May 2007
Hi, readers! This is a fun time for me because the first book in the new Main Street series, Welcome to Camden Falls, has just been published, and readers will have a chance to meet Flora and Ruby Northrop and the other residents of the girls’ adopted hometown.
Because I’ve spent almost two years creating the characters of this fictional New England town, I sometimes feel as if Camden Falls is a real place and I might actually be a shopkeeper on Main Street or a neighbor of Flora and Ruby’s in the Row Houses! As an author and an avid reader, I know how easy it is to become attached to a particular place in a story, or to feel as if a character is a friend or a member of my own family.
Scholastic thought many of my readers might feel the same way about Camden Falls and its residents, and they set out to create a dynamic, interactive web site so Main Street fans could explore every aspect of the town. After lots of hard work by many creative people, the web site is now ready for its first visitors, and I think it’s terrific!
To start your online tour of Camden Falls, you can use your computer mouse to take a stroll down Main Street. Try rolling the mouse over the shop doors to see a description and close-up view of the different businesses. The Store Extras feature lets you see interior shots of the store and helps you learn more about each one through helpful shop tips. Scholastic worked with an amazing illustration company that used my descriptions of the shops in the books to design the detailed interiors. Another feature on the site gives you a “sneak peak” into one of the rooms in the Row Houses. The art work for the stores and for the Row Houses is beautifully done and I think readers may feel as if they’re actually visiting the town!
After exploring Camden Falls, be sure to take a look at the other fun activities, including some great craft ideas. Check out how to make your own patchwork pillow, just like someone might do at the local sewing store, Needle and Thread. If you’d like to start your own scrapbook, you can choose different backgrounds, stickers, and art work to create and print your own pages. And there’s a lot more — send a friend an e-postcard from Camden Falls, check out tips from the characters, or read about the latest Main Street happenings. Each time a new book is published, you can look for new activities, scrapbook information, a new row house interior, and a new store interior to be added to the site.
It’s an exciting time for any author when a new book is published, but it’s even more exciting to be able to share these characters and the town of Camden Falls with my readers at the Main Street site. I hope you’ll stop by for a visit!
Happy reading!
Love, Ann
P.S. Have you read A Dog’s Life? It’s one of my favorite books and was inspired by my dog, Sadie. It’s the featured book this month. Visit the site, where you can learn more about the story and try out some fun activities. Enjoy! |
