Free book for boys and reluctant readers
Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices
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US$8.99 Paperback
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Reading is important
Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him. –Maya Angelou
Most adults would agree that reading is important, but many kids detest reading. Video games, devices, and TV are preferred entertainment and escape. They provide instant gratification. Reading takes time. For some kids, reading isn’t engaging.
I had this same problem with my son, so I solved the problem.
The classic stories I remember enjoying as a kid don’t interest my son and his immediate attention span. If he doesn’t enjoy the story from page one, he will not read further.
So how did I get my son to read?
I showed him how much fun it is to get sucked into a story.
Your book is amazing I can’t stop reading it – Joseph Young via twitter
Contemporary and Classic titles alike don’t interest many kids. Don’t worry, the love of reading is learned. We need a starting point. We need that one book that is just as engaging on the first read as the fifth, just like a really great movie that kids want to see again and again. A positive association with reading will make kids want to read more.
A love of reading is cited as the number one indicator of future success. My son didn’t have the desire to read. He didn’t care about the books I chose to read to him, and was overwhelmed with the selection at the library. I want my son to succeed, so I had to do something. Since we struggled to find books he cared to read, I wrote one. An epic saga about the things he loves. I put it in a world he loves and addressed the issues he faces in his life.
I just love your books I’ve been reading them over and over again. -Carson via twitter
But it’s a video game book
Don’t worry; it’s not a book about video games, nor is it a game strategy book. Flynn’s Log is a hero’s journey that takes place inside the Minecraft world that today’s kids know and love. The protagonist, Flynn, naturally flows through Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (builds shelter and tools, learns what to eat and discovers a digital friend) and faces questions about his destiny. He learns important life lessons about friendship, integrity, and trust. Flynn’s Log is good for kids without being boring.
Thank you so so much for the free ebook. My son loves Minecraft now with this book I can get him to read to me. – Jennifer Wilkins
Start your son or daughter on journey today, reading Flynn’s Log 1: Rescue Island. Free on available these devices and apps.
Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices
Choose your device
KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online
US$8.99 Paperback
Why is Flynn’s Log 1 Free?
My son loves reading — finally. If you have experience with a reluctant reader then I know your pain and I want to help. I’ve seen thousands of kids transform with this book. My readers, who don’t usually read books during the summer, couldn’t put Flynn’s Log 1 down.
Good book I thought I would never read a book on my summer but I feel I’m gonna finish it soon – Multigamer 47 via twitter
Let this book change your kid’s life too. You have nothing to lose and an avid reader to gain.
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.
–Frederick Douglas
I am giving away Flynn’s Log 1 free because I want to give you a risk-free way to hook your reluctant reader.
Please and I mean PLEASE, WRITE MORE! I absolutely love it! They’re outstanding books.
-Devon123321 via twitter
What are Books for Boys?
I spend lots of time with teachers and parents. I hear parents ask, “How do I get my son to read? Do you have books for boys?”
I wrote the Flynn’s Log series for my son, and this book is interesting for boys. However, the series is a non-stop read for both boys and girls, especially those who are interested in Minecraft.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.
—Dr. Seuss
What are you waiting for?
You have nothing to lose!
Flynn’s Log is free on the following devices
Choose your device
KindleiPad/iPod/iPhoneGoogle Play (Android Tablets)nookkoboRead Online
US$8.99 Paperback
News for Parents of Reluctant Readers
Get Reluctant Reader Book News from Stone Marshall
Minecraft launches Realms Clubs, a new online meeting place for Realms
The Minecraft team yesterday announced the launch of Realms Clubs, a new online meeting place for members of Realms to share and socialize. With Minecraft Realms Clubs, players can share posts, like videos, photos, and comments, and much more.
Minecraft players can find Realms Clubs now on Minecraft for Xbox One, Mobile, and Windows 10. Clubs will automatically be created for a Realm, and anyone who is invited to a Realm will also be added to the Club. Players can manage Realm Clubs from the Xbox App on PC, mobile, or console, or directly from the Realms menu in Minecraft.
Screenshots can be posted to a Realm Club by pausing the game and hitting the button with the Camera icon next to the feed button. This will add the screenshot to your list of saved screenshots and your Realms Clubs feed. Please keep in mind you can manage your Club and report comments or block players if necessary.
The experience should also be safe for kids, as kids need permission from a parent to adjust their permissions to use Realms. More details on Realms CLubs and all the FAQ’s are available here.
