A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

It’s Brian Jacques’ birthday today (June 15, 1939), and to celebrate, we’re making a special offer! The Arrow for his novel, Redwall, is:

HALF PRICE through Monday at Midnight! ($4.95) OFFER HAS EXPIRED

Redwall tells the epic tale of the animals of Redwall Abbey, who valiantly defend their home from the attacks of a one-eyed rat and his fearsome army. The story is a moving tale of the courage of the small and weak against the strong. Like the other 21 books in the series, Redwall contains wonderful descriptions of food, as well as delightful accents particular to each type of creature in the stories.

Although now acclaimed as one of the greatest children’s authors in the world, drawing comparisons to Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows and Richard Adams’s Watership Down, Brian Jacques’ first attempt at writing was not nearly so successful.

At ten years old, for an assignment at his school in Liverpool, England, Brian Jacques wrote a short story about a bird that cleaned a crocodile’s teeth. His teacher refused to believe that a ten-year-old could write so well and ordered Jacques to say that he had copied the story. When Jacques refused, he was caned. So it was that Brian Jacques first realized his talent for writing.

Before pursuing writing full-time, Brian Jacques worked as a merchant seaman, a fireman, a long-distance truck driver, a bus driver, a boxer, a bobby (British policeman), a postmaster, and a stand-up comic.

When Jacques began to write Redwall, his first audience was the children at the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind in Liverpool. Because he was writing to a blind audience, he attempted to make his writing as descriptive as possible so that the children could picture the events in their imagination.

In fact, Brian Jacques was only published when a former English teacher submitted Jacques’ story to a publisher without telling Jacques. The publishers loved the book and immediately drew up a contract for five more books. Ever since, the Redwall stories have been delighting children and adults all around the globe.

So, don’t miss out—celebrate Brian Jacques’ birthday and take advantage of this special Arrow offer!

Also, if you’d like to buy a copy of the novel, it’s available through Amazon: Redwall (affiliate link).

The Arrow is a monthly digital product that features copywork and dictation passages from a specific read aloud novel. It’s geared toward children ages 8-11 and is an indispensable tool for parents who want to teach language arts in a natural, literature-bathed context.

In celebration of Andrew Clements’ 65th birthday (born in May, 1949), we’re making a special offer! The Arrow for his novel, Frindle, is:

Half price till midnight May 31st: $4.95!

Just what is a frindle?

“I will never use the word PEN again. Instead, I will use the word FRINDLE, and I will do everything possible so others will, too.”

In 1990, Clements began writing his first novel, Frindle. Published six years later, the novel tells the story of a boy who creates a new word and tries to get it into the dictionary.

Some fun facts about Andrew Clements (from an interview with the New York Public Library):

• Writes in a cabin in the woods or in a shed behind his house where there are no distractions
• Takes about a year to complete and publish a novel
• As a teen, loved Jack London and the Sherlock Holmes stories
• Listens to the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and John Mayer
• In his free time, plays guitar, tinkers in his workshop, hikes, and practices calligraphy

Advice on writing from Andrew Clements:

“I don’t know a single writer who wasn’t a reader first. Read, read, read. Read all the good books you can to learn what good writing sounds like and feels like. And think about what you read.”

When he doesn’t have anything to write: “I’ve learned to make myself make something happen next. The thought ‘I can’t think of anything to write’ is the same as ‘Nothing could possibly happen next’—and that is NEVER true.”

“Sometimes kids ask how I’ve been able to write so many books. The answer is simple: one word at a time. … You don’t have to do everything at once. You don’t have to know how every story is going to end. You just have to take that next step, look for that next idea, write that next word.”

So, celebrate Andrew Clements’ birthday and take advantage of this special offer! Offer ends on May 31st at midnight EDT.

Also, if you’d like to buy a copy of the novel, it’s available through Amazon: Frindle (affiliate link).

The Arrow is a monthly digital product that features copywork and dictation passages from a specific read aloud novel. It’s geared toward children ages 8-11 and is an indispensable tool for parents who want to teach language arts in a natural, literature-bathed context.