A couple of wild and wacky guys held students at Oxford Elementary School spellbound last week as they talked about heroes, monsters and the power of reading and writing.
‘Writers are today’s wizards and our magic is real,? said children’s author Charles David, of Oxford.
David and his coauthor David Anthony, of West Bloomfield, are the creative minds behind two popular series of children’s books ? Knightscares and Heroes A2Z.
The eight-book Knightscares series revolves around monsters, magic and mystery.
‘Take ‘Chronicles of Narnia,? take ‘Lord of the Rings,? take ‘Harry Potter,? mix’em all up in a big, big bowl, then sprinkle ‘Goosebumps? on top to keep everyone honest? was the way Anthony described the ‘action-packed? series.
The Heroes A2Z books, of which there are currently seven, involves a trio of kids who live in Traverse City, have superpowers (like being able to lift up the Mackinac Bridge while wearing diapers) and ‘fight crime before bedtime.?
The common denominator in both series is kids are the heroes of the stories.
‘It’s not the adults who save the day,? Anthony said. ‘It’s not the parents who ride to the rescue in our stories. Kids like you take care of business . . . Charlie and I believe in young people because we’re parents.?
‘All of you are heroes in a unique way,? David told students, noting they can become heroes simply by picking up a book and reading it because ‘real heroes read.?
Given March is Reading Month, the authors stressed the importance of reading and the great variety of books out there to suit every taste and every interest.
‘I promise you whatever you’re into, someone wrote a book about it,? David said. ‘Our dreams came true and it’s all because we got into reading. Nothing but good things can happen to every one of you if you’re a fan of reading.?
‘Books are magic. Whoever you want to be, wherever you would like to be, whatever you would like to learn about or see, you can find that book,? Anthony said. ‘Books are not just collections of stories, they’re not just words on a piece of paper. Books are possibilities.?
Friends for more than 20 years, the authors write their popular stories while driving in David’s truck with a laptop or sitting in Anthony’s basement.
A fan of scary stories, monsters and ‘Scooby Doo? cartoons since his youth, David began writing spooky stories in elementary school to scare his practical-joking uncles.
‘I realized using my imagination, telling stories, is a type of magic,? he said. ‘It’s a magic I want to be part of forever.?
Anthony’s known he wanted to be an author since the eighth grade. He loves writing about heroes because he grew up reading comic books like Spiderman.
Both authors encouraged students to write as much as possible.
‘All of you in the room have the same powerful imagination. Use it, have fun with it,? David said. ‘Write about anything that you want. There’s no limit. There’s no rules.?
They reminded students to always ‘gift wrap your writing,? meaning once a story or a paper is done, don’t forget to put the ‘finishing touches? on it ? editing, revising, and rewriting.
‘It’s so easy to do. When you’re done writing something, all you gotta do is read it over again,? David said. ‘Read it out loud. When you read things out loud, you hear some of the words you might have missed, some of the mistakes you might have made.?
‘I guarantee you you’ll get less red marks and better grades,? David noted.
To learn more about David and Anthony’s books visit www.realheroesread.com.