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Engaging Young Readers
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CONTENTS
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Introducing Charlie Anderson
Our Books and Backstories
Please scroll down to find
Introducing Charlie Anderson
Our Books and Backstories
Introducing Charlie Anderson
What makes a person want to write? For me, it was to leave a legacy of writing for my grandchildren in which they and their imaginary friends could be found as characters in my stories. I have traveled and lived overseas for many years while in the military and it provided me with the themes and background for some of my stories. I didn’t plan on writing as many books as I did but have found a real joy in creating, researching, and writing them. What better reward can there be?
I was born with an imagination and curiosity which has followed me everywhere. Of course, I kissed the Blarney Stone while visiting Ireland. I joined the Army when I was young and spent 22 years in the military, retiring as a field grade officer. I worked another 21 years at Honolulu Community College in Hawaii and retired as an Associate Professor. It was there, at HCC, where I met Bonnie Lee Chappell, the illustrator and layout artist for my books. In writing, I have enjoyed creating stories and knowing they have made readers of many children and perhaps writers out of some.
Are you curious about the stories behind the stories? Read on below to find out.
Our Books and Backstories
Much of the richness of the conception of a book
is found in the stories behind the stories!
is found in the stories behind the stories!
Friends Real and Imaginary are the Best Medicine, 2nd Edition
A child can easily be overwhelmed with thoughts about cancer, especially when they know little or nothing about it. Our book will help you and your child learn more about living with cancer and how friends, real and imaginary, can help. Carrot Pants, Leilani’s stuffed animal and imaginary friend is going to tell you about Leilani, Jason and their parents and the part he plays in helping them.
The second edition of this book includes Dr. Pat Nishimoto's answers to questions about the story and cancer in general in the FAQ.
Click the link to buy. Amazon link coming soon!
Backstory: I saw Dr. Pat every eight weeks when my wife went for her maintenance chemotherapy appointment. Dr. Pat, who is a psychologist, does a great deal of work in pediatric oncology. I asked her if she would write a forward to my book which she agreed to do. My biggest challenge was where to start and what to focus on. There are just so many areas to explore. Imaginary friends were the perfect starting point since kids are always willing to adopt an imaginary friend. Carrot, my superhero, which you will find in a number of my books, agreed to slip on a doctor’s white coat and narrate the story.
Parents are often upset and mystified when their child starts talking to an imaginary friend, so the story is for them as well. I added Jason later when I recognized how important real friends can be and how they can help children deal with their cancer. Children want to be part of the process of getting well and if they can help a friend like Jason, all the better.
Dr. Pat is a true believer in the power of art as a means for kids to express themselves. This can be really helpful for a child with cancer as well as their parents so you will find quite a few interactive art projects in the book. I also added a section with questions and answers that Dr. Pat wrote. They pretty much parallel the story along with some general questions.
The Venus Flytrap Adventure
Carrot Pants, along with Professor String Bean, take on the challenge of finding out what has caused Venus flytraps to grow to enormous sizes in a certain place in Africa. Attacked by the plants, they escape and look for the reason the plants have grown so large. This leads them to the villain, Baron Baroni. Carrot and the professor must find a way to make things right and stop the Baron and his plans. Ages 7-9. Click the link to buy. https://www.blurb.com/b/8745947-the-venus-flytrap-adventure
Backstory: Visiting the Denver Botanic Gardens, I looked at their Venus flytrap collection and wondered what it would be like if they were super huge. Just let your imagination go and you are asking the same questions a child might have and that is a great idea for a book. I really enjoyed writing the book and eventually rewrote it as a first-person account told by Carrot to his friends. Baron Baroni returns with another get rich scheme. As a villain, he is not a violent chap but a very successful art and artifacts dealer who is a bit too greedy. In the book he is caught by Carrot, my superhero, and his side-kick Professor Bean, who confront the man-eating flytraps.
