This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

All In The Family

--By Jennifer Marino

The book began as a series of bedtime stories between a little girl and her mother in London, England. Five-year-old Isabel Adomakoh Young loved her mother's tales of "naughty little Charlie," a boy who could speak to cats. She helped her mother begin to write them down.

Last year, Isabel, now 11, and her mom, Louisa Young, decided to share Charlie's adventures with the world. Lionboy, the first book in a trilogy, was published in England in October. It has been a roaring success. Lionboy pounces into U.S. bookstores this month. The book is also being made into a movie.

In Lionboy, Charlie returns home one day to find that his parents have been kidnapped. He sets off to find them and eventually winds up aboard a magnificent floating circus. The circus lions and stray cats help him on his quest. The book includes maps and diagrams that show his adventures.

Isabel played a big role in writing the book. "Mom wrote sections down, and I'd read them and say what I did and didn't like," she says. "I'd stand by her shoulder while she typed." Isabel also came up with many of the ideas and details.

Don't look for Isabel's or her mom's name on the book. They used a name that Isabel made up, Zizou Corder. It is a combination of her lizard's name and the Latin word for heart, cor.

Isabel and her mom are almost finished with the second book in the trilogy. Isabel plans to keep writing after finishing the third one.

Her advice to other kids who want to write? "Read loads," she says. "Do really well at school. Practice writing stories. And ask for help from your friends and parents."

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