Giveaway! The Briny Deep Mysteries

In anticipation of The Briny Deep Mysteries Trilogy's 9/1/2014 release, we're listed giveaways on Goodreads for each book in the series!  There's 10 copies of each book available, so the chances of winning are great!  Check out the giveaways below:

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Disappearing

by Jennifer Torres

Giveaway ends August 31, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Return

by Jennifer Torres

Giveaway ends August 31, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Battle

by Jennifer Torres

Giveaway ends August 31, 2014.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Interview with author of The Briny Deep Mysteries trilogy

The new sci-fi/mystery trilogy, The Briny Deep Mysteries, is coming out September 1st, and it's going to be filled with twists and exciting turns that will keep middle graders reading!  To learn more about the writing of this exciting trilogy, we sat down with author Jennifer Torres:

Enslow Publishers: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

Jennifer Torres: Since I was very young, I’ve always loved getting lost in a good book. Reading really fueled my imagination. I especially loved to read mysteries and stories about fantastical places. As I got older the idea of creating my own magical lands through writing was so exciting I just had to pursue it.

Enslow: How did you begin your writing career?

Torres: I began writing in journals as a child. My friends and I would also write scripts and plays and then share them with each other to review – and sometimes to act out.  After finishing school, I became a newspaper reporter and columnist. Over the years I worked as freelance journalist, writing for local and national magazines and newspapers. I’ve also written seven non-fiction children’s books, but THE BRINY DEEP MYSTERIES is my debut into middle grade fiction – and truly the kind of writing I’ve always wanted to do. 

Enslow: What inspired you to write “The Briny Deep” trilogy?

Torres: All the books I read growing up captured my imagination with incredible, edge of your seat stories that often involved secret passageways, doorways to other lands, or a compelling mystery seemingly beyond explanation. When I created the town of Briny Deep, I wanted to construct a place that had never existed before, populate it with a cast of amazing characters, and weave a spellbinding mystery that would engage and captivate readers in the same way I was as a child.

Enslow: Where there any particular obstacles you encountered while writing this book?

Torres: My ten year old was a bit of an obstacle because she wanted to use my laptop all the time to play her computer games. I tried to stick to an early morning schedule of writing – way before she woke up, so I didn’t have to wrestle her for it.

Enslow: When do you write best?

Torres: During the week, I like to get up early while it’s still dark outside and everyone else in the family is asleep. I brew a big cup of coffee and try to get a few hours of writing in. I feel most creative in the morning. But I also love to write when it’s raining outside or a storm is brewing. It really sets the mood for me.

Enslow:  If you weren’t a writer, what might you be doing instead?

Torres: I would be a detective or a private investigator.  I grew up wanting to solve mysteries. My childhood friend and I even opened our own “detective agency” – her dad built it for us in her backyard and we kept “files” on everyone in the neighborhood.

Enslow: What is your favorite children’s book?

Torres: I have so many books that I loved when I was growing up. My top three books would have to be; The Phantom Tollbooth, Harriet the Spy (she kept notes on everyone in her neighborhood too,) and A Wrinkle in Time.  Middle Grade books are my very favorite genre. The kind of books with secret passageways, time portals, and hidden paths to magical lands are the best.

Enslow: What kind of experience do you hope your readers have with “The Briny Deep” trilogy?

Torres: I want them to go on a thrilling ride, filled with fun twists and turns through the town of Briny Deep. As they read the series they should feel like they are on an adventure – and a quest for answers that keeps them excitedly reading until the wee hours of the morning, and leaves them with a true awareness of how much magic and wonder can be found inside a book.



Look for The Disappearing, The Return, and The Battle on SpeedingStar.com, or with your favorite bookseller.  

Review of Pure Poetry titles in VOYA

The August 2014 issue of VOYA has a review of three of the Pure Poetry titles. Beauty Poetry, Death Poetry, and Love Poetry were reviewed in the issue. An excerpt is below:

"The poem's form, meaning, and poetic devices are thoroughly discussed line by line, using expositive, yet enjoyable, language and examples that allow for students' comprehensive understanding of the work."

These titles are available in library, paperback, and eBook formats, and can be purchased from your preferred vendor, independent bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

New YA novels available soon as paperbacks

On September 1, Enslow's Scarlet Voyage imprint will release six of its hardcover titles in paperback.

