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A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch Wins Purple Dragonfly Book Award

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Dallas, TX— Dallas-based Brattle Publishing Group LLC (BPG) announced today that A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch won first place in the Middle School Fiction category of the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. The adventure story for 8-to-12-year-olds was written by Fran Hodgkins and illustrated by Donnachada Daly. The Purple Dragonfly Book Awards recognize excellence in children’s literature. Winning any place in the Purple Dragonfly contest is a huge honor, because in order to maintain the integrity of the Dragonfly Book Awards, a minimum score is required before a first or second place or honorable mention will be awarded to the entrant—even if it is the sole entry in a category,” explains Linda F. Radke, president of Story Monsters LLC, the sponsor of the Purple Dragonfly Book Awards. “Competition is steep, too, because there is no publication date limit as long as the book is still in print.” In April, A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch won an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award. “We are excited that A Raccoon’s Tale has been recognized by the Dragonfly Book Awards. This win, combined with the Benjamin Franklin Award earlier this year, proves what a great story Fran wrote and Donnachada illustrated. We hope that teachers and children across the country will enjoy the story,” said Barbra Lena of the Brattle Publishing Group. A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch is Hodgkins’s first work of fiction and her 22nd book overall. Illustrator Daly has more than 30 years of experience illustrating and animating books and feature films. His credits include Shrek, Shrek 2, Madagascar, and Antz. The book can be purchased through Brattle Publishing, the Ingram’s catalog, Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. For more information, please visit Brattle Publishing Group at brattlepublishing.com, and follow BPG on Facebook, and Instagram. About Story Monsters LLC To learn more about Story Monsters LLC, celebrating more than 30 years of business in Chandler, Arizona, visit www.StoryMonsters.com, email info@storymonsters.com, or call 480-940-8182. About Fran Hodgkins Fran was born in Massachusetts, the youngest of four children. As a child she loved animals and books—especially books! The neighborhood branch library was one of her favorite haunts, and she spent hours there, reading her way through the children’s collection. After years of working for educational publishers, Fran authored more than 20 books for young readers. Her titles include The Secret Galaxy (Tilbury House, 2014), a Junior Library Guild recommended book, and Little Loon (Down East Books, 2015). A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch is Fran’s first animal fantasy title in the spirit of Watership Down and the Warrior series. Fran lives in Maine with her family. About Brattle Publishing Group Brattle Publishing Group LLC (BPG) is a provider of innovative educational and entertainment products and services. Led by experts with decades of experience in education and literacy, BPG creates products that encourage enthusiastic learning. BPG publishes children’s books by award-winning authors and illustrators. BPG also creates educational programs designed to motivate preK–12 students through inspired learning and provides professional development for preK–12 educators.

Brattle and RTI Develop Liberia’s New Early Grades Reading Program

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Dallas, TX— Brattle Education, a division of Brattle Publishing Group, LLC has been chosen by Research Triangle International (RTI) as a collaborative partner to develop the early grades reading program Read Liberia. Developed under the auspices of USAID, the program will be a comprehensive curriculum for Grades K–2. It will build upon earlier USAID efforts executed by RTI and Brattle to increase literacy in Liberia. Working closely with Liberian and American literacy and cultural experts, including Dr. Shirley Dickson, formerly of the University of Oregon and Texas Education Association, RTI and Brattle’s comprehensive curriculum will include daily instruction, student reading and activity books, and a full assessment system. This program will extend the research-based instructional strategies introduced in earlier literacy programs developed for the West African nation. “We are thrilled to be working with RTI, the Liberian Ministry of Education, and all of the dedicated experts involved in this effort. This is the fourth program we’ve developed for the teachers and students of Liberia, and we are always excited to participate in this mission,” said a spokesperson for Brattle Publishing. Brattle will deliver the program for use by Liberia’s teachers and students in fall 2018. Its staff will work closely with RTI to monitor student progress during the year. About Brattle Publishing Group Brattle Publishing Group LLC (BPG) is a provider of innovative educational and entertainment products and services. Led by experts with decades of experience in education and literacy, BPG creates products that encourage enthusiastic learning. BPG publishes children’s books by award-winning authors and illustrators. The company also creates educational programs designed to motivate preK–12 students through inspired learning and provides professional development for preK–12 educators

Brattle Releases the First Novel in a New Preteen Series by Award-Winning Author Fran Hodgkins

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Dallas, TX— Brattle Trade, a division of Brattle Publishing Group LLC, announces the release of Hex: The Apprentice, the first in a new series from author Fran Hodgkins. In this book, preteen heroine Robin West learns In this book, Robin learns from her grandmother, Gram Madder, how to make hexes, paintings that have the power to make things happen. Her life becomes complicated by intolerant neighbors, friends who don’t understand “Madder business,” and a first love. “A lot of different threads came together as I was working on this story,” said Hodgkins, who grew up in Lynn, Massachusetts. “When I was a kid, my mom had four hex signs that my dad had made for her, and I loved them. The colors and the designs were intriguing. I wondered about their power.” Hodgkins has had this new series in mind for several years. “My dad was a talented artist. His experience made me think about the meaning of art and its impact on the people who come in contact with it. At its heart, Hex is a story about family and art, and what they mean to us.” Hex: The Apprentice is Hodgkin’s second novel published by Brattle Trade. A Raccoon’s Tale: Seven Saves the Notch won a Silver Ben Franklin Award in 2017. Hodgkins, a New England native, has also authored more than 20 nonfiction titles. Her first book, The Orphan Seal, received the Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award from the ASPCA. “Our target audience—readers between 9 and 13 years old—are still going mad for the supernatural, and we believe that the Hex series will hit home with this group,” said Brattle President and Publisher Richard-Anthony Lena. “After they finish reading Hex: The Apprentice, we know our readers will look forward to the next two books tentatively due to release in 2020 and early 2021.” Hex: The Apprentice is for sale at booksellers and online stores such as Amazon. Hodgkins will be signing copies of her book at Kids Con in Portland, Maine, on November 16, 2019. Fran will also be interviewed by WMTW-TV Portland at Kids Con. About Hex: The ApprenticeRobin West is a normal teenager living in a normal town, but when she finds out that Gram Madder makes hexes, her life gets far more complicated than she ever expected. What is a hex? It’s a painting that has the power to make things happen—or to stop things from happening. At least that’s what some people in town believe. Targeted by people who don’t understand what she is doing, Robin must protect herself and her loved ones from a force greater than she could have ever imagined. About Fran HodgkinsFran Hodgkins was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the youngest of four children. As a child, she loved animals and books—especially books! The neighborhood branch library was one of her favorite haunts, and she spent hours there, reading her way through the children’s collection. Fran lives in Rockport, Maine, with her family. About Brattle Publishing GroupBrattle Publishing Group LLC is a provider of innovative educational and entertainment products and services. Led by experts with decades of experience in education and literacy, Brattle creates products that encourage enthusiastic learning. Brattle Trade, a division of Brattle Publishing Group LLC, publishes children’s books by award-winning authors and illustrators.

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