of his action adventures and mysteries."

And bestselling author Bill Myers adds, "Max Elliot Anderson's Adventures are like good, family movies."

            Parents of young readers are the most enthusiastic about Anderson’s books. One mother wrote, “I’m not sure if I've ever seen my son so riveted by a book---he was hooked and totally immersed himself in this read!” Another commented, “All literature should make a child soar like this book did!”

Still others have made comparisons including, “This is Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn if they lived in modern American suburbia,” and “Written in the manner of a good, old-fashioned Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew-style mystery.”

          “But my favorite comments,” Anderson said, “come directly from the kids. I especially like

when they say that reading one of my adventures or mysteries is like being in an exciting movie.”

This new line of books will contain high interest stories and characters, while being easy for young readers to enjoy.

          “It’s critical to make sure our kids are reading,” Anderson said. “I think these books will help

in that important process.”

Books for Boys Blog http://booksandboys.blogspot.com
Author Web Site http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/index_1.html
My Youtube Videos http://www.youtube.com/user/Maxbooks100?feature=watch
Books you can trust for your kids
http://booksandboys.blogspot.com/2012/05/books-you-can-trust-for-kids.html

Chestnut Publishing Group http://www.chestnutpublishing.com

 

 

 

Watch for NEWS

NEWS!

Watch for some very exciting publishing news on this blog soon! 
Lots more books are coming!

A Reminder About 9/11 and Kids

Just a reminder about 9/11 and the kids book,

When The Lights Go Out.

EVERY school & Library should have at least 1 copy for students.

Here's more information:

http://max-whenlightsgoout.blogspot.com/

 Max Elliot Anderson

 

 

 

My books are now available at CBD

Now available on Christian Book Distyributors (CBD)

 

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/easy_find?Ntt=max+elliot+anderson&N=0&Ntk=keywords&action=Search&Ne=0&event=ESRCG&nav_search=1&cms=1&search=

Will you be teaching about 9/11?

Hello

With school starting up again, and it being close to the 11th anniversary of 9/11, I'm reminding everyone about the book, When the Lights Go Out. It's written for readers 8 and up. This fiction adventure - mystery helps to remind all of us of the people we lost on 9/11, but it's about much, much more.

You may want to have your students do a book report about When the Lights Go Out, or to write a paper about 9/11. You'll find much more information at this link, including an interview with a firefighter who was trapped in the rubble and survived. http://max-whenlightsgoout.blogspot.com/

May I encourage you to use When the Lights Go Out this year and in the future so we never forget what happened on 9/11.

Thank you,

Max Elliot Anderson

Author

Other titles available

http://booksandboys.blogspot.com/2012/05/books-you-can-trust-for-kids.html

My New Books Featured in Newspaper

My 2 new books, for readers 8 and up, are included in this article in the Sunday Rockford Register Star newspaper

http://www.rrstar.com/go/news/x1568953049/New-childrens-books-created-by-Rockford-locals?img=4

 

 

 

My friend Jerry & BMX Racing at Olympics

That's my friend, Jerry Landrum, on the left, in London at the Olympics. Jerry and I went to high school and college together. He's an excellent photographer, used to ride BMX, and maintains a site about BMX bike racing at http://bmxmania.com We've been keeping in touch these past few days during the events.

He's standing next to a security / body guard at the track. The BMX men's final will be on NBC tonight sometime between 8:00 and midnight.

Max

Books for Boys Blog http://booksandboys.blogspot.com
Author Web Site http://www.maxbooks.9k.com/index_1.html
My Youtube Videos http://www.youtube.com/user/Maxbooks100

River Rampage Wins Clash Of The Titles

In a recent head-to-head competition, River Rampage won CLASH OF THE TITLES! Read more details here - http://www.clashofthetitles.com/2012/08/june-new-releases-winner-announced.html

River Rampage is book # 3 in the Sam Cooper Adventure Series. Lost Island Smugglers is book # 1 and Captain Jack's Treasure is book # 2.