Paint Me a Monster, Spirit of a Mountain Wolf, and What We Did for Love were reviewed by Kirkus, with Paint Me a Monster receiving a starred review. Code Name Komiko was included as a Junior Library Guild Selection. Freak City and In the River Darkness were both reviewed by Library Media Connection.

All of these titles are currently available as hardcover editions, as well as eBooks. They can be purchased through your preferred vendor, independent bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

World War I title

World War I started on July 28, 1914 with Austria declaring war on Serbia, and ended on November 11, 1918, with Germany signing an armistice with the Allies. Enslow's history series, The United States at War, includes a title on World War I, written by Zachary Kent. Life on the homefront, the introduction of modern warfare, destroyed empires, countries that disappeared from the map, and much more are included in this title.

Other titles in the series include the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Vietnam War, and World War II. This entire series is correlated to the Common Core Standards.

Available in library and eBook formats, these titles can be found through your preferred vendor, local bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

New fiction baseball series coming in September

Enslow Publishers, through its Speeding Star imprint, will be releasing a four-title fictional series about baseball. The Baseball Geeks Adventures, written for the reluctant reader, includes funny dialogue and humorous scenarios, while also recounting fun and fascinating baseball lore. These books combine mystery/adventure and sports fiction into one book.

These titles will be available in hardcover, paperback, and eBook formats, and can be purchased through your preferred vendor, local bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

New YA science fiction novel available soon

Lost Republic, part of Enslow's Scarlet Voyage imprint and written by Paul B. Thompson, is available for pre-order and will be arriving in Enslow's warehouse soon.

In 2055, the future has arrived and the past is departing as the last steamship in the world prepares to cross the Atlantic on its final voyage. Alongside, a great glittering solar-powered vessel sails, too—a beautiful ship filled with beautiful people. On board the steamer are eight teens—some dreamers, some desperate—for whom the last voyage of the S.S. Sir Guy Carleton is only a step on a longer journey.

Soon the ship is far out to sea, and every layer of modern technology fails. Each teen must rely on their own special skills to survive—but where? What is the strange island in the Atlantic, where no island exists? Who are the men who speak an ancient tongue who capture the survivors of the stricken ship? With every breath a new mystery appears, and the desperate dreamers of the Carleton must find a way to live, or escape, the Lost Republic.

This science fiction/fantasy novel for YA readers will be available from your preferred vendor, enslow.com, bookstores, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Book Festival this weekend

Going to be in the area of Lincolnville Beach, Maine, this weekend? The Beyond the Sea Book Festival will be taking place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 25-27.

New and secondhand books, as well as jewelry, textiles, food, stationery, home goods, and art, among other things will also be on display and available for purchase.

New Hip Hop series

As part of its fall 2014 list, Enslow is adding a series to its Speeding Star imprint. Hip-Hop Moguls, written for the reluctant reader, is a five-title series. The books in this series include a discography, as well as a list of awards given to each musician. These top-selling artists will keep your reader wanting to read and find out more!

The musicians covered in this series include 50 Cent, Eminem, Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Ludacris. These titles are available in hardcover and paperback from your preferred vendor, independent bookstore, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Birthday of Ida B. Wells-Barnett

Who was she? Ida B. Wells-Barnett was an important and influential journalist at a time when few women had careers. She wrote articles about unfair laws and how African Americans were being hurt. She brought violence against African Americans to the attention of the American people through newspaper articles.

Written by Patricia and Fredrick McKissack, this elementary-level title is perfect for the beginning reader. This title, and the rest of the titles in the Famous African Americans series, are correlated to the Common Core College and Career Readiness Standards, and are available from your preferred vendor, enslow.com, local bookstores, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Congratulations to June's book raffle winner!

We would like to congratulate Clay Center Carnegie Library in Kansas for winning our monthly raffle of free books!

Thank you for meeting us at ALA!

We just want to thank those of you who stopped by our booth. Soon we will announce the four winners of our raffle. Each of those winners will receive a 30 book collection of nonfiction K-12 books.

Book Festival June 28

The Frederick Book Festival will take place this Saturday, June 28, from 10 AM to 6 PM at the Hampton Inn in Frederick, Maryland.

