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FAN MAIL WEDNESDAY #330: All the Way from Kalamazoo!

May 12, 2023 / jimmy / No comments

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Camden wrote . . .

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I replied . . .

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Dear Camden,

What a kind and generous letter! Thank you. And all the way from Kalamazoo, too! That’s one of my favorite place names in the world. It’s right up there with Timbuktu and Oshkosh! I live in Delmar and that name just doesn’t have the same snazzy ring to it. Rats!

Just wondering: Have you ever played a kazoo in Kalamazoo? Or talked to a cow who said “Moo” in Kalamazoo?

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What would you do

If the grass was blue

And the birds said “Moo!”

In Kalamazoo?

Would you move to Timbuktu?

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(I’m sorry, I just made that up. Silly me. What other rhyming words can you think of? Canoe! Kazoo! Cockatoo! Purple?)

Anyway! I’m so glad that you read The Case from Outer Space. That’s one of the newest Jigsaw Jones titles and I’m especially fond of it. There’s humor and Little Free Libraries (which I love) and, I think, a pretty satisfying mystery, too. I hope the ending surprised you.

When I was a little boy, my grandmother moved in with us because she was getting old and needed more help. That’s where I got the idea for Jigsaw’s grandmother to be living with his family -— it came directly from my own life. When I look at that illustration by R. W. Alley at the end of the book, with Jigsaw and his father and grandmother gazing at the night stars, well, it stirs my heart.

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You asked some questions. What inspired me to start writing? I could give you a lot of different answers to that question. But mostly, I think I have a “creative bone” in my body. Some inner desire to make things. To draw pictures or put words on a page. To somehow take whatever is INSIDE of me . . . and try you put it OUTSIDE into the world. To share it. To express myself. Maybe’s it just a way of saying, “Hey, World! Here I am! Look at me!”

I have written many books over the years (I don’t have an exact number). There are 42 Jigsaw Jones titles in all, though right now there are 14 that have been revised and updated and currently in print (meaning: that you can buy them in stores or online). Of those, I’m especially fond of The Case of the Bicycle Bandit and The Case of the Buried Treasure. The most recent title is The Case of the Hat Burglar, which was inspired by the “Lost and Found” tables that I see on school visits. What if, I asked myself, someone was stealing items from the “Lost and Found”?

That’s the question that writers always ask: WHAT IF?

Who would do it? But more importantly —- and here comes a Pro Tip, Cameron — the better question might be, “Why would someone do it?”

If you can answer WHY, it will often lead a good detective to WHO.

What do you think, Cameron? Why might someone take all the hats -— and then all the gloves -— from the school’s Lost & Found?

Happy reading!

Your friend,

James Preller

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Category: Fan Mail, Jigsaw Jones / Tags: Fan Mail Wednesday, How many Jigsaw Jones books?, Jigsaw Jones: The Case from Outer Space, Letter from Kalamazoo

$1.00 Offer for Jigsaw Jones from Scholastic — It’s the “BOOK of the WEEK”

November 30, 2022 / jimmy / One comment

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TEACHERS, EDUCATORS: Scholastic has made this its “Book of the Week” — we shot videos, did an interview & live reading, I even put on my cleanest dirty shirt! — and it now sells for ONLY $1 if you order by Monday, December 5, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Not a terrible idea for teachers, grades 1-3, who want to buy a gift for everyone in the class (which gets expensive).

I’m grateful to the many folks at Scholastic who helped make this happen. Thank you!

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Category: Jigsaw Jones / Tags: Book of the Week, Judy Newman, The Case from Outer Space

Best Chapter Book Series for Elementary Series

August 4, 2022 / jimmy / No comments

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Oh, hey, check out #25. I still exist!

(You might need to squash this link.)

35 Chapter Book Series for Elementary Students

And while we’re blowing that horn . . .

Don’t forget my two other series, Scary Tales and the Big Idea Gang.

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Coming Soon . . . EXIT 13!

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Category: Around the Web, Jigsaw Jones / Tags: Best Chapter Book Series for Elementary Students, James Preller Exit 13, Jigsaw Jones, Series by James Preller

Fan Mail Wednesday Triple Threat #324-326: Oooooh, Secret Codes!

June 28, 2022 / jimmy / No comments

I received three letters from the same classroom, each including a SASE (thank you!). Two of the letters came with secret codes. All of them were fairly similar and signed using only an initial (for privacy, I gather). I enjoyed responding to them, not all that seriously.

But first, the codes:

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Here are my replies . . .

