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Orca partners with TumbleBooks

Due to the growing demand for audio versions of many titles in the Orca Soundings and Orca Currents series for reluctant readers, Orca Book Publishers is pleased to announce a partnership with TumbleBooks Inc., to create online Read-Alongs.

Tumble Read-Alongs provide large print coupled with complete audio narration. The sentences are highlighted as they are read, and the pages turn automatically. Read-Alongs are great for emergent, struggling, and reluctant readers, as well as being an excellent tool for ESL. They are also well received by strong and accomplished readers who are excited to follow along to the narration of their favorite books.

“We are delighted to be working with TumbleReadables on this project,” said Andrew Wooldridge, Associate Publisher at Orca. “There is a growing demand for word-for-word audio that encourages reading and aids in comprehension. The TumbleReadables product is advanced and very user-friendly and this is an ideal time to pursue innovative ways of bringing quality fiction to readers.”

Ron Zevy, president of TumbleReadables agrees. “Online Read-Alongs of chapter books and YA/Teen novels are a natural extension of our line of TumbleBooks…. Once we decided to create online read-alongs, Orca was an obvious choice as our primary licensing partner. Subscriber after subscriber sang the praises of their collection of high interest/low level books for both the middle school and high school market. The quality of their books combined with their enthusiasm for our new technology make it a great match.”

Preview select titles in development for free until September 30 by logging on to www.tumblereadables.com, username: orca, password: login. Offcial launch is Oct 1. 2007.

Contact:
Orca Book Publishers: Andrew Wooldridge, Associate Publisher, 250-380-1229
TumbleReadables: Ron Zevy, President, 416-781-4010

 

Testing!

It’s Orca author Monique Polak, just testing out the technology. I’m going to be doing a week-long guest blog on this site starting August 27 (should be fun!) and I figured I’d do a test run this morning. So far, so good! Thanks, Alyssa Knox, for the technical assistance. “See” you on the 27th!

 

New 2007-2008 Educational Catalogs

Hot off the virtual presses: new educational catalogs (PDF) for the upcoming school year.

Whether you live in Canada…
Canadian K-6 and library catalog

Canadian 6-12 and library catalog

Canadian Classroom Resource Kits flier

…or in the USA…
US 6-12 educational catalog

…you might want to order books from Orca this fall!

 

Teachers Section

It’s almost September, believe it or not, and if you’re starting to think about school, you should take a look at the Orca website’s new section for teachers. We’ve reorganized our free teachers’ guides, sorted Orca Currents and Orca Soundings by theme and suggested some classroom activities.

We’re also starting a teaching idea contest. Each month the person with the best new way to use Orca Soundings in the classroom will win $40 in books.

 

YALSA Quick Pick Nomination

The following titles have been nominated for the 2008 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers List:

Nightwalker: The Warlocks of Talverdin, book one by K.V. Johansen
Bang, an Orca Soundings novel by Norah McClintock.

These two join ID, an Orca Soundings novel by Vicki Grant, as nominees for next year’s list. Titles are nominated throughout the year and the final list is voted on at ALA MidWinter in January.

Nightwalker: The Warlocks of Talverdin Bang!