Archive for Jigsaw Jones

Fan Mail Wednesday #310: Emir Calls My Book a “Literary Wonder” — I Take the Rest of the Day Off

May 27, 2021 / / No comments

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A reader, Emir, wrote a nice letter about a Jigsaw Jones book, The Case of the Million-Dollar Mystery. By way of background, somebody in room 201 has been leaving behind anonymous notes that read:

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It’s time for Jigsaw and Mila to figure out who’s behind these mysterious notes. Let’s move on to Emir’s letter . . . 

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Dear Mr Preller,

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I am writing to you to express my great appreciation for the book which you have written called The Case of the Million-Dollar Mystery.

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I have found the book to be fascinating and absorbing. I like mysterious stories which keeps me eager to read. I was very curious and excited throughout the story and I was really surprised at the end. I really enjoyed reading about Jigsaw and Mila’s mysterious mission. Also the way they inspected and found the suspect was brilliant. The illustrations of the book were actually really helpful to recognize the character and to visualize the plot.
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Illustration by Jamie Smith.

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Additionally the book gives a really good message to the reader. I think giving such a good message like be a better person through an interesting story is a brilliant idea. The girl in the story makes an experiment to invent goodness and it works, that raises awareness of being a better person
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Again, I would just like to express my deepest thanks that you created this literary wonder which has raised my awareness about being a better a person.

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I replied . . .

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Emir,

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Thank you so much for your kind letter. I’m glad that I managed to surprise you at the end.
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And wow, you called my book a “literary wonder” — what a fine compliment! I’m just going to take the rest of the day off. Sit by the bird feeder and see who flies by.
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You inspired me to pull that book off the shelf and read the last few lines:
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“I looked around at the class. Everybody seemed happy, smiling, laughing together. Eddie had his invention back. He seemed happy, even if it didn’t turn out to be a million-dollar idea. And there, sitting quietly at her desk, was Geetha.
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Just watching.
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Maybe we can invent goodness after all. I guess it’s like a jigsaw puzzle. Or a mystery.
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Just one piece at a time.
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We’ll all get there, together, one step at a time.”
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Well, here we are, years after I first wrote those words, and I still think they are true. One day. One person. One kind thought at a time.
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I believe your letter, Emir, your small kindness, brings us all a little closer to that dream.
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Have a great summer, my friend!
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James Preller
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Category: Fan Mail, Jigsaw Jones / Tags: , , , , , ,

Fan Mail Wednesday #309: It’s Easy (and cheap!) to Arrange a Virtual Visit with Your Class

March 25, 2021 / / No comments
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“That was amazing!
The students are beaming and can’t wait
to talk about you!
They also can’t wait to write!”
— Rachel M, 2nd-grade teacher

 

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Here’s a correspondence that I enjoyed with a classroom teacher from Queens, NY. I wish I had more visits with classrooms or entire grade levels. They feel so positive, and cozy, and joyful. I especially believe in book-specific visits, where the class knows my work and we can engage in a lively Q-and-A conversation. I can do this with any title or series. 

Is it terribly expensive? No, nope, not really, no. 

Read on . . .

 

Hello there!

I work at a school in Queens, NY.  Currently, I am the teacher of 30 second graders…was previously the drama teacher:)

My students are fully remote, meaning that they are all home and we learn virtually during the day.

I have been reading your books to them as our read aloud, and they are LOVING them! We have created a class detective notebook, where along with Jigsaw, they write their guesses, clues, thoughts, and suspects.

They have just started their writing unit on realistic fiction.

I was wondering what your pricing was, and if you are still doing virtual visits?

I thought a virtual visit from you, where they can ask you Jigsaw questions, and get some creative writing tips would make them smile from ear to ear!

Please let me know, thank you!

Rachel 

 

I replied . . .

 

Rachel,

Thank you for this lovely note.

I would love to visit with your class.

I like to get $150 for a virtual visit — but if your budget is limited, I’d work with whatever you’ve got that seems fair and reasonable to you.

I appreciate that you share my books with your class.

James Preller

 

And shortly after our visit, Rachel wrote back . . .

 

That was amazing!

The students are beaming and can’t wait to talk about you! They also can’t wait to write!!! 

I may have to give them a whole afternoon of writing time because they are so excited!!

Again, thank you so much. Everything that you said was beyond perfect for them to hear.

Of course their first question was, when can they talk to you again…

So, you may hear from me again and next year and so on and so forth 🙂

I will of course share your information with other teachers and the parent coordinator at my school, who usually shares things with all other schools in the area.

Thank you again for everything, that was a wonderful experience:)

Rachel

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Category: Fan Mail, Jigsaw Jones, School Visits / Tags: , , ,

Mila Yeh, Jigsaw Jones, and a Children’s Literature Fundraiser Against Anti-AAPI Racism

February 27, 2021 / / No comments

 

 

Every alert reader of the Jigsaw Jones mystery series knows that Mila Yeh is the brains of the partnership. I mean, Jigsaw is no slouch, but his strength is his energy and never-say-die attitude. Jigsaw never, ever gives up. As his best friend and partner, Mila Yeh quietly keeps asking questions, coming up with clues and new ideas, keeping the investigations (and Jigsaw!) on track. I don’t know where he’d be without her. Theirs is an equal partnership; they split the profits 50-50. And I’m glad, today, that Mila Yeh stands as a bright, lively, caring, strong female character in the world of children’s books — who also happens to be Asian-American. Fun fact: Mila Yeh is named after my old friend at Scholastic, Phoebe Yeh, who is still editing books today. 