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Dear N,

Just N, hmmm? That’s mysterious.

Let me guess: Noah, Nadine, Neo, Nico, Nancy, Nigel . . .

(Stop me when I get it right.)

Natasha, Nehemiah, Nelson, Naomi . . .

(I’m fading here.)

Nevan, Neely, Nori, Naadir . . .

(I give up!)

As for your code: “Can you figure out this pass code to read it if you can read it.”

Did I miss anything?

I’m glad you enjoyed Food Fight’s satisfying conclusion!

My best,

James Preller

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Dear T,

That’s it, huh? Just T.

Wait a minute, I’ve got it!

This is Mister T!

“I pity the fool!”

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Thanks for the SASE: Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope.

Saves me some money!

Be well and keep reading,

James Preller

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Dear A,

I wonder. A what? A banana? A pizza pie? A really good book? A reader?

I’m a B, personally: baffled, bewildered, bamboozled!

Let’s see if I can crack your code.

(This is fun, thanks.)

“James Preller I really liked the book the case of the food fight!”

Okay: 1) That’s good news! 2) Pretty sure this makes me a genius!

Have a great summer — not a bummer!

My best,

James Preller

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Category: Fan Mail, Fun Clips, Jigsaw Jones / Tags: Fan Mail Wednesday, James Preller Fan Mail, Jigsaw Jones secret codes

Fan Mail Wednesday #321: from Kaya in Istanbul

June 13, 2022 / jimmy / No comments

For many years now, I’ve been receiving fan mail from a school in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s always a thrill to get them, just the idea that something I wrote can make it all the way there — and then, years later, we connect through that shared book experience. Writer and reader. Words bring us together. It’s kind of beautiful when you think about it. Here’s one from Kaya . . .

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Dear Mr Preller,

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I am Kaya from Turkey. I am a fifth grade student at Hisar College. English my foreign language. I read your book Jigsaw Jones: The Case of the Best Pet Ever. I really enjoyed it. It was for my English project but it was so good. I had so much fun.

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I like your book because I love detective stories. I was curious about who stole the Grand Prize. Also, I like your book because it was about animals and I have pets. I have two dogs and they like to play with shoes like Rags. I remembered my dogs Hugo and Coco when Teddy says his dog steals shoes.

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In the beginning I thought it was a human who stole the prize. I was surprised when I learned that it was an animal. I was suspicious about Solofsky like Jigsaw and Mila were. I thought that he was lying. I didn’t like this character but in the end I was so happy when he was innocent. I liked the friendship and work of Mila and Teddy. I was happy when they solved the detective case. I wished that Jigsaw and Rags would win the contest. I was disappointed when the hamster won it.

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Some of the vocabulary you used was difficult for me but I learned new words. Normally I read slowly but I was curious about your story and I read it so fast.

I liked the pictures of your book. They helped me to understand your story better. In my opinion the book can be more interesting if pictures are colorful.

I want to read other books of Jigsaw Jones this summer. They look so interesting.

Nice to meet you.

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Kaya Ö

I replied . . .

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Dear Kaya,

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I must have a very good friend in Turkey, because I sure get a lot of letters from students at your school. For years and years now. It’s amazing how one teacher can make such a big difference.

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You are very impressive to be able to read and write in English with such skill and charm.

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I am a dog lover, too. My dog is named Echo and I am pleased to report that he no longer steals my shoes. As a puppy, he went through a phase when he ate 2 remote controls for our television. What a mess! Nowadays Echo is nearly perfect. But sadly, he’s afraid of thunder. Storms send him into a tizzy. We have to figure out a solution, because it’s getting worse.

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My sweet sensitive dog.

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I enjoy writing about Bobby Solofsky. He’s always trouble. Like Jigsaw says, he’s a pain in the neck . . . only lower. When writing mysteries, it’s important to have a few different suspects to keep readers guessing. Bobby is good for that. In my most recent Jigsaw Jones book, The Case of the Hat Burglar, I was able to explore Bobby a little bit more. Jigsaw even visits his house, sits in his kitchen. I think maybe he’s not such a bad kid after all.

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Thanks for reading my book. You sure must be one smart cookie!

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My best,

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James Preller

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P.S. At the risk of sounding too self-promotional, I do have other books that might work for a reader with your sophistication and ability. That is, the characters are older than Jigsaw Jones — as are you — but the stories are not much harder to read. If you like scary stories, I think you’d do well with my “Scary Tales” books. Also, I have three books in the “Big Idea Gang” series that again are not much more difficult to read. Good luck & thank you, Kaya!

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