Merry Christmas

Wishing each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

Thank you for following this blog.

If you have a few quiet minutes spare this festive season, have you read The Christmas Penny?

‘The Christmas Penny’ tells the adventure of two Victorian street urchins, who found a whole new penny, one Christmas in New Babbage, and saw Professor Jiggers’ Flea Circus. As with all stories by Maxwell Grantly, things never go according to plan. If you are interested in reading this story, it can be downloaded free of charge from Barnes & Noble, Blio, iBooks, Inktera, Kobo, Lulu and Smashwords. Simply type “Maxwell Grantly” or “The Christmas Penny” into the search bar at any of these eight sites.

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Story-Telling of the Future

Originally, story-telling would occur by word-of-mouth. Then, with the invention of the printing press, paper-based books were soon to be developed and the novel was born. More recently, with advances in technology, audio books became popular. Today, with the popularity of digital information, people can now read digitalised eBooks on an electronic device.

You may agree that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to predict how story-telling will proceed into the future. However, could it be that the reading experience may become more interactive, with the reader becoming a participant in the story?

If this is the case, this picture may give you an appetite of what we might expect in the very near future. The children in this photograph have been inspired and taught by Hauptmann Weydert. They are following a projection of a story, by author Maxwell Grantly, upon a screen at the back of the studio as the plot is being read by the youth leader. At the same time, the children are exploring a digital reconstruction of the story’s setting on their own individual computer within Hauptmann Weydert’s IT studio. They have even been able to interact with different characters from the story at the same time, talking to them and playing a range of basic games.

Who knows how the reading experience may develop in the more distant future!

(Picture Credit: Hauptmann Weydert)

Transmedia Story-Telling

Today at 14:00 Luxembourg time (13:00 Greenwich Mean Time) a group of children from the Luxembourg Eich day care centre had an opportunity to listen to a retelling of Maxwell Grantly’s “Fire Starter!” story. At the same time, they were also able to wander around a digital reconstruction of the setting of the story to meet some of the characters from the book. You can see, in the image attached to this post, that they even had the chance to met the baby dragon that had just escaped from one of the chimneys in Pfaffenthal.

The crowd were able to wander around the digitally created streets of old Luxembourg, to the baby dragon’s favourite place: the smoke house. There was even a chance at the end of the story-telling session for a quick game of ‘chase’ around the streets of 1867 Pfaffenthal.

If you would also like to explore the streets that feature in the stories of Maxwell Grantly, firstly you will need a programme that will run on your PC or iMac. To do this, you’ll need to download some free 3D browsing software: the Second Life Viewer. You can download this viewer by clicking on the orange button at this link:

https://secondlife.com/support/downloads/

(Hint: this viewer runs best on a modern computer. If your computer is slow or very old, your experience may be sluggish.)

Next, after you have downloaded this viewer, just launch the software and then click on the link below, called a slurl. This slurl will transport you directly into the middle of a computer-generated reconstruction where you can explore the locations that feature in many of the stories of Maxwell Grantly. If you time your visit well, you can even meet the very characters that appear within these stories and chat with them one-by-one, in real time.

Here is the slurl that leads you into the heart of the city:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pfaffenthal%20Vauban/132/124/26

Enjoy yourself and who knows, you might even be lucky and meet Fingers, the pickpocket from Maxwell Grantly’s trilogy about this character.

(Sensible Internet advice: You may also meet other Second Life users, book readers and many sorts of other people from all around the globe, who are using the viewer at the same time. Many of these will be friendly and welcoming but there are times when you may cross the path of someone who is not. Sadly, I cannot control the actions of any other visitor to this three-dimensional world. It is for this reason, I would always advise that you do not allow children to wander about using this CGI software, without appropriate adult supervision.)

Meet the Characters

Wouldn’t it be amazing if, after reading a book, you could get up and immediately wander around the location of the story? How incredible it would be if you could actually explore the streets of the book’s setting and meet the characters about whom you have just read!

Well, with the power of technology, today you can!