One of my favorite things about writing is researching everything I put to pen. Besides the location, I have included one of the favorite local stories that children in Nigeria hear from their parents. I enjoy learning about local cooking and sharing it in my stories so children can see what other children eat. Anyone interested in some ewedu soup and amala? This is a fun book with a great ending which children will enjoy.
Australian Monkey Mystery
A fun book with a message about impatience that can’t be missed. The story is both an adventure as well as a mystery. Impatient to get on with his research, Banana Pants strikes out on his own without telling his grandparents. Younger kids will enjoy having it read to them. Ages 6-8. Click the link to buy. https://www.blurb.com/b/7414353-the-australian-monkey-mystery/
Backstory: Bart Simpson made famous the saying, “Are we there yet?” which he repeated endlessly. Children can be like that once they have a goal in sight. Banana Pants just wanted to find out what happened to Fancy Pants. He eventually realizes the grief he causes Noah’s grandparents and wants a “do over.” So sorry, it was too late in the story for that to happen. This was an easy story to write and it was my first. My grandson asked if I would take his toy monkey with us to Australia so I thought a story with his monkey would be a great idea. The story traced our vacation and since kids like maps, I included one that showed all the places Banana Pants visited on his way to solve the mystery. I love the way the illustrator made it look like the journal was written by Banana Pants. The scotch tape, small spills and fingerprints on the pages make for a neat looking book for a young reader.
Animals are always fun and who doesn’t love dinosaurs. A second-grade teacher from New York emailed me that she read the book to her class and they spent the better part of a class period discussing whether a monkey and a dinosaur could be friends. It is the power of imagination that helps young readers enjoy reading. They will like the story.
Liam and Makani
The story combines two struggling fairy/elf characters who are trying to find themselves among grown ups who don’t understand them. How they work together and then find a solution makes a great story as well as lessons to be learned. Ages 10-13. Click the link to buy. https://www.blurb.com/b/7801671-liam-and-makani/
Backstory:What happens when you don’t fit in? I took two characters who are completely different but suffer from the loneliness of being away from family. Liam, a typical teenage Irish leprechaun, who is 150 years old is rebelling against his father because he wants to stop making shoes for the fairies and find his own way as a pub singer. Makani, a Hawaiian Menehune, lives on the island of Kauai and has a hard time fitting in. It’s not that Makani doesn’t want to; he just doesn’t feel comfortable and is insecure, preferring to be left alone.
I wanted to create a story which would help these two misfits resolve their inner conflicts but be an adventure with enough fantasy to make it enjoyable to children. They bond by sharing their story and then face a menacing group that would deface the sacred Ulupo Heiau. The heiau can still be seen and is one of the many projects attributed to the Menehune.
Folklore believes the Menehune were descendants of the Marquesas Islands and were the first people to settle in Hawaii. A population census in 1829 listed 65 people as Menehune. Go figure! Leprechauns don’t read or write but have fantastic memories and never forget where they bury their gold. Cross them and they will never forget.
Cowboy Gold
Baron Baroni starts out looking for lost gold but gets himself into serious trouble when he hires Travis “Big Hat” Jackson as his guide. A cowpoke with a criminal past, he can be as deadly as a rattlesnake. After a serious accident he leaves the Baron to die. The only ones that can save him are Carrot Pants, Noah and Maya. Ages 7-10. Click the link to buy. https://www.blurb.com/b/7646160-cowboy-gold/
Backstory: The story has an outlaw cowboy who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the lost gold of Blackjack McNeil. Add your grandkids and you have a great story. I have a confession. I went to Utah with the idea of using Moab as a backdrop for a good western. I got sick and never made it, so I wrote it sight unseen. Never a good idea and one to be avoided. Years later I did go back and found I had made some mistakes in describing the area where the action took place. You may not notice but I do every time I read the book. Anyway, my favorite villain, Baron Baroni and my superhero, Carrot, meet again but under unusual circumstances that leads to a surprise ending. Then there is Big Hat Jackson. I really liked creating this character. He is someone you can really dislike. Bad to the bone, you wouldn’t trust him to help a blindman across the street. I really like creating my characters. I usually start with an idea and let them grow. Sometimes they change the way the story is told and it’s fun to see how they talk to you. Of course, I have to keep pretty close to who my grandkids are, or I would surely hear about it.
