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Recent News
Some remarks on my most recent school visits:
Dear Mr. Howard:
Thank you for stopping by. You are such a good writer, not to mention reader. You put such voice and life into your books. I'm guessing that comes from being such a kid at heart. That's mostly how you won us over: your Golden Heart. You put so much out of childhood into your books so we can understand. You know how we feel about something/someone (Maria) and that's just completely awesome: reading a book by a great author that knows what you feel. You're also a very talented reader. You know the exact expression of the character and that makes us visualize even more. By the way, you have such a beautiful English accent. Once again, thank you. Come back anytime.
Sincerely,
Idaly M.
Gosh! What can I say? That's a splendid letter! I wouldn't believe that a sixth grader wrote it, if not for the fact that I remember meeting you. (Who can possibly forget someone named "Idaly"?) Although, when it comes to my English accent, I don't think the people in England would agree with you! Ha!
Dear Mr. Howard:
Thank you for letting us be the first people to buy The Fearless Force. There's so much detail in the writing, and I just love the poem to Bunny Howard, because it's sweet and caring and loving. I will cherish the moment you read the last three chapters [of Sebastian Reckless], and we love the books.
Sincerely,
Noelle
Kind words, indeed, Noelle! Bunny liked the poem, too.
Dear Rushton Howard:
Thank you so much for coming to our classroom. I really liked the examples of good and bad stories that you showed us. I thought they were really funny. I also really liked the jokes that you made in the book and when you were just talking. I really liked the one where you said that boys were mentally deranged. I thought that was hilarious! The thing that I thought was really cool was the writing tips that you gave us. I liked them so much because I love to write, and when I grow up I want to be an author. I also really want to thank you for the books that you sold. I thought it was very nice of you to autograph it and sell it to us for a special price. Thanks again!
From Mary
You are most sincerely welcome, Mary! And, yes, boys are mentally deranged. They are surrounded by the most wondrous part of creation: girls, and they tend to dismiss those girls as "annoying." Why does it take them so many years to realize that girls are better than oxygen? But I can't really complain about boys being mentally deranged. All I need to do is put a few missiles and explosions in a story and the boys are happy.
Now, Mary, compare your comments to the letter below. I was shocked!
Linda! Hang on there!
I've received lots of kind words regarding my newest book, The Fearless Force. I'll be posting some of these fabulous reviews over the next few days. But first, I just had to respond to this one! A girl named Linda from Soos Creek Elementary School in Kent, Washington, sent me this letter:
Dear Rushton Howard,
I love your books they’re spectacular! “Mrs. Flembaugh”, hilarious! I loved that part. “Girls are dumb” that’s the only thing in your book that made me stop reading what are you racist against girls?! Listen to American Rock! All men are equal! Geeze, I’ll forgive you this time.
You have a good sense of humor and I really like your art. Not to burst your bubble but you’ve got some typo’s.
Sincerely,
Linda
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Dear Linda:
Whoa! Hang on there! You’re wrong, wrong, wrong! First of all, it never says anywhere in The Fearless Force that “girls are dumb.” There is a bit where The Wizard says that girls don’t seem to care when the world is in danger. But what’s really happening is that Maria is making fun of him for dressing up in a silly costume, and she thinks he’s pretending that the world is in danger. She thinks he’s playing a game. And if you had read all the way to the end, you would have seen that The Wizard admits to being a jerk. Night-Ghost says, “Girls have no respect for the costume,” but he never calls girls dumb! He loves Maria; he thinks she’s brilliant and fun, and in his fantasy, she fights alongside him equally.
You need to know that when a character is speaking in a book it’s not the author speaking. It’s just the character speaking. I point out that Mrs. Flembaugh hates children. Does this mean that I hate children? No. It means that the character in my story hates children.
If you stopped reading, that’s sad. That would be like putting down “A Christmas Carol” after reading the first chapter because you think, “Well, this author hates Christmas!” Does Charles Dickens hate Christmas? The character of Scrooge insults Christmas, but does that mean that the author hates it?
You don’t seem to be offended that Maria makes fun of the boys at the beginning of the story. In fact, I, the author, make fun of boys constantly in the book. I point out that boys dislike girls just for being girls. And that isn’t a character talking, it’s me. Maria is strong, brilliant and brave. To me, she is the star of the book, and she only gets more and more important as the series continues.