River Rampage video



Lost Island Smugglers video

Captain Jack's Treasure video

Imagine video

NEW Release! The Scarecrow

The Scarecrow is the first of my books to carry a stronger message as part of the plot and story. My primary intent in writing The Scarecrow was to provide an exciting book for readers 8 - 13, that can be used with confidence by parents, churches, children's ministries, homeschoolers, Christian schools, and others who wish to reach out to kids with this unique tool.

The Scarecrow can be given as a gift to a hurting child, in a difficult home situation, who will identify immediately with the main character and his struggles in life. But the story is not limited to just that group. Any young reader will enjoy The Scarecrow.

               The Scarecrow is now published!

Synopsis_________________________________

  188 Pages

ISBN-10: 1478301309

ISBN-13: 978-1478301301

The Scarecrow

Author: Max Elliot Anderson

             Billy lived in a pitiful place in the city with his mother and younger sister, Becky. Their father had run off years ago and their mother became abusive every time she drank, to forget her troubles.

            One fateful day, a judge ordered that the children had to be removed from the house. They thought that'd be all right until they learned that they wouldn’t be going to the same place together.

            Billy found himself on a remote farm with an aunt and uncle who have never had children. Billy withdrew and didn’t speak at all for a long time.

            As his uncle gave him a tour of the farm, Billy was startled when he first saw the scarecrow. Then something amazing happened. Billy wasn’t certain at first, but he was pretty sure the scarecrow said something to him. Later, in his mind, he and the scarecrow were best friends, and did everything together.

            Billy’s uncle became concerned and, in time, showed him how he could have a friend who would stick closer than a brother.

            Finally, Billy was able to share the good news with his sister and his mother.

The Scarecrow is published by Lighthouse Christian Publishing and is currently available on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/The-Scarecrow-Story-Teaches-World/dp/1478301309%3FSubscriptionId%3D1QZMGW0RRJC2PX87HDR2%26tag%3Dsalranexp-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1478301309

I hope you'll help to make sure that The Scarecrow gets into the hands of kids who truly need to read its message of hope.

Max Elliot Anderson

Author

PS. If you are interested in quantity orders, direct from the publisher, for your ministry or outreach, email me at mander8813@aol.com and I'll give you their contact information.

"Max Elliot Anderson brings a lifetime of dramatic film and video production to the pages of his action adventures and mysteries." Jerry B. Jenkins, Author

"Max Elliot Anderson's Adventures are like good, family movies." Bill Myers - Author
Reviews: 
Review By Wayne S. Walker
How can a boy who has been moved away from his home in the city to live with his uncle and aunt way out in the country find a friend? Eleven-year-old William J. (Billy) Brightman lives in a very rough part of the city with his mom and eight-year-old sister Becky. His dad had left the family a long time ago, and his mother drinks too much. Billy keeps having a dream about being frightened by a mean scarecrow. One day his mother accidentally starts a fire in their house, and the judge says that Billy and his sister have to stay somewhere else. Becky is sent to live with distant relatives in another state while Billy is sent to a farm to live with his Uncle Jim and Aunt Ruth who have no children.

At first, Billy doesn't like it on the farm and tries to be as uncommunicative as possible. But Uncle Jim and Aunt Ruth are very nice to him. He learns to help with the work--gathering eggs, feeding the animals, raking leaves, stacking hay, and picking vegetables from the garden. There are a tire swing on a tree and some newborn kittens in the barn to play with. His uncle and aunt also take Billy to church with them. However, he misses Becky and has no other friends. Then he finds that there's a scarecrow on the farm--just like the one in his dreams! But this is a nice scarecrow. He winks his eye, talks to Billy, and even gets down off his post to play with him. Together they explore the farm, work in the barn, and go fishing. Is this real, or is Billy just pretending to play with a make-believe friend? And who does Billy learn is a friend who sticks closer than a brother?