Minecraft launches Realms Clubs, a new online meeting place for Realms
Wander the Lost City of Teotihuacán in Minecraft
The word Teotihuacán comes from the Aztecs and translates to birthplace of the gods. The ruined city was built in a hill-enveloped valley 2,000d years ago and collapsed around 550 CE. We know that Teotihuacán was the largest city in the Americas and one of the most populous on Earth in its heyday, but nearly everything else is a mystery. Who built it, what was their language, why did their great metropolis fail? The de Young Museum in San Francisco recently opened a show about the city titled Teotihuacán: City of Water, City of Fire. Objects form recent excavations are leveraged as a starting point to examine how the modern conception of the city is formed by surviving artworks. To build some buzz and expose more people to the show’s themes, the museum concurrently released a scale Minecraft map of the city. The map allows anyone with an internet connection (and $27 for a Minecraft account) to dive in and run around amid and within the unblemished splendor of the temples. In the words of the show’s curator Matthew H. Robb, “Hopefully that leads to a greater appreciation for the achievements of the people who built [Teotihuacán] in ancient times.”
The map makes a good first impression. You begin in a room of red stone, columns, and a few torches. On the wall opposite is the name of the show and the museum in pale blue-green. I’m a Minecraft novice, so the very first thing I did was get a primer from my brother-in-law about the controls and whatnot. It’s standard gaming fare: Run, jump, punch, repeat. I was warned that doing something dumb like jumping off one of the buildings or immolating myself in one of the fire pits would lead to my doom. Armed with this new knowledge, I set out to explore.
Beyond a couple nice vantage points for screenshots, there wasn’t much to see. I think I started on the Pyramid of the Sun and walked along the Avenue of the Dead, but those are just guesses. I was basically turned around and directionless after running in and out of a few temples. Inside one of the temples is a small pool that my character appeared to swim through, but it was difficult to tell. Alcoves and torches and flowers and trees appear ad nauseum. The only place to interact with the environment (that I found, anyway) was with the show title and museum name on the wall. I punched it just before turning off Minecraft, and it became a painting in my inventory. But … there wasn’t anything to do beyond that.
Gameplay left me with so many questions. What temple did I start on? What did they burn in the fire pits? What were the pools for?
Using Minecraft to map Teotihuacán was a great idea and I genuinely felt like I was in the city. The experience left me less excited for a museum show and much more excited about the idea of planning a trip to see the ruins in person. The museum plans to maintain the map as part of its holdings and (I hear) is readying a future release with murals and art objects in situ. But that seems like something which should have been ready for the initial release. Since one of the walls is already labeled with the show’s name, it’d also be cool to be provided with the names of the temples and some kind of explanation about their functions.
At present, the current iteration of the map rings a little hollow. Providing more opportunities for players to interact with the unblemished temples and bucolic environment will only serve to strengthen this ambitious and worthwhile project.
How kids used Minecraft to flood Ipswich CBD
FOR a year Ipswich children have spent countless hours digitally rebuilding the Ipswich CBD as it was more than 120 years ago.
The group of about 25 children used the 3D, interactive, and reportedly addictive, game Minecraft to reconstruct Brisbane St and surrounds as it was before the Great Flood of 1893.
On Wednesday, the children watched their hard work being washed away as the Great Flood was digitally recreated sending torrents of water through their city.
Siblings Ty, AJ and Jess Biffin were among the group that regularly attended the Minecraft sessions at Ipswich City Library.
Ty said while the whole experience was “really fun”, he wasn’t looking forward to Wednesday’s finale when the city was flooded.
“We spent a whole year building this awesome city centre and then it’s destroyed in a flood,” Ty said.
“All that hard work, gone. It’s heartbreaking.”
The Minecraft project is one of many interactive sessions run at Ipswich Library and one the Biffin children thoroughly enjoyed.
Mum Deb said the project not only taught the kids about working together to build the city, but gave them a new perspective on an historical event.
She said it helped them understood the real loss previous generations suffered during the Great Flood.
“It’s bitter sweet for them,” Deb said.
“The loss they are feeling is a virtual loss but it’s opened to the door to talking to them about the actual loss people had to endured back then.”
This was the second time the Biffin children took part in an ongoing activity at the library and they’re already keen for the next one.