My point with the book is to show that boys and girls view the world differently. Boys daydream about superheroes and super-powers. Girls are more likely to be attracted to very human stories, where people solve problems by being normal people. We all believe in heroism. We just imagine it differently.
All of my characters are right sometimes and wrong sometimes. Boys, girls — it doesn’t matter. Everyone says something they wish they hadn’t said. Every one of them learns that they’ve been wrong about something. This is what makes them seem real.
And, finally, a few important corrections: 1.) I am not “racist against girls.” A racist is someone who dislikes a race of people (black, white, Asian, etc.). The word you’re looking for is “sexist.” A sexist is someone who thinks boys are better than girls, or that girls are better than boys. I have never in my life believed that “girls are dumb.” Most boys go through a period of time where they will say that girls are dumb. I never did. I have always liked girls. Always. I believe that girls can accomplish anything, and they should try to do so. And this is a notion that needs to be spread across the whole world. 2.) It is not American Rock that says “all men are equal.” It was the Declaration of Independence. Unfortunately, I listen mostly to British rock. It’s usually more interesting. When I listen to American music it’s the folk music I like. And why? Because there are more women in folk music! Rock music is controlled too much by men. 3.) There are typos in all books. Even Shakespeare has typos. Even the Dictionary has typos. There are typos in all the popular books that you read. The difference is: I correct the typos in my books. (When the next batch of The Fearless Force is printed, I already know of 4 typos that will be corrected.) Huge publishing corporations don’t often do this. They just shrug and say, “Who cares? We made our money.” And, of course, your remark would have carried a better punch if you hadn’t made a mistake with the word “typos.” Remember: it’s not “typo’s.” The apostrophe is for possessives and contractions, not for plurals. Gotcha!
I hope you give The Fearless Force another chance. You appear to like my work, and you say that you have forgiven me. I just hope you'll finish reading the book, because I like all girls - particularly you! I think you might be just as sassy and no-nonsense as Maria Fuente!
Rushton
The Fearless Force have arrived!
It's 448 pages of absolute genius! (Even more, if you count all the pages of illustrations!)
There's the super-strong Titan, the water-breathing Aquarius, a brilliant scientist called The Wizard, a levitating flute-player named Skymaster, the courageous and clever detective, Maria Fuente, and the team's leader, the escape-artist known as Night-Ghost.
Check-out the first chapter! Just GO HERE!
To buy a copy of this smashing, new adventure, just GO HERE!
Check out our new TEACHERS' PAGE!
As an aid to our beloved educators, we've put together a Teachers' Page. Go there and you'll find all the info you need to arrange a classroom visitation by Rushton, as well as... get this: CHEAP BOOKS! If you're a teacher who is wondering if Sebastian Reckless is all it's cracked-up to be, we'll sell you a copy for less than half price. We thoroughly trust that you'll be convinced; that you'll tell your students about "the best book they'll ever read." (Your words, not ours! ...Well, they will be your words, anyway.)
Check out our new interview page
We'll be posting interviews with Rushton on our new interview page. The first is with Laurel Hong, who interviewed him for a school project.
"62 Thumbs Up!"
Below you will find of a smattering of smashing testimonials! (The stuff in bold red is just Abdiel Productions gloating.)
I am a fifth-through-eighth-grade teacher at Spring Valley Montessori School. I read Sebastian Reckless to my classes recently, and I have never had such a positive reaction to any book. The students never wanted me to stop. They were excited every day as I opened the book during lunch, and groaned loudly every time I had to stop. The boys especially were intrigued. When Rushton Howard came to our school, he was greeted like a hero. After his talk, the students lined up eagerly to meet him.
This book is a great hit with all the students, but especially the boys. Any book that excites preadolescent boys to read is great, but this one has a special something. There is humor, action, and yes, a little romance, but they eat it up. They wanted more of the story, even after it ended. It is the most checked-out book in our library even today. As a teacher, I found it a great read, and revisit it on my own time occasionally. My daughter does as well. We all (the teachers and students) agree that this is one of the great children's books of all time.
