WINNER OF THE 2020 FOREWORD INDIES GOLD AWARD IN EDUCATION
WINNER OF THE SILVER IPPY AWARD FOR BEST EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
You want your children to benefit from a great education. But every student is unique. One type of school might be a great fit for your neighbor’s child, but it might not work for your son or daughter.
Across the country, many parents today have more choices for their children’s education than ever before. If you are starting the process of finding your child’s first school—or if you want to choose a new learning environment—The School Choice Roadmap is for you. This first-of-its-kind book offers a practical, jargon-free overview of school choice policies, from public school open enrollment to private school scholarships and more. It breaks down the similarities and differences between traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, online public schools, private schools, and homeschooling. Most importantly, The School Choice Roadmap offers a seven-step process that will help you harness the power of your own intuition—and your own expertise about your child’s uniqueness—to help you find a school that reflects your family’s goals, values, and priorities.
Filled with sage advice from dozens of other parents who have pursued the school search process, and interviews with school leaders and teachers, The School Choice Roadmap is an optimistic, empowering book that cuts through the confusion in K-12 education—so that you can give your children every opportunity to succeed in school and in life.
Cheers, readers! I’m Beaufort and Spencer Hill’s second intern for Fall 2019. For the remainder of the semester, I will be going by the alias Mia ThermoBEAUlis in honor of my all-time favorite author, Meg Cabot, and her most popular character to date. Growing up, Meg Cabot’s colorful, creative, and always slightly disheveled protagonists strongly resonated with me, and the fact that every Meg Cabot book I own has been read to the point of near destruction serves as proof.
It’s crazy to think I’m already approaching my 2-month mark since starting my internship with Beaufort and Spencer Hill. Fortunately, there have been plenty of exciting projects to keep me busy, which is why I’m just now getting to my introductory blog post.
While I’ve been an avid reader my entire life, I’m considerably new to the publishing world. With the exceptions of the Harry Potter series and a few classics by Roald Dahl, it always felt like I was the only book lover among my friends growing up. It wasn’t until I stepped into my first screenwriting class my freshman year of college that I knew what it was like to be among other eager storytellers.
Moving to New York feels like freshman year all over again. It’s been equally thrilling and terrifying to be surrounded by people who live and breathe books. I finally feel at home, but every day I’m in the Beaufort office brings new challenges and reminds me just how little I knew about the publishing industry before starting the internship.
I love that each day in the Beaufort office brings opportunities to learn something new about the publishing industry, and that indoctrination continued with a few book-related occurrences two weekends ago. On Friday, while in Philadelphia, I got lost on my way to dinner and wound up at an inconspicuous used bookstore. The storefront was unmarked and from the front room, it appeared to consist of just five bookshelves stuffed with old CD’s and dusty self-help titles. I was about to ask the store owner if he had any fiction books when I saw a small entryway that opened up to another tiny room that was packed with books. Each secret room led to another, with each room getting progressively bigger and home to more obscure titles, stacked wherever the owner could find space.
At the very back of the store was one bookshelf filled with antique books. For just $10, I grabbed three different antique books, each published in the 1920s. While any bookstore is great in my book (yes, pun intended), the challenge of searching through piles of pre-loved stories makes bookstores like the one in Philadelphia a rarity that should be preserved.
A look inside the used bookstore
On that Sunday, I stopped by the Brooklyn Book Festival. If you’ve been before, you know how palpable the energy is among the authors, publishers, and festival attendees. Whether it was a Big 5 publisher, an indie from a small town in Minnesota, or a local bookstore from Brooklyn, each table was swarming with authors, publishers, booksellers, and devoted readers, all looking to discuss the transformations the publishing industry is undergoing and the new books about to hit the market. I even had the opportunity to stop by and say hello to some of the publishing professionals I’ve heard about while working at Beaufort. Going into the festival I had no idea what to expect, so to say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement.
If anything, this weekend reinforced my love for books and my desire to work in publishing. I can’t wait to see what the next few months with Beaufort and Spencer Hill bring!
Until next time,
Amelia Mignonette ThermoBEAUlis Renaldi, Princess of Genovia Intern at Beaufort Books.
This is a shared blog post for Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press.
6th Annual Festival of Books and Authors: This year’s group will feature three familiar Door County best-selling authors, including Patricia Skalka, author of the best-selling Dave Cubiak series, including the most recent “Death by the Bay;” Darci Hanna author of the Door County cozy “Cherry Scones and Broken Bones;” and J.F. Riordan author of the North of the Tension Line series and a recently release essay collection “Reflections on a Life in Exile.” Also appearing will be Green Bay historian and firefighter, Dave Siegel, author of “Forces of Change,” and Packers sportswriter Eric Goska with a brand-new volume of Packers statistics. Meet the authors all day, from 10am-5pm.
Book signing with Wisconsin author J.F. Riordan, author of the “North of the Tension Line” series. Event starts at 5:30 and is free and open to the public.
Authors Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist will be presenting and reading from their book, The Woman in the Park at Watchung Booksellers. Q&A and a book signing to follow. Come meet and chat with the authors!
Author and Professor of English at Dickinson College, Thomas Reed, presents his debut novel, SEEKING HYDE.
Thomas Reed’s debut novel, SEEKING HYDE, recounts the fascinating history of Robert Louis Stevenson’s epic horror story, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It is the tale of a young author defying his father’s wishes by becoming a spinner of romantic yarns. It is the tale of his American wife, ten years older than he, driving her husband hard to write one more great novel before his chronic lung disease carries him away. It is the tale of Stevenson reeling under charges from the mother of an old friend that he had fueled her son’s fatal alcoholism through his recklessly Bohemian ways. SEEKING HYDE sticks closely to the biographical record as Robert Louis Stevenson struggles to write another book to be the successor to Treasure Island.