Kidnapped
What's worse for a kid than to be the cause of losing their pet dog? Maya finds herself in that position and struggles to grow up and tame her inner feelings. She gets help from her dog, Puppy, who is wise beyond his dog years and wants to return to Maya. Ages 8-10. Click the link to buy, https://www.blurb.com/b/7351485-kidnapped/
Backstory: Maya is my granddaughter. Writing a book with a girl as a main character was something new for me and a little daunting. Put a girl and dog together and it becomes much easier. Just in case, I had Bonnie, my illustrator, put her likeness on the cover of the book. That helped and then I added the Seattle Sounders soccer team which she was and still is totally into. Good move Pops. I am pleased to tell you she liked both the picture and the story.
While Puppy, that’s what she calls her dog, is center stage for most of the book, the story would never have happened without a take charge girl that would never give up until she got Puppy back. Again Carrot, my ever-preset superhero, plays an important part along with his nemesis, Baron Baroni. I like putting these two characters in my books because it gives them a certain continuity of characters that kids will recognize and look forward to. I like them too.
The Tournament
Two brothers must test their courage, moral convictions and loyalty to their parents and each other when an outlaw knight and his gang interrupt their lives. Taking place in 1109, they live in a lawless society and circumstances will force them to become men as they deal with the outlaw knight. Ages 12 and older. Click the link to buy.
https://www.blurb.com/b/7351448-the-tournament-b/
https://www.blurb.com/b/7351448-the-tournament-b/
Backstory: I lived in Germany when I was seven, eight and nine years old. To be surrounded by castles and tales of knights with ancient armor left my imagination swirling. Later, when I was in the Army, I lived in Germany and visited other countries as well. By then I was in love with history and Europe left a lasting impression on me. I could put the faces and places in a historical context, and it was intoxicating.
In late 2014 my brother died. During his last few years he couldn’t talk. I knew he understood what I said but couldn’t respond except to move a finger or raise an eyebrow. I couldn’t imagine trading places with him, and it haunted me wondering what was going on in his brain when I wasn’t there. When I wrote the book, I gave my brother the character of Sir Guy to explore what it might have been like not being able to speak. For a location, I picked a place in France just north of Avignon where I had seen vineyards climbing up the side of the Rhone River. I love the research that goes into writing a story. The story had to take place in 1109 so it could create the Black Knight. Make sure you read the prologue which sets the stage for the book.
Space Monkeys
Professor Banana Pants has always been successful when dealing with challenges facing him. This time his summer research project to help reduce the uncontrolled logging of the Amazon rain forest has turned into a disaster. Now he has to match wits with the Space Monkeys and the evil Commander Krill from the planet Tellus. Ages 8-12. Click the link to buy. https://www.blurb.com/b/9654142-space-monkeys/
Backstory: Imagination is one of the prizes of being a child and it allowed me to put aliens and animals together. All sorts of weird things can easily be reconciled or even accepted as fact while reading a story. A child’s curiosity and love of fantasy is a great starting point to becoming an avid reader.
I started Space Monkeys with the idea of investigating environmental issues about losing our rain forest. I don’t know where I got distracted, perhaps it was the bananas. Space aliens right here on Earth. It doesn’t get any better, so I had to run with it. What I enjoyed the most was creating the way the space monkeys communicated with one another. Commander Krill is the perfect bad guy and Morris and the professor are an equal match to take him on. You might ask what happened to their summer project and what did they do when they returned. Did they tell anyone of their encounter? I guess you’ll have to wait for another book to find out but at the end of this one I didn’t have a clue. The book isn’t that scary and younger children will enjoy it.