Monika Day
Spring Valley Montessori School
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Sebastian Reckless was recommended to me by a fellow teacher, and I am forever in her debt. My class of 11 and 12 year olds were spellbound. I have never, in 10 years of teaching, had a class respond so positively to a book. They begged me to continue reading each day. Sebastian Reckless elicits extraordinary responses from readers young and old. It is so rare to find highly intelligent humor that is "fall on the floor laughing" funny. This book has it all; challenging vocabulary, references to great literature, ridiculous but real characters, and plot twists and turns to boggle the mind, suspense, romance and incredible inventiveness, all at a level that precisely hits a child's funny bone and imagination. I know that students in my class will storm any store to find the sequels to this book when they are released. I have been recommending this book to fellow teachers, and every single one has had a similar experience with their students and the book. Buy it! You won't be sorry.
Ruth Bookwalter
Pine Tree Elementary, Kent
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I recently had the pleasure of reading Sebastian Reckless by Rushton Howard to my class at Panther Lake Elementary in Federal Way. It is a superb read-aloud for intermediate grades. 5th grade students are thrilled with the hilarious antics of ten year old super-hero, Sebastian Reckless and the love of his life, Tessa. The book has a quick-paced, zany plot that keeps students on their toes and wanting more.
The book itself offers teachers many opportunities for meaningful literary lessons. It is jam-packed with similes, metaphors, alliteration, foreshadowing, inferences, contradictions, foreign languages, and poetry excerpts from Shakespeare and others. The excerpts are used in such a way that students are able to use context to comprehend the meaning. The kids are able to make astounding connections and participate in valuable discussions. They are filled with questions and comments and couldn't wait to meet the author.
Rushton Howard enthralls students in person. As a visiting author, he makes his characters come alive. He uses humor and drama (he is also an actor and director) to motivate students to add detail to their writing and to build interesting characters. He explains the importance of the writing process and shares stories from his childhood that prove to students that writing is important in their lives now.
My class and I give him "62" thumbs-up and are anxiously awaiting his next book!
Kristen Puu
Panther Lake Elementary, Federal Way
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Thank you so much for coming into our classroom on March 16th! I think I speak for us all when I say that the entire class LOVED Sebastian Reckless!!!! Oh, and your book didn't fall through my hands, I believe that S.R. is completely real.
Your FAN,
Megan Ingalls
(from Barbara Wood's class; Meridian Elementary, Kent)
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A testimonial:
Mr. Chin has a student who after buying your book promptly went home and finished the story.
Mr. Chin asked who had gone home and finished the book. When this student raised his hand Mr. Chin kidded him about not being able to put the book down. The student commented, "I've never enjoyed a book that I read as much as this one."
Lorie Vanderwalker
Lake Youngs Elementary, Kent
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Dear Mr. Rushton Howard
I really am truly happy and thankful that you came to our school to talk to us about your wonderful book, because I really enjoyed your book. Also I thought it was really adventurous. I think you are a really cool and funny guy because you made funny jokes. You are very entertaining to listen to. It was really funny when you got really dramatic while talking.
At first, I thought I would not like your book, because I do not really like books that are about superheroes, but when our class started to read it I loved it. I loved your book because it was a little sweet the way Sebastian had a crush on Tessa Dumont. I think you are a good author. You are very artistic. Also you are a great actor.
I think your pictures ROCK!!!
Yours truly,
Brittany Spencer
(Ms. Padron's class; Pine Tree Elementary)
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Thank you for coming to our classroom. You really made me laugh when you talked about when a teacher is doing a math problem on the board and someone is staring out the window thinking about what they want to be when they grow up. You are a really good artist and writer. I loved how you put all that Shakespeare in the coolest book Sebastian Reckless. Your book was the most amazing book. I've never read a book that incredible in my entire life. I think I am going to read all your books. If it becomes a movie I would watch it every single day. I absolutely loved your book, it was so adventurous. Thank you again for coming to our classroom and spending your time to show us how hard you work to make just one single book.
Sincerely,
Serena Brakel
(Ms. Padron's class; Pine Tree Elementary)
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What more do you need to hear? Get this book!
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Who we are: ABDIEL Productions is a company dedicated to one purpose: the manufacturing and promotion of works by Rushton Howard. That is one purpose, right? Well, perhaps it's two purposes. Whatever! The point is: We do not accept manuscripts for review or publishing. We are not a publishing house. The days are gone when hopeful authors sent books to faceless companies who would then buy all ownership of the rights. This shameful practice never should have begun; it was always unethical, and is now exposed as a crime against art. If you've just written a book and want it published, then roll up your sleeves and get to it! You're free to do so without the approval of some corporate puppet-master who has a fraction of your talent!
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