Jack Patterson returns to Little Rock at the request of his boyhood friend Sam Pagano, but when Jack arrives, he’s abducted and taken to a remote swamp where he’s beaten and lynched by men set on revenge. Clovis Jones, his friend and bodyguard, finds Jack near death and gets him to a hospital.
As Jack recovers, he learns Sam’s college sweetheart, Jana Hall, is now a doctor who established and ran Arkansas’s health clinics for the poor including one in Little Rock’s East End. Jana’s efforts stepped on the toes of some powerful people, including someone who wants her clinics shut down, her medical practice ended, and for her to spend the rest of her life in prison. Meanwhile, someone has killed the men who tried to lynch Jack, and Jack is the prime suspect in the murders.
To make matters worse, Jack must defend Jana without the aid of his trusted assistant, Maggie, and his usual co-counsel, Micki Lawrence. Jack faces an unethical special prosecutor, a judge on the take, and the shadowy power broker bent on destroying Dr. Hall and her health clinics. Why Jana has become such a target, no one seems to know. Every time Jack thinks he has caught a break or sees a way to exonerate Dr. Hall, his adversaries or his client put a new obstacle in his path, including a second killer bent on settling an old score.
Jack’s courtroom tactics fail, his client wants to plead guilty to protect her patients, and in a last-ditch effort to overcome the long odds against his client he resorts to a complicated and dangerous strategy. The strategy will either save Jana’s life and reputation, or get Jack disbarred, his client put away for life, or worse—get Jack killed.
“The East End is a powerful, authentic thriller set in a real place, with a story about the real health care needs of people who can’t afford it, and the real danger to good people when public corruption threatens the rule of law and respect for facts. It’s a great read and an important warning.”
—Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States and co-author of “The President Is Missing”
Heeley and Kramer share their insiders’ view of the famous and the powerful: Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart, Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, Lew Wasserman, Ronald Reagan, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Jane Fonda, Richard Dreyfuss, Audrey Hepburn, and Bette Davis, among others. Their behind the scenes stories of the productions and the personalities involved are amusing, sometimes moving, often revealing, and have never been told before, including rare film clips.
For more about In the Company of Legends, click here.
FEATURE: HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT SCHOOL FOR YOUR CHILD? NEW BOOK OFFERS PRACTICAL SCHOOL CHOICE ADVICE FOR PARENTS
NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2019 — Are you searching for a new school for your child—or do you know someone who is looking to find the right educational fit for their daughter or son? A new book by Andrew Campanella, The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child, will likely provide jargon-free answers to many of your questions. (www.schoolchoiceroadmap.com)
Published by Beaufort Books and scheduled for release on January 20, 2020, The School Choice Roadmap is a practical guide to helping parents understand the different types of K-12 education options available in their states. The book provides seven steps that parents can use to find schools where their children will learn, succeed, and be happy—along with worksheets, exercises, and evaluations that parents can take to help guide their search process.
“What might be a perfect school for one student might not be a good fit for a child who lives right next door,” Campanella said. “Actively choosing a school or learning environment for your child allows you to select an education setting that best meets your child’s unique interests, and this book is here to help you through the process.”
According to Campanella, more parents in the United States today are actively choosing schools or learning environments for their children than at any other time in history. Approximately one third of parents now decide between traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, online public schools, private schools, and homeschooling. The School Choice Roadmap provides an objective look at all of these options and does not encourage parents to choose one type of school over another.
Endorsements are in for Andrew Campanella’s debut book, The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child.
“At a time when school choice is viewed through the lens of politics, Andrew Campanella offers a practical guide —underscoring the reality that for families, school choice is personal, not political. And with more school options than ever, this book should help parents navigate a complex landscape.”
Ingrid Jacques, Columnist, The Detroit News
“An excellent book that will teach experts and parents something new. If enough people read it, the education system will be a little better for all.”
Jason Russell, The Washington Examiner
“Andrew Campanella is one of the most passionate and knowledgeable voices in the school choice movement. The School Choice Roadmap is an essential guide for parents who want to find a learning environment where their children will succeed.”
Virginia Walden Ford, Founder, D.C. Parents For School Choice
“Finally, a tool that truly puts parents in the driver’s seat when determining the best education for their child. Thank you, Andrew Campanella, for putting children and families first with a clear, easy to understand roadmap with no hidden agendas or bias.”
Wendy Howard, Founder, Celebrate Youth
As a parent, this is the book I wish I had years ago as my family began our school choice journey. The School Choice Roadmap is a practical guide that will support parents as they navigate all their educational options and empower them to make informed education decisions.”
Tillie Elvrum, Past President, National Coalition For Public School Options
“Andrew Campanella is one of the rare people who can talk about education policy and school choice in a way that is understandable, empowering, and practical. The School Choice Roadmap is a valuable resource that will benefit countless families.”
Lisa Graham Keegan, Former Arizona Superintendent Of Public Instruction
“Parents are always looking for trustworthy educational resources to help them with their children. This book provides parents the educational, navigational tools needed to make informed decisions regarding their child’s education.”
Cecilia Iglesias, President And Founder, The Parent Union
“The School Choice Roadmap empowers parents to choose the best school for their child and equips them with resources to take an active role throughout their child’s education. In writing this book, Andrew Campanella has made a significant contribution to the educational freedom movement in our nation.”
