CURRENT ISSUE PREVIEW

DECEMBER 2022

Our December lineup includes interviews with David Atherton, Heather Mishel Williams, Stephen W. Martin, Tameka Fryer Brown, Kristen Schroeder, Laurie Keller, and Mara Rockliff!

Judy Newman finds some fun in ordinary things, Once Upon a Dance plans for a new year, and Nick Spake reviews Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Check out our newest book reviews and winter reading list! It's all inside!

New for kids! Find great activities on our Kids Corner page.

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Story Monsters Ink® is sponsored by Once Upon a Dance and Dr. Joy Pillay

 

 FEATURES

David Atherton

Has the Recipe for Fun in the Kitchen

by Lindsey Giardino

Winning Season 10 of The Great British Bake Off is the accomplishment of a lifetime for David Atherton. “Being on the show was like a dream,” he says. “It’s a TV show I’ve always loved, and my friends and family would tell me every year to apply. Finally I did, and the whole experience was amazing.”

The wildly popular series is a British television baking competition in which amateur bakers try to win over the judges with their tasty treats. Atherton’s dishes on the show included a vanilla sponge cake, cinnamon swirls, and fancy custards.

Heather
Mishel Williams

Offers Young Readers Advice for Health and Happiness

by Raven Howell

Veteran educator Heather Mishel Williams is a fierce advocate when it comes to mental health and self-care. Currently an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Temple University in Pennsylvania, she is celebrating the success of her debut book, Little Z and Firefly – A Journey to Finding Light and Love. The book guides the reader to incorporate seven healthy life coping mechanisms while the story’s characters, “Little Z” and “Firefly” each learn valuable lessons and examples to help one out of a “Dark Place.”

Mishel lives by a powerful mantra: “Honor the Truth. Function with Order. Keep your Balance. Practice Reciprocity.”

Stephen W. Martin Can’t Draw ...

But He Did It Anyway 

by Lindsey Giardino

It’s possible that deep down, Stephen Martin always knew he’d become a writer. “I was obsessed with stories growing up,” the children’s author says. “Whether it was Saturday morning cartoons, Friday nights at the movie theater, or late nights reading Stephen King, I was always immersed in a story. I think this passion for reading and stories led me to this career. I honestly can’t think of anything else I would want to do … well, besides being a Gundam pilot if that was possible.”

After graduating from Memorial University of Newfoundland, Martin started his career in Vancouver as a teacher to both adults and kids alike. “Teaching was extremely rewarding, and some of my first book ideas were formed in the classroom,” he says. 

Tameka Fryer Brown

Is Spreading Holiday Cheer with Young Readers

by Lindsey Giardino

Tameka Fryer Brown was in a joyful holiday mood. So, what did she do? She wrote a fun story. Twelve Dinging Doorbells, illustrated by Ebony Glenn, celebrates Black family gatherings and is patterned after the Twelve Days of Christmas

“There is a hashtag that I like to search out every year as the winter holiday season approaches: #ThanksgivingWithBlackFamilies,” Tameka explains. “I love to look at all the memes associated with it, just to laugh and feel in community with Black folks all over the country about the many things our families and get-togethers have in common.”

Kristen Schroeder

Pens a Cozy Ode to the Season

by Lindsey Giardino

Children’s author Kristen Schroeder’s third picture book, So Much Snow, is a rollicking read-aloud about a weeklong snowstorm. Animals are literally caught up to their ears and antlers in snow as it continues to fall each day of the week. How high will it go? 

The next week, the snow starts to slowly melt, and spring seems certain … but wait, is that more snow? As a Minnesota native, Schroeder is no stranger to living in a winter wonderland that often remains even when the hope of springtime rolls around. So Much Snow was inspired by a particularly snowy day during a recent February storm. “I remember looking out the window and thinking we still had a long way to go before spring truly arrived,” Schroeder says.

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COLUMNS

  • Story Monsters Ink - Judy Newman -  Life of a Reader

    Life of a Reader

    December
    by Judy Newman

  • Q&A

    Mara Rockliff
    by Julianne Black DiBlasi

  • The Book Bug

    Coffee And Doughnuts With Laurie Keller
    by Raven Howell

  • Story Monsters Ink Movie Review: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

    Monsters at the Movies

  • Dancing on the Page

    You Knew Us When …
    by Once Upon a Dance

  • Liv On Life

    Writing Poetry
    by Olivia Amiri

  • KIDS CORNER

    Draw a Snowman Penguin
    Click here

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