Author Max Elliot Anderson has done it again. Billy is a boy who has experienced some significant problems in his short life, through no fault of his own, but he learns, with the assistance of his wise uncle and loving aunt, the very best way to deal with his situation. Billy makes some mistakes along the way, but he corrects them and determines to do better. It is good for youngsters to read stories about taking responsibility and overcoming difficulties. All children will like The Scarecrow, but I think that it will be especially meaningful to hurting children in difficult home situations because they will be able immediately to identify with Billy and his life with its struggles. To be honest, I've never read a Max Elliot Anderson book that I didn't thoroughly enjoy, and this one is no different. It gets a high five from me.

Review By Cheri Swalwell
My child just finished reading The Scarecrow by Max Elliott Anderson. She really liked the book. It was about a brother and sister who were taken away from their mother and placed in separate homes. The boy, Billy, was angry for being taken away and separated, but by the end of the book he learns how to love.

She said her favorite part of the book was when Billy ended up accepting Jesus into his heart after his uncle explained what that meant, and when he was excited and shared that with his sister, he found out she had done the same thing after learning about Jesus from her church and new family.

My daughter said she loved the book and thinks the author writes very well. Overall, she said she would recommend this book to both boys and girls age eight and up. However, she feels that even grown-ups would love this book.

Are You Into BMX Bike Racing?

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the ABA BMX Midwest Nationals for BMX racing bikes. BMX stands for Bicycle Motocross. The competition was held in my city, Rockford, Illinois.

Now, I’m embarrassed to say that the races have been held in Rockford for twenty-six years, but I never attended before this year.

Competition was held from Friday through Sunday and I went on the last afternoon of racing. I also went in hopes of meeting a friend from high school and College, Jerry Landrum.

Jerry raced in BMX during his younger years, and he’ll probably tell you he continued on in it beyond when he should have stopped.

On Sunday, I saw racers who were solidly into their 50’s. If there were older competitors, I didn’t hear the ages.

I asked around at the track, to see if Jerry was there on Sunday afternoon. Several officials and another professional photographer said he wasn't. The photographer told me, “No,” none of the big BMX photographers were there on Sunday. I found out later that Jerry was there. It’s just that he stayed high up in the stands for his shots that day, while I prowled around the grounds and the infield. Too bad. It would have been nice to see him.

Here’s a link to Jerry’s excellent web site, BMX Mania http://bmxmania.com   Everything you could possibly want to know about BMX racing is on this site because Jerry is one of the top experts in the field.

Interesting, the starting gate used in all BMX racing in the world was made at a company here in Rockford, also.

Many former competitors in Rockford will be at the Olympics in London, so I hope you’ll watch for the BMX events in the days ahead. Jerry will be there, too, taking more of his stunning pictures.

At the weekend races here, 28 states were represented. More than 1,250 riders participated. I honestly couldn’t believe how gigantic this event actually was. The track is considered possibly the best in the country.

I also saw some pretty spectacular accidents where riders were hurt. Keep that in mind if you’re considering entering the sport.

And girls compete as well as the boys, men, and women. Each races in his or her own class, including pro.

My photographs don’t hold a candle to Jerry’s, but these are just a few examples of the competition anyway.

Remember, if you're looking for heart-pounding action adventures and mysteries for readers 8 - 13, check out my books. Many are also on ebooks. I'm also on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and others.
My books on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/182-0164727-8617855?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=max+elliot+anderson

VOTE For River Rampage Please

Please vote - River Rampage is on Clash of the Titles.

Please take a second and vote for it, thank you.

 

http://www.clashofthetitles.com

 

 

 

And here's the video from River Rampage.

 

NEW FREE short story for kids, Buddy's Big Surprise

NEW FREE short story for kids, Buddy's Big Surprise.
You may be surprised, too -

http://www.knowonder.com/2012/07/23/buddys-big-surprise/

FREE short story Buford Bear & The First Snowflake

FREE short story - Read about the contest Buford Bear could never win! The First Snowflake. Perfect for these hot summer days we're having.

