Please plan to tune into the WITS podcast this Friday when our guest will be first-time author C. Michael Thompson. He will be discussing his new release Twinsational. This book focuses on eleven-year-old twins Mark and Michelle as they deal with the typical issues that preteens face during a day at school. But, there are also some exciting adventures that challenge their friendships and their good standing at school along the way!
C. Michael Thompson, or "Mike" as he is known, has a background as a teaching of young children and brings this experience to Twinsational. The book has important messages about friendship and honesty. It is intended for readers around the ages of ten to thirteen, but will also be enjoyed by parents who read the book with their children.
Please visit the Amazon website to purchase Twinsational.
Title of Document: Book Review
Book Title: Twinsational
Author: C. Michael Thompson
ISBN: 978-1-4327-3033-8
Publisher: OutskirtsPress.com
Genre and Target Market: children’s fiction
Publication Date: 2009
Book Length in Pages: 116
I have been a voracious reader my entire life, spending hours combing the stacks of books in the kids’ section of the library as soon as I was old enough to get my own card. It was not unusual to find me sitting in my favorite tree with a book in hand on a Saturday afternoon. As a child and young teenager, I loved finding stories in which kids my age were involved in adventures into which I could easily transport myself. I had no need for outlandish plots or exaggerated characters. Just give me a great book about average kids and the crazy situations they manage to create. I am now well into my thirties but, through my work in the writing industry, still enjoy the discovery of a book to which kids can really relate and enjoy reading. I have found such a novel in Twinsational, the new release by author C. Michael Thompson.
Twinsational shares one day in the life of Mark and Michelle (known to most as Shelly) Johnson, eleven-year-old brother and sister twins who have each other’s back no matter the situation. The book has all of the elements that most preteens can expect to encounter on a daily basis—the class bully, good friends, demanding teachers, and first crushes. The day begins with the first of many confrontations that the twins have with their nemesis, Bubba, as they walk to school. Once they arrive on campus and meet up with friends, a series of events causes Mark and his friend David to elude the watchful eye of teachers and the new principal, with sister Michelle and her friend Kianna acting as accomplices. As the story unfolds, readers get a real sense of the loyalty shared between the characters in this book and a lesson in making the decision to do the right thing.
For me, the greatest strength of Thompson’s writing is his ability to capture a genuine sense of the way in which preteens interact. Young people who read Twinsational will not feel as if the author is condescending in his depiction of Mark and Michelle, nor will they find the characters written as adults before their time. Instead, you really feel that you are being placed into a typical middle school and I am certain that readers in this demographic will love reading a fun story about such a realistic group of peers. Mr. Thompson spent several years as a teacher, and even though his students were younger than the ones depicted in Twinsational, his ability to capture the language and priorities of the preteen population is obvious.
We all know that when our children read on a regular basis, they are increasing their chances for success in many areas of life. This is why I am so pleased when a new author comes along who offers a book that will get kids excited about the written word. Twinsational by C. Michael Thompson is a wonderful novel that I know will get kids talking about the experiences had by the brother and sister team. With the last page of the book implying that there are more adventures ahead for Mark and Michelle, I hope there will be great “twinsational” conversations among young readers for a long time to come.
C. Michael Thompson, or "Mike" as he is known, has a background as a teaching of young children and brings this experience to Twinsational. The book has important messages about friendship and honesty. It is intended for readers around the ages of ten to thirteen, but will also be enjoyed by parents who read the book with their children.
Please visit the Amazon website to purchase Twinsational.
Title of Document: Book Review
Book Title: Twinsational
Author: C. Michael Thompson
ISBN: 978-1-4327-3033-8
Publisher: OutskirtsPress.com
Genre and Target Market: children’s fiction
Publication Date: 2009
Book Length in Pages: 116
I have been a voracious reader my entire life, spending hours combing the stacks of books in the kids’ section of the library as soon as I was old enough to get my own card. It was not unusual to find me sitting in my favorite tree with a book in hand on a Saturday afternoon. As a child and young teenager, I loved finding stories in which kids my age were involved in adventures into which I could easily transport myself. I had no need for outlandish plots or exaggerated characters. Just give me a great book about average kids and the crazy situations they manage to create. I am now well into my thirties but, through my work in the writing industry, still enjoy the discovery of a book to which kids can really relate and enjoy reading. I have found such a novel in Twinsational, the new release by author C. Michael Thompson.
Twinsational shares one day in the life of Mark and Michelle (known to most as Shelly) Johnson, eleven-year-old brother and sister twins who have each other’s back no matter the situation. The book has all of the elements that most preteens can expect to encounter on a daily basis—the class bully, good friends, demanding teachers, and first crushes. The day begins with the first of many confrontations that the twins have with their nemesis, Bubba, as they walk to school. Once they arrive on campus and meet up with friends, a series of events causes Mark and his friend David to elude the watchful eye of teachers and the new principal, with sister Michelle and her friend Kianna acting as accomplices. As the story unfolds, readers get a real sense of the loyalty shared between the characters in this book and a lesson in making the decision to do the right thing.
For me, the greatest strength of Thompson’s writing is his ability to capture a genuine sense of the way in which preteens interact. Young people who read Twinsational will not feel as if the author is condescending in his depiction of Mark and Michelle, nor will they find the characters written as adults before their time. Instead, you really feel that you are being placed into a typical middle school and I am certain that readers in this demographic will love reading a fun story about such a realistic group of peers. Mr. Thompson spent several years as a teacher, and even though his students were younger than the ones depicted in Twinsational, his ability to capture the language and priorities of the preteen population is obvious.
We all know that when our children read on a regular basis, they are increasing their chances for success in many areas of life. This is why I am so pleased when a new author comes along who offers a book that will get kids excited about the written word. Twinsational by C. Michael Thompson is a wonderful novel that I know will get kids talking about the experiences had by the brother and sister team. With the last page of the book implying that there are more adventures ahead for Mark and Michelle, I hope there will be great “twinsational” conversations among young readers for a long time to come.
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