‘Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator’ Is ‘FNAF 6’ in Disguise
Yesterday we talked about Scott Cawthon developing a Pizzeria Simulator that he “swore” was just a little minigame for the community, but, of course, no one bought that. And we were right to be skeptical because Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator is a Five Nights at Freddy’s [$2.99] game disguised as a minigame. (Spoilers) Once you start the game, you play through a simple minigame where you fling pizzas at little children until the whole game short circuits and you find yourself the owner of a new pizzeria that you have to decorate.
The decorating part is pretty simple: you can only buy a couple of items that you then get to place on the pizzeria floor. Your starting items are a box of balloons and a box of rubber balls. Each time you place an item, you get to play an associated minigame, and I do mean minigame. The box of balloons one has you clicking one button to win, and the rubber balls one has you trying to dive into the box (very difficult one that I’m not even sure you can beat). And then it’s time to let the guests come in and enjoy your masterpiece while you have to keep an eye on everything from the (you guessed it) control room.
This is where the actual game begins. FNAF players will immediately recognize the control room gameplay. You have to keep yourself safe from animatronics hidden in the pipes by using motion detectors and your flashlight. The whole time you’re in the control room, you have to try and keep the fan running as little as possible since it can block noise and lead to a lovely jump-scare. But if you turn that fan off, the temperature rises. So, you have to play it smart. You can also switch the power generator off to, again, reduce noise, but then you can’t run your computer the way you would want to.
If you make it through the night, you get to continue managing your pizza with new items and new minigames, and then it’s back in the control room. People on reddit have noticed that the save file for this game is called “FNAF6,” so many are already calling it FNAF 6. Overall, Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator is a fun take on the FNAF formula with some extra elements that make it stand out from some of the more recent uninspired sequels. The game’s only on Steam currently, but I expect it to hit mobile just like every other FNAF game.
‘Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria Simulator’ Is ‘FNAF 6’ in Disguise
Colin Lane’s ‘Big Shot Boxing’ is “Hitting” the App Store this Thursday
I love all of Colin Lane’s and his vast array of collaborators’ games, as they’re largely multiplayer-focused, physics-based, and totally silly in some way. And that is certainly true of his latest upcoming game, Big Shot Boxing, which has been in the works for quite some time but was only officially announced this past April when Lane put out a call for beta testers. Now the game is finally complete and an official release date of December 7th has been revealed. Hey that’s just a couple of days away! While it’s certainly a silly take on boxing with competitors who have absurdly long arms, what’s interesting to me about Big Shot Boxing is it looks to have a bit more meat on its bones than your typical arcadey sports game. More on that in a second though, first check out the most recent trailer for Big Shot Boxing.
So, what makes this different than the more arcade-style sports games Lane has released previously? Well, it has a pretty deep career mode where you’ll earn money by accepting challenges and winning fights, and then turn around and put that money into upgrading your fighter. Pretty standard stuff, but what’s really interesting about Big Shot Boxing is that your fighter will actually age as your career progresses and you’ll lose stats over time because of it. Dealing with the effects of aging is a really neat wrinkle to the typical career mode, and there will also be a bunch of random elements thrown into the game to keep things spicy. As Lane himself describes, “You can win or lose any fight at any time.” Big Shot Boxing will be free with ads and a one-time IAP to remove them, and I’m really looking forward to checking it out when it arrives this Thursday.
Colin Lane’s ‘Big Shot Boxing’ is “Hitting” the App Store this Thursday
12 Days of ‘Minecraft’ Celebration Gives You Free Gifts Daily
Minecraft [$6.99] is getting ready to celebrate the holidays by giving free stuff to everyone. Starting December 21st and for 12 days after that, Minecraft will have a free present for you every day on the Minecraft Marketplace. The first present will be a Noxcrew offering called Ready Sled Go!, a mountainous sled slalom perfect for the holidays and great for taking on your friends. Mojang will advertise the presents on Twitter, so either keep an eye on that or just jump into Minecraft once a day to make sure you grab your free present. Free stuff’s great after all, so why leave it on the table?
If you’re looking for Minecraft-related presents or stocking stuffers, Mojang’s got you covered. Head over here to find all kinds of Minecraft presents, ranging from LEGO Minecraft sets, clothing, toys, posters, and all kinds of other items. When I see the list, I’m reminded of how big Minecraft is right now and how tiny it was when it started. And it’s still growing even after all these years. Well, enjoy your Minecraft holidays everyone.