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Mila Yeh arrives at the home office, singing a song, at the start of a new case in JIGSAW JONES: THE CASE FROM OUTER SPACE. Art by R.W. Alley.

 

It’s been upsetting and heartbreaking to read about how attacks on Asian-Americans are up in this country. I don’t fully understand it, though obviously the former president’s racist insistence on called the Coronavirus the “China Virus” has contributed to an ugly groundswell of hatred and blame.

Here’s some info from a fairly typical recent article, as reported by Alexandra E. Petri and Daniel E. Slotnik in The New York Times:

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Hate crimes involving Asian-American victims soared in New York City last year. Officials are grappling with the problem even as new incidents occur.

Sam and Maggie Cheng on the street where their mother was attacked last week in Flushing, Queens.

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Maggie Cheng could stand to watch the video only once.

“I’ve never cried like that before,” Ms. Cheng said, describing her reaction to security footage that showed her mother being shoved to the ground last week on a crowded street in Flushing, Queens. “To see my mother get thrown like that, she looks like a feather. She looks like a rag doll.”

The attack on Ms. Cheng’s mother, which was highlighted by celebrities and gained widespread attention on social media, was one of four against Asian-American women in New York City that day. Taken together, they stoked fears that the wave of racism and violence that has targeted Asian-Americans during the pandemic was surging again in New York. Those concerns intensified after a man of Asian descent was stabbed Thursday night near Chinatown.

The number of hate crimes with Asian-American victims reported to the New York Police Department jumped to 28 in 2020, from just three the previous year, though activists and police officials say many additional incidents were not classified as hate crimes or went unreported.

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In New York City, where Asian-Americans make up an estimated 16 percent of the population, the violence has terrified many.

“The attacks are random, and they are fast and furious,” said Jo-Ann Yoo, executive director of the Asian American Federation, a nonprofit network of community groups. “It has stoked a lot of fear and paranoia. People are not leaving their homes.”

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The increase in attacks in the city mirrors a trend across the United States. Stop AAPI Hate, an initiative that tracks violence and harassment against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, recorded more than 3,000 reported incidents from the start of the pandemic, said Russell Jeung, one of the group’s leaders and chair of the Asian American Studies Department at San Francisco State University. Of those, at least 260 were in New York City.

These attacks have lasting effects, said Kellina Craig-Henderson, who works for the National Science Foundation and has studied the psychological impact of hate crimes. She said that people targeted because of their race and ethnicity can suffer ailments like post-traumatic stress disorder, often more acutely than victims of other crimes.

“If you’re a minority person and this happens to you, you’re going to be more fearful, you’re going to question your place in the world,” Dr. Craig-Henderson said.

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I think many of us ask, “What can I do?”

It’s hard to know. We’re all different. One answer that I like is . . . to do what you’ve always done, but with more intention. You don’t have to become a new person, or a raging activist if that isn’t your comfort zone. Attend a rally, have a conversation, make a phone call, write a book, spread the kindness — find a way, even a small way, to make a difference.

One group of children’s literature professionals has put together an auction fundraiser. That’s one thing you can do. Click here — and give. I learned about it too late to contribute. But if you or your classroom does give to this cause in any many you see fit, doesn’t have to be this particular fundraiser, let me know at [email protected] and I’ll send you a signed book (until supplies last).

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Category: Current Events, Jigsaw Jones / Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Scene from a Book

February 10, 2021 / / No comments

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I “screen selected” this moment from the most recent Jigsaw Jones title, The Case of the Hat Burglar. It’s the first time in the series that Jigsaw and Mila had a conflict, a painful misunderstanding, and it stabs at my heart a little. 

Appreciate the way R.W. Alley decided to illustrate that scene, from outside the window, the darkness and light, Jigsaw’s features obscured. R.W. conveys a lot of emotion with deceptive simplicity and careful choices. That’s the artist’s skill and craft and sensitivity. Meanwhile, I just sit off to the side, hoping for the best.

Readers enjoy the codes in the books. Here we find Jigsaw at the final stage of solving a space code. The next move is his.

I am grateful for all the classrooms that have bins of Jigsaw Jones books. Usually the books are old, battered, torn, well-read. I do suspect that teachers might not realize that there are 2 all-new books, plus 12 older titles that have been revised, updated and available for the first time in years. All from Macmillan. Even the books themselves are slightly larger than the original editions: cleaner, fresher. I hope teachers and parents — and, naturally, kids, too — will find and enjoy these books. I’m awfully fond of them!

 

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Category: Jigsaw Jones / Tags: , , , ,

Jigsaw Jones Says, “Mask Up!”

December 22, 2020 / / No comments

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Jigsaw Jones and Mila Yeh say . . .

G E T   A   C L U E !

 

MASK UP and STAY SAFE

this holiday season & all winter long!

 

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Art courtesy of R.W.Alley.

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Category: Jigsaw Jones / Tags: , , , ,
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