The ESL Free Press

Government Comic Book

The U.S. Government Printing Office has published a children's comic book. It explains the history of printing. It also tells a story.

Jim Cameron, a GPO worker, wrote the story. He says it's about "[a]n unwanted homework assignment, a new video game, a dream, and a journey through space and time". Cameron's two sons inspired him.

Nick Crawford, another GPO worker, drew the pictures. The comic, Squeaks Discovers Type, is now for sale.

Read more.

Title of Next Harry Potter Book

J.K. Rowling says her seventh Harry Potter book will be called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

("Hallows" is an old word for holy people. It is now used only as part of Halloween, the name of the night before All Saints' Day. In the first book, Harry's parents were killed on Halloween.)

Ms. Rowling put this news on her website. But readers had to play a game before they learned the title.

Adapted from www.wikinews.org . You are free to reprint this post.  (Click Permalink for a print-ready version.) To learn more, go to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Sources:

BBC online "Title of Harry Potter 7 revealed". BBC online, 21 December 2006

Retrieved from "http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/JK_Rowling_announces_seventh_Harry_Potter_title"

New Book

Learn more English and make yourself laugh.

This e-book has 20 madlibs -- stories with blanks. Without looking at the story, you fill the blanks with any English words you can think of. The finished story can be very funny.

Write your own news article, phone conversation, house ad, recipe, and many more. There's even an e-mail from someone who wants to "share" a lot of money.

This book costs only $3.75.

Click here to read more about it, and see a preview.

Book Review: Help When Needed, by Tana Reiff

This is the story of Callie and Sarah, maids in a hotel.

"I always sing while I work," said Callie. "It helps me pass the time. I could have been a famous singer, you know."
"Why aren't you?" asked Sarah. "How come no one ever heard of you? How come you are a hotel maid instead of a hotel singer?"
"I didn't get the right breaks!" laughed Callie.

Callie's singing is so loud it bothers everyone -- except her boss, Mrs. Banks. That's because Mrs. Banks never comes to check Callie's work. She's always watching Sarah. And Sarah hates it.

These sound like simple problems. But they almost make Callie quit her job, and they cause a flood in the hotel. Everyone has to think hard to find a solution.

This book is very easy to read. The words are in short lines in the middle of the page. The chapters are short. After each one, there are questions to help readers think about the story.

To find out about ordering this book, click on the ad below.

Book Review: The Last War by Martyn Godfrey

Brad, the hero of The Last War, is still just a teen. But he's lived through a nuclear war.

Brad's parents are dead. He lives alone in a farmhouse outside Montreal, Canada. Sometimes he goes into the city to look for food. He'll eat anything he can find, even dog food.

Dogs have gone wild and fight people for food. Even rats will attack people. And many of the people act like animals.

Brad saves a girl from a pack of dogs. She's called Angel. She's angry at him and the world. She's also dying of radiation sickness.

Brad and Angel spend two days together. They look for food, fight animals and people, and tell each other their stories.

Angel says, "Everybody wants to find a way to be the last one alive."

This is not a fun book. It has no happy ending. But while you read it, you care about Angel and Brad. Angel is suffering and dying. Brad tries hard to be a good man.

For Intermediate students and higher.

New Book

If you:

teach English in the USA

or

study English in the USA

or

would just like to know more about life in the USA,

this book is for you.

Each Week for a Year brings you 52 short, easy readings on American customs, holidays, and daily life.

What is Groundhog Day? When do American children go to school? How can you get help in an emergency? Should you give money to the waiter in a restaurant? Find the answers to all these questions and many more. To preview the book, click here.

Download it from Lulu.com and print just the pages you need, or read them on your computer.  It takes only a few minutes, and costs only $25 (US). That's less than a dollar for each reading.

Each Week for a Year is written by Jane Wangersky, editor of this site. It's based on questions her ESL students asked over the years.

Check it out now.

New Book for ESL Teachers

Each Week for a Year -- Readings for ESL Students on Everyday Life in Canada, an e-book by Jane Wangersky, editor of the ESL Free Press, is now for sale on Lulu.com .

It's for everyone who teaches ESL in Canada, teaches ESL students about Canada, or just wants to know more about life in this country. An American edition is also coming out soon.

Click here to read more, including a preview.

Trouble At the Store

The Rip-Offs by Tana Reiff

Wendy is a young Korean immigrant. She works in a large store. One day, she finds her manager stealing. Wendy learns that many other workers are not being honest with the store. They're her friends, but can she let them get away with this?

This is an easy book. One of my students said it was easier to read than a children's picture book. It's about a problem many people have at work.

Click below to order this book

                         

Just Like a Movie: Just Like Real Life

Just Like a Movie by Sue Leather
Cambridge University Press: English Readers, Level 1
32 pages

This book is a mystery story. Sue Leather, the author, has written several mysteries. I saw her at a conference once. She said, "Sometimes I try to write a love story, but a dead body always ends up in it."

Brad Black has learned a few things from the movies. But they're all the wrong things.
His girlfriend, Gina, is happy with their life. Brad isn't. He wants lots of money. He says:

"I'm a handyman, like I told you. I mean, I was a handyman. I worked on houses and office buildings in Toronto. Hard work and not a lot of money. Well, one day I did some work in Rosedale, the rich area of Toronto. Really rich. I was at a house. Carrie's house. I met her there . . ."

Carrie is rich and lonely. Brad knows how to make women trust him. But they shouldn't.
This story is very easy to read, but it's for adults. It keeps you reading because you want to find out what happens.

To find out about buying this book, click here.