If you want to wander around the streets that feature in the stories of Maxwell Grantly, firstly you will need a programme that will run on your PC or iMac. To do this, you’ll need to download some free 3D browsing software: the Second Life Viewer. You can download this viewer by clicking on the orange button at this link:

https://secondlife.com/support/downloads/

(Hint: this viewer runs best on a modern computer. If your computer is slow or very old, your experience may be sluggish.)

Next, after you have downloaded this viewer, just launch the software and then click on the link below, called a slurl. This slurl will transport you directly into the middle of a computer-generated reconstruction where you can explore the locations that feature in many of the stories of Maxwell Grantly. If you time your visit well, you can even meet the very characters that appear within these stories and chat with them one-by-one, in real time. (The illustration above shows my interaction with an underground child miner who I found digging in the network of tunnels beneath the city.)

Here is the slurl that leads you into the heart of the city:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pfaffenthal%20Vauban/132/124/26

Enjoy yourself and who knows, you might even be lucky and meet Fingers, the pickpocket from Maxwell Grantly’s trilogy about this character.

(Sensible Internet advice: You may also meet other Second Life users, book readers and many sorts of other people from all around the globe, who are using the viewer at the same time. Many of these will be friendly and welcoming but there are times when you may cross the path of someone who is not. Sadly, I cannot control the actions of any other visitor to this three-dimensional world. It is for this reason, I would always advise that you do not allow children to wander about using this CGI software, without appropriate adult supervision.)

Fire Starter!

I am very pleased to announce a new free eBook by Maxwell Grantly: “Fire Starter!”

When a series of fires broke out around the city, the finger of suspicion pointed to William Marley: the chimney sweep. Was he negligent with his sweeping duties? However, as is common with stories by Maxwell Grantly, all is not as you might expect it to be. Read “Fire Starter!’ to find out how William solved the riddle of the numerous chimney fires and, by doing so, saved the city’s inhabitants from their burning misery.

If you are interested in reading “Fire Starter!” you may like to know that this story can be downloaded free of charge from the iBooks store or from Kobo. Sadly, the software at Amazon does not allow a zero pricing and so (if you use a Kindle) you may also download this story – but at a very small charge. Just type “Maxwell Grantly” into the search bar at any of these three sites.

The Top Five

If you are looking for something for your children to read, now that the winter is causing nights to lengthen in the northern hemisphere, why not consider the delight of digital eBooks.

If you are interested, here are the top five downloaded free eBooks from Maxwell Grantly’s library. The top two stories are perfect for young infants and the remaining three tales would ideally appeal to the older junior age-range. Best of all, every eBook is free to download and so there has been no better time to encourage your child to read and enter the magical make-believe world of literature.

(1) Teddy’s Many Hats – Teddy had a huge collection of hats. However, Teddy had a dilemma: which hat should he wear when he told his boy how much he is loved?

(2) Count on Teddy – Sadly, Teddy could not count and so Edward tried to teach him the first five numbers. However, Edward found himself learning an important lesson instead.

(3) Jack and the Space Pirates – Jack and his pet cat, Jet, became accidentally hijacked by space pirates. Jack had to devise a plan that would lead to his freedom and the release of a gold-carrying galleon.

(4) Gobbler and the Mirror – Gobbler lived on the streets of New Babbage, stealing food to survive. His life changed dramatically when he accidentally discovered the secret of a new glass invention.

(5) Albert’s Wiggly Tooth – Albert never believed in the tooth fairy so he wondered what happened to his teeth, after being placed under his pillow. Chaos reigned the following Sunday in church!

If you are interested in reading Maxwell’s stories, his work can be downloaded free of charge from Barnes & Noble, Blio, iBooks, Inktera, Kobo, Lulu and Smashwords. Sadly, the software at Amazon does not allow a zero pricing and so (if you use a Kindle) you may also download his stories – but at a very small charge. Simply type “Maxwell Grantly” into the search bar at any of these eight sites.