12 Days of ‘Minecraft’ Celebration Gives You Free Gifts Daily
Giant ‘Minecraft’ graphics upgrade delayed to 2018
The Minecraft team had a bunch of news at their MineCon Earth convention, but the biggest news may be what’s not happening. Mojang and Microsoft have delayed the launches of both the Super Duper Graphics Pack and cross-platform Switch multiplayer to sometime in 2018. They’re not elaborating on the reasons behind the delay, but in both cases the features simply aren’t finished. More information on the graphics delay is coming “soon,” according to the creators.
Instead, the biggest improvement (beyond the Better Together release) is The Update Acquatic, which refines underwater adventures. There are new water physics (such as buoyancy), dolphins, coral and a water-appropriate weapon (the trident). There’s no release date just yet.
This certainly isn’t going to trigger a crisis for Minecraft players, but it does suggest that the graphics pack and Switch update were more than a little ambitious. It’s going to take a while for the world-building game to grow significantly beyond its roots.
‘Minecraft’ now livestreams building sessions directly to Mixer
A large part of Minecraft‘s allure is showing off your work. And now, it should be relatively easy to do that in real time. Mojang has released an update that lets you livestream directly to Microsoft Mixer (its parent company’s service, naturally) from within the game on Android devices, Windows 10 PCs and Xbox One consoles. If you’ve just finished recreating an entire country, you can take people on a live tour without starting a broadcast in a separate app or service first. And your audience doesn’t have to simply watch, either.
Mixer support also lets you make aspects of your Minecraft session interactive. Viewers can vote on spawning objects (including enemies) or even change the environmental conditions. They can turn day into night to see whether you’ll survive the trip back to safety, for instance. If you’ve ever broadcast a Minecraft stream and thought it was too predictable, this could add just the right amount of chaos.
The feature isn’t available in other versions of Minecraft just yet. A mod to bring it to the classic Java-based game is coming later in 2017. Even so, this promises to make the world-building game a more social experience, whether or not your friends are ready to play.
‘Minecraft’ now livestreams building sessions directly to Mixer
How Minecraft is becoming the foundation of a generation’s computer science education
Like many adults, Benjamin Kelly didn’t initially get the global Minecraft phenomenon, which has seen millions upon millions of kids investing endless hours exploring and creating within a blocky virtual world. Eventually he came around.
“I consider myself a late adopter,” says Kelly, who teaches technology at Caledonia Regional High School in New Brunswick. “But the students’ passion for the game was unyielding. I adopted Minecraft mainly because of that.”
By “adopted” he means he not only began playing it himself but also brought the game into his classroom. In addition to the 120 million-plus copies of the consumer-oriented version that have been sold since the Swedish-made mining game launched in 2011, Microsoft Corp. has sold more than 2 million Minecraft: Education Edition licenses specially designed to help kids learn to code.
Once he started poking around the game he began to see its educational potential. “It offers community,” he explains. “Minecraft is so popular it’s a culture. And by adding the recent powerful coding connections to the game Microsoft has created the ideal computer science education environment.”
Minecraft: Education Edition allows kids to command an agent within the game using computer code, sending it off to perform actions such as mining, harvesting, or building while the player continues doing whatever he or she likes. It’s designed to provide a familiar and accessible environment in which to introduce kids to some of the core concepts of computer science while keeping things fun and creative.
“I’ve seen examples where coding has caused the agent to build entire cities with random building heights all while the student continues to explore the game,” says Kelly.
Once he began using Minecraft in his classroom there was no turning back. Kelly went on to become a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert and a Global Minecraft Mentor. He was recently named New Brunswick’s Inspirational STEM Teacher of the Year for 2017.
“Minecraft may be the single best educational tool available to support inclusion, universal design for learning, a wide variety of curriculum, and, most importantly, 21st century skills and competencies needed for successful lives and careers,” he says.
Kelly is just one of thousands of teachers now using Minecraft: Education Edition, and he’ll putting it to work again this week as part of the Hour of Code, a series of more than 100,000 teacher-planned educational events taking place in over 180 countries, with 3,000-plus events registered in Canada alone. Educators can choose from hundreds of ready-made tutorials sorted by grade and topics, many with prepared teacher notes. The student-led Minecraft module is, unsurprisingly, among the most popular of these programs.
Cam Smith, a spokesperson for Microsoft in Education Canada who has spent his entire career leveraging technology as a teaching aid (he built his first computer when he was 15), isn’t surprised that kids gravitate towards Minecraft as a portal to learning about computer science. He says nearly 70 million people have used Minecraft tutorials to understand the basics of coding.
