Salt Lake City, Utah Oct 29, 2019 (Issuewire.com) - SALT LAKE CITY, UT - Local author and educator Nathan Smith Jones has a theory about what teens want to read: "teens are like anyone else," he says. "They want something compelling, but they don't want to be pandered to."
And he should know. As a veteran 7-12th grade English teacher, Jones has watched teens react to different books and stories for many years.
His new novel, titled "Escape from Bad Grades Slave Labor Camp," is about Kelvin Redd, a 13-year old who is taken from his home to a state-and-parent sanctioned summer labor camp for getting two bad grades during 7th grade.
"I first brought the idea up to my 7th-grade students in 2014 as a way for them to debate something interesting to them," he says. "It got a big reaction. When one student said, 'It sounds like a scary sci-fi novel,' I knew I had to write it."
In an interview, Jones can discuss:
- What is 'Social Science Fiction'? More on how the novel's premise and concept came to be
- How Jones went from being a local filmmaker to writing novels for teens
- The educational aspects of the novel and why they matter
- How the novel might reach teens resistant to reading
- How he himself was converted from a resistant-to-reading kid to book lover
- Why the new generation LOVES random humor, & what writers and teachers can learn from it.
Praise for Escape from Bad Grades Slave Labor Camp
"Whoah! Awesome! The fact that this could really happen is scary!" –Megan, 7th grader
"This book allows social studies teachers to ask the question, 'what would you do?' and awaken students' empathy and social awareness." —Camden Robinson, Middle School Social Studies Teacher, Utah
Contact: Pete Maxwell at 801-717-9123 or press@ireadbooksandmedia.com
Media Contact
iread books and media/Pete Maxwell press@ireadbooksandmedia.com 801-717-9123