A story for the little ones around you today at Knowonder Magazine.

http://www.knowonder.com/2012/07/14/the-first-snowflake/

Max Elliot Anderson

Excellent review for Lost Island Smugglers from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

Here's an excellent review for Lost Island Smugglers from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine

NOTE! If you would like to review book #3, River Rampage, from a PDF file, send your request to mander8813@aol.com

http://thehomeschoolmagazine.com/Homeschool_Reviews/4712.php

Video

Book #2 Captain Jack's Treasure

Video

Book # 3 River Rampage



Video

Six additional titles available

Polly Porcupine’s Prickly Problem

I have a new short story available for kids today at
Knowonder Magazine.

Polly Porcupine’s Prickly Problem

NEW short story for kids - please rank the story, too. http://www.knowonder.com/2012/07/05/polly-porcupines-prickly-problem/

Which Brained Are You?

Here's a new article that may interest you about right-brained, left-brained, and what it means to you, your children or grandchildren.
http://christianfictiononlinemagazine.com/middle_anderson.html

Latest Review - River Rampage

River Rampage is an incredibly fast paced and well written book that has more twists and turns then the Wild Colorado River. Traveling with Tony, Sam and Tyler is an action packed adventure that takes you on one of the fastest and most treacherous rivers in the world. After the first day, they are separated from the rest of the group and have to survive, where many don't. Along the way, they meet many new and even more dangerous surprises. Only through their quick wits and sheer determination can they hope to make it back home alive. With things getting steadily worse as they go along, do they have it in them to make it home?

I couldn't put this book down till I knew if they make the journey. What started as an adventure, quickly became a battle to live. With each turned page, it seemed things got more involved, each new surprise, more harrowing, and almost impossible for the boys to live to tell the tale.

By the end, surviving the raging river is the least of their problems as the odds against them mount.

Max Elliot Anderson has crafted a delicious tale that is enjoyable to the last bite.

J. D. Means

Have you seen the River Rampage video?

Kids Reading After Lights Out

I've heard from a number of parents that their kids are finding ways to read my adventures and mysteries after lights out.

Find out why this is by checking out one or more of my books for readers 8 and up. Ask for them at your local bookstore or order online.

Find several exciting video book trailers here http://www.youtube.com/user/Maxbooks100

Comfort Publishing

When the Lights Go Out ISBN: 9781936695478
Terror at Wolf Lake ISBN: 9781936695966
North Woods Poachers ISBN: 9781936695058
Barney and the Runaway ISBN: 9780984559848
Legend of the White Wolf ISBN: 9781936695690
Newspaper Caper ISBN: 9781936695263

Port Yonder Press

Lost Island Smugglers ISBN: 9781935600022
Captain Jack's Treasure ISBN: 9781935600145
River Rampage ISBN: 9781935600152
Max Elliot Anderson - Author

Robins in the Spring

This bush sits outside a large picture window in our living room on the front of the house.

I began to notice a robin that was always around and took off yelling anytime we came out the front door.

As I suspected, a nest had to be nearby, and here it is, in that bush, with 3 eggs inside. Each time we walked outside, the mother flew away, squawking, trying to divert our attention away from the nest, but I'd already discovered its location.

 In time she accepted the fat that we were going to keep coming and going through that front door. She settled into our routine and didn't fly away as often.

Soon the babies hatched as you can see here.

They began screeching as they called out to their mother for, "More food! More food NOW!"

Here they seem to be practicing for their part in the local robin opera.

They practiced a lot. If you listen closely you may hear them singing, "Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, F..I...G...A...R...O!

 In a few days, however, it appeared that only one baby robin remained in the nest. I didn't watch it every day, so I have no idea what happened. The only thing is, I felt from the start that the nest was smaller than a usual robin's. However, this guy was the Baby Huey of the family and he may have simply pushed the others out. What's that they say about survival of the fittest?

He kept demanding all the food and from this point, that's what he got since the others were gone.

Baby Huey grew quickly until...

...this morning when he left the nest and sat in the branches of the bush. By this evening he was gone.