There will be children/middle grade authors, young adult authors, and adult authors of different genres. Last year's event was attended by over 100 authors.

The festival is free, however the organizers ask that you register.

Learning how to play soccer

With the World Cup taking place, and soccer being the sport to watch these days, Enslow's book, Soccer Skills, teaches the basics of soccer, using action shots of professional players.

This 48 page title, written for the reluctant reader, discusses dribbling, passing, heading, styles of defense, throw-ins, corners and direct kicks, defending a shot while goalkeeping, and many more topics. There is also a diagram listing the different positions and where they are on the field in relation to their teammates.

This title, and the other five titles in the How to Play Like a Pro series, are correlated to the Common Core College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards. The other books in the series cover baseball, basketball, cheerleading, football, and hockey. All of these titles are available from your preferred vendor, local bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Stephanie Kwolek has passed away at the age of 90

Stephanie Kwolek, the American chemist who invented Kevlar®, has passed away.

Countless lives have been saved using products made with Kevlar®, a superstrong fiber invented by Stephanie Kwolek. From bullet-resistant vests to brake pads, her efforts have made the world a safer place.

Written for the upper elementary reader, this title (and the others in the Genius Inventors and Their Great Ideas series) are available in library, paperback, and ebook formats, and can be purchased through your preferred vendor, local bookstores, enslow.com, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

Enslow at ALA/Las Vegas Booth 204!

Enslow Publishers is proud to continue its decades-long ALA Annual Conference participation this year. You'll find company President Mark Enslow and National Accounts Manager Tim Hoey at the Enslow booth #204. We'll have a daily 30-book raffle, ARCs and samples to take with you, and advance information about our exciting Fall 2014 nonfiction and fiction books!

See you at ALA/Las Vegas! The exhibition events begin on Friday, June 27th and conclude on Monday, June 30th.

Upcoming book festivals

The Nantucket Book Festival will take place this weekend, from June 20th to the 22nd. There are lots of free events, as well as some that require purchased tickets. Some of the events requiring a purchased ticket are already sold out.

If you will be on Nantucket this weekend, attend the festival!

World Cup, Lionel Messi Books Score with Young Readers

The 2014 World Cup, the globe's premier international soccer tournament, began with the excitement of a brilliant Lionel Messi goal. The Argentine striker, considered among the world's best soccer players, is among the Latin stars appearing in the month-long event. Messi is also appearing in two Enslow Publishers' titles this season. Our Speeding Star imprint, designed to encourage young boys to read, features the 48-page Soccer Star Lionel Messi. Author John Albert Torres' well-written text, amplified by excellent color photographs, is an ideal choice for reluctant readers and for those young readers searching for an exciting, quick read on the player.

Enslow's repertoire also features a biography of the South American soccer sensation titled Lionel Messi: A Soccer Star Who Cares. Author Kimberly Gatto's 48-page, full-color biography includes Messi's positive activities in "giving back," as well as fascinating details about his early life and current career.

Both titles are available in library-bound, paperback, and e-book formats. Buy them now from Enslow Publishers, from your preferred vendor, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon.com.

Titles reviewed in VOYA's June 2014 issue

Three titles in the African-American Icons series were reviewed in the June 2014 issue of VOYA. An excerpt of the review is below:

"The writing is rich and engaging...Readers interested in popular culture are sure to be inspired by the impressive lives of these celebrities who happen to come from humble means."

The books cited in the review are:
Chris Rock: A Biography of a Comic Genius
Jennifer Hudson: A Biography of an American Music Idol
Sean "Diddy" Combs: A Biography of a Music Mogul

These titles are available from your preferred vendor, enslow.com, local bookstores, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

New crafts series for fall 2014

Enslow Elementary will be publishing a series of four titles, Fun and Festive Crafts for the Seasons, for fall 2014. Each 48 page book looks at a different season and gives step-by-step instructions on creating different crafts while learning about that particular season. Each title has eight crafts, including puppets and masks made out of various objects and materials.

All four books (and the crafts inside of them) were written and created by Randel McGee. These titles will be available in library and paperback formats. You can pre-order them through your preferred vendor, your local bookstore, enslow.com, amazon, and Barnes and Noble.