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Why Twinkle is a Great, Big Dog! Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, for ages 7-10
Why Twinkle is a Great, Big Dog!
OurKatie & Kimble readers know that Katie has a dog named Twinkle.
Katie named him Twinkle because he was silver, the color of the stars.
She thought that in the sunlight, he twinkled like a star.
Twinkle is a great, big dog. He is an Old English sheepdog. When I was
first writing Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, I needed to decide
what kind of dog Twinkle was going to be. I really needed a dog that
would protect Katie. If you have read Katie & Kimble: A Ghost
Story, you'll know why! Katie has a lot of adventures and gets into a
lot of trouble! It's a good thing Twinkle is there to protect her!
For hundreds of years, sheepdogs have been trained to protect sheep.
That is why they are so good with children. They make sure the child is
safe, too.
Sheepdogs have long hair that needs to be brushed a lot. Several years
ago, I worked with a woman who had a sheepdog. When she brushed his
hair, she saved the hair. Then later, she made the hair into a sweater
and wore it to work! Yeah, that really grossed me out, I must say.
Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: On the sidebars, click on the yellow stripes to hear Twinkle barking!
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story (Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
Paperback version: $5.95
Click here to order Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story!
Click here to order Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2)!
Instant download version: $2.48
Click here to order the instant download editions.
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10]
Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.
The 2009 Tweet for Literacy Campaign
The 2009 Tweet for Literacy Campaign
The First Annual Tweet for Literacy campaign took place in November, 2009, during National Family Literacy Month. Four authors and three mom/book bloggers got together for a month-long Twitter-based event to shine a light on the importance of a family’s reading together.
Susan Buetow (@susieqtpies) and I (@LindaThieman) co-chaired the giveaway events, and ended up with 19 winners who divvied up almost $2000 worth of prizes amongst them. The prizes consisted of literacy-related items: large numbers of children’s books contributed by authors, publishers and sponsors; books on parenting, reading skills, and building vocabulary; and other items like flash cards, puzzles and more.
Tweet4Lit, as it came to be known on Twitter, gave a prize set away every two days, with a grand prize awarded on December 1. Each prize pack contained books of all different levels, from pre-school up through young adult.
In the end, we had over 4,400 entries and created a lot of excitement about getting books into the home and making reading together a frequent fun family activity. In January, 2010, Tweet for Literacy will announce the winner of the second half of the grand prize package—one elementary school has been chosen to receive a classroom set of the first two books in the Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story series for third grade. Free classroom materials can be downloaded from the Katie & Kimble blog by teachers and home schoolers to accompany these books.
In November, 2010, Susan and I will be hosting the Second Annual Tweet for Literacy campaign, so look for us then on Twitter!
This post is part of the MAT@USC: Masters in Teaching Hope for the Holidays event. Did you have an experience or witness something in 2009 which gave you hope for the future of American education? If so, please see this post for more information on how to share it.
© 2009 by Linda Thieman
Katie & Kimble Author Guest Post and Giveaway! Ends 12/31 Pls RT
Katie & Kimble Author Guest Post and Giveaway!
Farrah over at The Book Faery Reviews is featuring a guest post from Katie & Kimble author Linda Thieman today. Linda talks about how the Katie & Kimblestories are really surprising! She says to expect the unexpected, and
she drops some hints about the third book that is coming out next year,
Katie & Kimble: The Golden Door.
Farrah is also doing a giveaway–she is giving away a set of Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish. The winner will be announced on December 31. At that time, Farrah and her daughter will also review book 2, Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish.
Visit The Book Faery Reviews to enter the contest. You might win some books!
Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: On the sidebars, click on the yellow stripes for a little surprise or two!
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story (Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
Paperback version: $5.95
Click here to order Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story!
Click here to order Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2)!
Instant download version: $2.48
Click here to order the instant download editions.
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10]
Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.
More in Our Katie & Kimble Activity Corner! Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story for ages 7-10
More in Our Katie & Kimble Activity Corner!
Here are some more fun things to do in our Katie & Kimble Activity Corner!
You will find the Katie & Kimble Activity Corner on the right sidebar of the Katie & Kimble blog.
Learn the Kimble, Kimble chant here! Then make up a hand-clapping game to play with your friends as you chant!
Watch the Katie & Kimble video here!
Another fun thing to do is read stories about the author of Katie
& Kimble — that's me! These are true stories. One is
from when I was 7 and it's a funny story about my dog. One is from when I was 8 and it's about my dad and a funny trick we played with a piano! The third one is from when I was 9 and we lived across the street from a baseball player. That was a lot of fun!
Listen to Kimble's song or the song that Mr. Russell sings in Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish!
Or download free Katie & Kimble word puzzles. There are three puzzles for each of the first two books.
There are many more things to do in the Katie & Kimble Activity
Corner. Just look over on the right sidebar and you'll see them!
Have fun!
Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: Click on the author's name at the top of any post and learn all about her (including how to pronounce her name)!
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story (Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
Paperback version: $5.95
Click here to order Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story!
Click here to order Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2)!
Instant download version: $2.48
Click here to order the instant download editions.
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10]
Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.
Katrina, 8, Reviews Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, for ages 7-10
Katrina, 8, Reviews Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story!
Today, I'd like to introduce our guest blogger here at Katie & Kimble Kids' Corner. Her name is Katrina, she's from Virginia, and she's 8!
Katie
& Kimble is a very honest book with a lot of friendship and truth.
I thought it was a really great book, one of my top favorites. It was a
very sweet, loving book. There are some parts that I wasn’t expecting,
but I liked the whole thing. I think it would be cool to meet a ghost
like Kimble and to live in that type of house. Katie didn’t really have
any friends and I think Kimble made a smart choice of showing her
feelings so Katie would like her.
I wish that I had a friend like Katie or Kimble or even both. I think
Katie & Kimble is a book I would enjoy reading again and I look
forward to reading more about Katie and Kimble’s adventures. I also
liked the pictures in the book. I think Mrs. Russell made a smart
choice about trusting that Kimble was real and I was surprised that she
believed in the end.
[My birthday is] April 8. I am homeschooled. I like playing piano.
And I recently built a volcano for my first science fair and I received
a really good score for it. (See some pictures here!) I like to make people happy and to make new friends.
Thank you, Katrina! I appreciate your sending in your post! Well done!
Now you can read the first 6 chapters of Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story for free. Click here to download the PDF. All the pictures are included!
© 2009 by Linda Thieman
Free Katie & Kimble Word Puzzles Now Available for Books 1 and 2!
Free Katie & Kimble Word Puzzles Now Available for Books 1 and 2!
Free Katie & Kimble word puzzlesare now available on the right sidebar under the Katie & Kimble
Activity Corner. There are six puzzles, five of which are also
available in the Katie & Kimble classroom materials / Activity Packets.
Three of the puzzles go with Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story, and three of the puzzles go with Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish. You can download the puzzles as PDF files here, free of charge.
Fun Katie & Kimble Hint: On the sidebars, click on the yellow stripes for a little surprise or two!
Katie & Kimble: A Ghost Story (Book 1 in the series) and Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2 in the series) are available here:
Paperback version: $5.95
Click here to order Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish (Book 2)!
Instant download version: $2.48
[Reading Level 3, 280L, for ages 7-10]
Nine-year-old Katie Russell and her family look
normal. But the Russells don't know they are living with Kimble,
the ghost of a ten-year-old girl. That is, until Katie discovers Kimble
and the two of them set off on a quest to find out what happened to
Kimble's mother.