Readers Dessert

Mr Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal

Written by Ryan Cowan | Illustrated by Halo Rife

ABOUT THE BOOKS

Ages: 8-12 | 252 Pages

Publisher: For the Northern Star Publishing (2019) | ISBN-13: 979-8351181905 (Hardback) and 978-1097952779 (Paperback)

Publisher’s Book Summary: Elliott attends his third-grade class like any other boy, except that Elliott isn’t like any other boy. Endowed with magical powers, Elliott belongs to a secret world called Moonstone—and trouble is brewing. When the evil witch Noir steals The Halloween Crystal, it’s up to Elliott and his third-grade teacher, Mr. Moonbeam, to stop Noir from invading the non-magical world on Halloween night. But can Elliott learn to master his powers in time? Designed with 31 chapters so that parents, teachers, and students can read one chapter a day throughout the month of October!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Bookshop.org

Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal: Activity Book/Novel Study – Grades 3-5

Written by Ryan Cowan | Illustrated by Halo Rife

Ages: 8-12 | 71 Pages

Publisher: For the Northern Star Publishing (2021) | ISBN-13: 979-8761758414

Publisher’s Book Summary: A Novel Study for Improving Reading Comprehension: This activity book includes a series of lessons designed to accompany the award-winning, middle grade book, Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal. The standards-based questions cover all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy and are appropriate for grades 3-5. Complete one lesson a day for 31 days leading up to Halloween!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Teachers Pay Teachers

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Ryan Cowan. The opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views.

How to Turn Reading Aloud Into a Halloween Advent Calendar

Guest Post By Ryan Cowan

When I wrote Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal, I intended it to be a simple book that any fluent (or almost fluent) 3^rd grade reader could read and comprehend independently.  To do this, I purposely edited each sentence to be as simple as possible.  I also provided repetition.  The repetition would later be criticized by some reviewers, but the truth is that I added repetition to help kids remember what they had just read.  I also decided to write exactly 31 chapters.  In this way, kids, parents, and teachers could read a chapter each day (or night) and finish the book on Halloween.  Through simple sentences, repetition, and a scaffolded design (31 chapters) my intent was to make the story accessible to elementary readers while also an enjoyable experience for parents and teachers.   

To me, Halloween is about spookiness: ghosts, witches, jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses, pumpkins, vampires, broomsticks, etc.  I wanted to capture the spooky, mystical, magical side of Halloween – not the scary, creepy way Halloween is often portrayed.  I hate all of that, and I don’t think it’s good for kids.  Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal is a book that parents can trust.  It’s a book about friendship, magic, and mystery.  It’s a book about teaching and classroom relationships.  But it’s not just about kids and teaching – it’s about parenting too and there are plenty of adult characters for adult readers to enjoy. 

The main idea of Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal is simple:  Teaching is hard. The setting is autumn.  There’s a ghost and an old, haunted house.  There are two worlds: Moonstone and Elliott’s magical town, Wolf’s End.  And there’s an evil warlock villain – Noir.  The conflict, good vs. evil, adds suspense, but I think readers enjoy the colorful way that Halloween is painted more than anything.  I know I do. 

The activity book was written to help parents and teachers engage with young readers while enjoying the novel.  The activity book moves from simple to complex questions and covers all major Common Core Standards for narrative text. 

My intent was to write a book that could become a Halloween tradition for kids, parents, and teachers.  I hope it does just that.

Stay tuned for the sequel: Mr. Moonbeam and the Legends of Moonstone. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ryan Cowan grew up in a small town called Middleport, Ohio. He currently lives in Hawthorne, CA. A teacher with more than 20 years of experience, Ryan has taught all grades from K-6. He currently works as an educator in Los Angeles.

Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal is his first children’s book. He wrote the accompanying novel study to help parents and teachers improve children’s reading comprehension.

Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Amazon Author Page

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Halo Rife is an illustrator from Middleport, Ohio. She was 15 years old when she illustrated Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal.

Instagram

Giveaway

Readers who follow along on this virtual book tour will have the chance to win a signed Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal book set! Click the picture below to enter.

●      Ten winners will each receive a signed hardcover copy of the novel paired with its companion Activity Book.

●      One grand-prize winner will receive an exclusive Mr. Moonbeam and the Halloween Crystal T-shirt, plus a signed, out-of-print copy of the original edition featuring its original cover design.

TOUR SCHEDULE