Dancing Della (Compilation Edition)

This illustrated story is a compilation of two previous stories by Maxwell Grantly: ‘Dancing Della and the Empty Gin Bottles’ and ‘Dancing Della Finds Her Hat.’ Therefore, if you have read these two stories, you are advised not to download this particular edition.

Della loves to dance at the Smugglers’ Arms, for loose change, to supplement her income as a match girl. This is why the regulars all call her ‘Dancing Della – the Match Girl.’ One day her life was thrown upside-down, when she accidentally stumbled upon a hidden den for thieves. Discover what happened to Dancing Della and find out whether she ever escaped from the evil clutches of the thieves.

However, as is common with stories by Maxwell Grantly, you can always expect that something strange will happen and you will discover that Della’s adventure is filled with both suspense and danger.

This eBook is filled with a number of delightful illustrations, which accompany the story.

If you are interested in reading this story, it can be downloaded free of charge from Barnes & Noble, Blio, iBooks, Inktera, Kobo, Lulu and Smashwords. Sadly, the software at Amazon does not allow a zero pricing and so (if you use a Kindle) you may also download it – but at a very small charge. Simply type “Maxwell Grantly” or “Dancing Della” into the search bar at any of these sites.

(This story contains an encounter with a ghost and so it may not be suitable for very young children. Parents should always exercise their discretion by glancing through the pages first, knowing the material that their child is comfortable with.)

Dancing Della Finds Her Hat

In the last story (featuring Dancing Della) Della escaped from the sewer network but, sadly, she left her straw boater behind. In this sequel we discover how Della returned to the sewer complex, in order to recover her beloved straw boater from the maze of tunnels. However, as is common with stories by Maxwell Grantly, you can always expect the unexpected and you will learn that Della’s return is filled with suspense and danger.

Read ‘Dancing Della Finds Her Hat’ and discover how Della managed to draw a line under her terrifying adventures in the sewers!

If you are interested in reading this story, it can be downloaded free of charge from Barnes & Noble, Blio, iBooks, Inktera, Kobo, Lulu and Smashwords. Sadly, the software at Amazon does not allow a zero pricing and so (if you use a Kindle) you may also download it – but at a very small charge. Simply type “Maxwell Grantly” or “Dancing Della Finds Her Hat” into the search bar at any of these sites.

(This story contains an encounter with a ghost and so it may not be suitable for very young children. Parents should always exercise their discretion by glancing through the pages first, knowing what sort of material their child is comfortable with.)

Dancing Della and the Empty Gin Bottles

Della loves to dance at the Smugglers’ Arms for loose change, to supplement her income as a match girl. This is why the regulars all call her ‘Dancing Della – the Match Girl.’ One day her life was thrown upside-down, when she accidentally stumbled upon a hidden den of thieves. Discover what happened to Dancing Della and find out whether she ever escaped from their evil clutches.

If you are interested in reading this story, it can be downloaded free of charge from Barnes & Noble, Blio, iBooks, Inktera, Kobo, Lulu and Smashwords. Sadly, the software at Amazon does not allow a zero pricing and so (if you use a Kindle) you may also download it – but at a very small charge. Simply type “Maxwell Grantly” or “Dancing Della and the Empty Gin Bottles” into the search bar at any of these sites.

The Christmas Penny

Have you ever wandered down the street and seen a shining new penny laying in the gutter?

This illustrated story tells the adventure of two Victorian street urchins, who found a whole new penny, one Christmas in New Babbage, and saw Professor Jiggers’ Flea Circus. As with all stories by Maxwell Grantly, things never go according to plan.

If you are interested in reading The Christmas Penny, it can be downloaded free of charge from Barnes & Noble, Blio, iBooks, Inktera, Kobo, Lulu and Smashwords. Sadly, the software at Amazon does not allow a zero pricing and so (if you use a Kindle) you may also download The Christmas Penny – but at a very small charge. Simply type “Maxwell Grantly” or “The Christmas Penny” into the search bar at any of these eight sites.