Alice likes playing soccer and working on her go-kart with her dad. But when she moves to the suburbs, she learns from Zen, the boy down the street, that she has no hope of fitting in at her new middle school unless she starts acting more “like a girl.” At first, Alice doesn’t mind that she isn’t just like Haley and Yvette, the school’s reigning princesses. Then she realizes that being different can set you apart…and being friends with someone like Zen can set you way apart. Why does being yourself have to be so complicated?

From Alice to Zen and Everyone in Between By Elizabeth Atkinson

‘Timeless story for Tweens,’ says one literature reviewer… “From Alice to Zen will capture the heart of any young teen-ager. It is very well written but still appropriate to their reading level. A marvelous holiday or birthday present. A gift that they will enjoy and probably share with their friends. Delightful addition to the tween genre.”

‘Funny, Totally Delightful Tween Novel’, gushes another reviewer… “As a parent it is really difficult these days to find something age appropriate for middle schoolers. FROM ALICE TO ZEN is absolutely wonderful and will appeal to tweens and adults alike! The main characters (especially Zen) are so likable and relatable. The story is funny,absorbing and truly uplifting — I highly recommend it to anyone between 9 and 12 years old.”

From Alice to Zen and Everyone in Between By Elizabeth Atkinson

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Write your own Literature

Learning with Lilly is for the younger readers out there.  (Or maybe four their moms and grand-moms to read with them.)  The author, Alea Murphy, suggests that Learning with Lilly could be used as a teaching tool for younger readers aged 4-8. This literature for younger readers teaches children how to make good decisions and offers open ended questions within the dialog for the children to respond to the text.

Learning with Lilly

Learning with Lilly is another good example of where the publishing industry has taken a wrong turn with literature. The author goes out to schools and presents to children. Teachers have given her positive feedback about the resourcefulness of this literature for younger readers. The literature industry just isn’t set up to deal with authors who just want to write good literature and try to make a difference for the community’s younger readers.

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