“Minecraft is a great first step into coding,” says Smith. “It’s an open sandbox environment that is already beloved by students of all ages, genders, and backgrounds around the world. It’s a powerful validation that coding can be a truly creative pursuit for students.”
But are kids actually learning anything by playing Minecraft in the classroom? Smith is convinced they are.
“I’ve seen first-hand the power of how a gamified learning approach to coding ignites curiosity and passion within students,” he explains. “I’ve spoken to educators and have seen students learn to code using Minecraft in classrooms across the country. Complimentary to learning to code, Minecraft: Education Edition helps kids with teamwork by building worlds together.”
Smith’s job has given him opportunity to see how Minecraft not only helps students learn about computer science, but also geography and architecture as kids recreate real world replicas of schools, provinces, and cities. He even once observed students building a river in Minecraft to study fish conservation.
And he’s looked on, satisfied, as Minecraft has nudged quiet students out of their shells. “I’ve seen Minecraft: Education Edition be an incredible tool for students to stand out where they might not be as vocal in the classroom,” he says. “Their work shines through building confidence and an interest in STEM learning.”
As a teacher, Kelly has seen these sorts of occurrences first-hand, too. He believes that Canadian universities are now being flooded with students in computer science and engineering who cut their coding teeth via Minecraft. He thinks even those who don’t go on to study STEM subjects benefit from spending time with Minecraft in the classroom.
“As our world becomes more and more globally competitive and robots take over countless careers, creativity will be a badge for employment,” he explains. “Minecraft is a giant sandbox only limited by the player’s creativity while at the same time fostering the growth of creative ability. The 21st century competencies will win careers moving forward in a world where knowledge is just a mobile device away. Computer science education – and Minecraft: Education Edition – prepare our students today for that future.”
How Minecraft is becoming the foundation of a generation’s computer science education
Mojang makes sense of Minecraft’s classroom allure
With digital media playing a larger role than ever before in kids’ lives, Vu Bui is ready to school attendees making the trip next month to the Children’s Global Media Summit on just how educational gaming can be.
Bui is COO at Mojang, the Swedish gaming studio behind Minecraft, and he will be participating in the summit’s session “The Future of Play” to discuss open-world games and how they can best serve children. The summit, curated this year by the BBC, will take place from December 5 to 7 at the Manchester Central Convention Complex in Manchester, England.
“A lot of what we’ll be covering is how we need to think differently about how youth today are consuming both entertainment and educational content,” Bui says. “My hope is that people who attend the session will come away with a different understanding of what kids are really doing when they’re playing video games. There are many benefits that are probably unknown to people who don’t play.”
An open-world, open-ended game like Minecraft doesn’t have a forced narrative, and as a result, kids are free to explore the game’s possibilities at their own pace and with a focus on their personal interests. Through playing Minecraft, Bui contends, children are exposed to issues of resource management, problem-solving and collaboration, as well as basic math and science principles. And significantly, Bui says games like Minecraft create an atmosphere of learning for everyone.
“One of the big impacts we’ve seen as a result of gaming in education is a change in mindset and a shift in power in classrooms, and even among parents at home, where young people are being empowered,” he says. “Often, kids understand these tools better than the adults do, and it changes the power balance in these educational settings where both sides are giving and learning. That shared educational experience really enriches the overall program.”
Bui says this empowerment has inspired kids around the world to take ownership of Minecraft, and develop uses for it beyond gaming. “The language that young people speak today is no longer just about being able to read and write and speak in their native tongue,” he says. “They’re also communicating via this language of the internet, and storytelling through games and the various different experiences they have online.”
For example, there’s the Block by Block program, which uses Minecraft to engage communities in the development of public spaces. Block by Block is a collaboration between Mojang and UN-Habitat that encourages the use of Minecraft as a community participation tool in the design of urban public spaces. Bui serves as president of the board and is one of the program’s founders, and he says Block by Block is a platform for kids and other community members who may not normally have a voice.
“We engage people using Minecraft because it’s one of the easiest-to-learn design tools,” Bui says. “I remember watching a presentation from these 14-year-old girls in Haiti, and how powerful it was to see them realize that people were listening.”
The Children’s Global Media Summit will play host to a range of delegates in a number of different industries, including content creators, platform providers and policy makers. Bui believes that schooling these different sectors on the educational possibilities of gaming will help shine an even brighter light on the voices and needs of children. “We need to make sure that, as content creators and educational programmers, we take that into account when we create things that are designed for young people.”