The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for this normally reclusive, stay-at-home writer.

It’s May and in Ontario that means it’s Forest of Reading season. This year, my monster-filled detective adventure Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Slime Stampede was honoured to be a Silver Birch Express nominee.

Since late April, I’ve been visiting schools around Southwestern Ontario, meeting young readers and having a slimetastic time. Last Wednesday, thousands of children from schools around Toronto gathered at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, for the big final celebration and announcement of the winner.

Tank & Fizz did not win.

But that doesn’t matter! Seriously. With these these “tree awards” getting nominated is the same as winning because it means thousands of new readers discover your books, which is what this writing thing is all about.

And I had the chance to meet many of these readers, talk about goblins and sign a whole bunch of autographs:

Talking goblin detectives with a young Silver Bircher!

And I even did this:

Yikes! That’s me speaking on stage. Um, not nervous at all.

I’ll admit now that I was working hard at not freaking out about doing that.

I also gave a short workshop, where I stood behind a lectern like someone who knows what they’re talking about. Here’s proof:

Looking all official during my presentation about monster detectives.

It was an absolute blast. I had so much fun meeting young readers who loved Fizz Marlow and Tatanka Wrenchlin and all the monsters in Rockfall Mountain.

I’m now diving back into my own cave to finish writing Tank&Fizz 4! All I can say is that this one is a real doozy!

Happy reading!

I’m so excited to announce that Myron and Hajrah will make their return this fall in a brand new mystery, The Case of the Maker Mischief.

This will be the second case for the West Meadow Detectives and it has them getting tangled up with makers, tinkerers and missing robots.

This will be a perfect book for teachers and parents looking to connect literacy with STEAM activities.

Join my Readers Group and be the first to know when the book is available and have a chance to win your very own copy.

The fight to save Minecraft moves onto European shores with the launch of continues with Cauchemar dans le Nether, the French translation of Nether Nightmare, book 2 in the Battle of the Blocks series.

This edition is published by 404 Editions in France and is available now in Europe. It will be available in Canada and the US on May 30th.

It’s been an absolute blast watching my blocky adventures come to life in a whole new language with new covers. I thrilled to know that kids across France and beyond will be enjoying all that Minecraft action.

Fungie-Fruit Smoothies for Everyone!

Pass the choco-slug cookies, Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots is published today!

Tank & Fizz’s second adventure, published today!

Everyone’s favourite monster detective-duo are back for another gadget-filled, spell-slinging adventure. Get your claws on a copy at your local bookstore or on online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indigo Books.

You have to see Mike Deas‘ illustrations on this one. Out of the park.

Here’s what folks are say already:

“High-energy high jinks in a multicultural, or at least multispecies, setting.”

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2015

“. . .a great blend of mystery and fantasy that will have kids clamoring for more.”

School Library Journal

See!

I can’t wait for folks to read it and tell me what they think. So if you check out Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots, leave a comment and let us know!

I’ve been having fun blogging over at tankandfizz.com, the official website of my Tank & Fizz series. You should hop over there and check out all the cool stuff.

But if hopping is just too much for you today, that’s okay. I’ve added my latest post below, for your reading and non-hopping pleasure.

Enjoy!

Liam here with another installment of Meet the Monsters! (cue theme music.)

So far, we’ve met our sleuths, Tank and Fizz. We’ve met their friend, Aleetha the wizard-in-training. And we’ve had the unpleasant honour of meeting their nemesis Rizzo Rawlins.

Today it’s time to meet the monsters in charge of Slick City: Mayor Grimlock and his pals Sanzin Balazar and Rufus.

Faces only a mother ogre could love: Sanzin Balazar, Rufus the goblin and Mayor Grimlock.

Together this motley crew run Tank and Fizz’s home town of Slick City.

Mayor Grimlock has been in charge since forever and has never met a bribe he didn’t like.

Sanzin Balazar runs SlurpCo Industries, the company that runs just about everything in Slick City.

Rufus the Goblin is Mayor Grimlock’s right hand monster and all around run around. Poor Rufus.

And they’re all really proud of the brand new SlurpCo stadium they just built.

They only had to bulldoze three neighbourhoods and two glowshroom groves to build it. So, a win for everyone (except the now-homeless monsters and the poor glowshrooms.)

But not every monster in Slick City likes the new SlurpCo stadium. And one monster is causing chaos across town in his quest to get the stadium shut down.

But that’s a story for another day . . .

Can’t wait to learn more about the monsters of Slick City? Pick up Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots today and get battling!

I’m so excited for folks to dive in to Tank & Fizz’s newest mystery, The Case of the Battling Bots, arriving in bookstores next week!

To get a taste of the botastic action in store for you, check out Mike’s fantastic illustration of the Rawlins Reaper, one of the baddest bots around:

Gravelmuck Elementary is no ordinary school. They don’t have soccer teams or chess clubs, they have battle bots!

Students build robots with old parts they collect from broken machines and then unleash them in battles in the school yard.

That monstrosity of bolts belongs to Rizzo Rawlins, the meanest bully in Gravelmuck Elementary and Tank & Fizz’s nemesis. A battle bot in the hands of a bully can only lead to trouble.

What kind of trouble? Well, you’ll have to read Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battle Bots to find out!

If you could make a battle bot, what would it look like? Let us know in the comments below.

I’ll share more of Mike’s amazing illustrations in the coming days, so stay tuned!

Fresh from their first slimy case, everyone’s favourite monster detectives are back with a brand new mystery.

Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots crashes into bookstores on February 23rd, and they have the book trailer to prove it:

You can pre-order it on Amazon or at your favourite and awesome local bookstore.

Let the battle begin!

With 2016 officially underway, it’s high time to look at what’s in store for readers in the coming months.

Battle of the Blocks available in French!

On January 21, Descente dans L’Overworld goes on sale in Europe. For those keeping track, that’s the French-language version of Descent into Overworld, my middle grade Minecraft adventure.

Check out the amazing cover created by the team at 404 Editions.

I cannot wait to hear what readers across France think of Hamid, Jaina, Ant and their adventures.

Battle of the Blocks 2: Nether Nightmare is being translated into French right now and will be available in the spring.

Stay tuned or subscribe to be the first to hear details.

More Tank & Fizz coming in February

Fans of my Silver Birch Express nominated mystery series Tank & Fizz will be happy to know there’s a new monster mystery brewing for February.

Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots crashes onto bookstores February 23rd.

Once again, Mike Deas has done an amazing job with the illustrations. I know young mystery fans are going to blow their circuits.

You can pre-order The Case of the Battling Bots from Amazon or your local bookseller to get your paws on it right away.

With titles like these and few more up my sleeves, I can’t wait for 2016 to unfold.

Happy Reading!

I’ve been bursting to tell the world the news and now I finally can. Coming January 2016, the entire Battle of the Blocks series will be available in French!

I’ve partnered with the amazing folks at Editions Grund and their new geeky imprint 404 Editions in Paris to translate all three Minecraft adventures into French with new covers and everything.

Descent into Overworld hits bookstores in Europe in January 2016 and will be available in North America shortly after that. I’ll keep you posted on when all that happens.

Tomorrow I’m hoping to lose a lot of money.

In fact, I’ve been losing money for the past week and will keep losing money until December 11th. But tomorrow, I’m hoping I’ll lose a whole whack of the stuff.

I’m giving one of my best-selling ebooks away for free.

Grab it while it’s free before Dec. 11, 2015!

That’s right, for the next week or so, Descent into Overworld is available for free.

Totally, completely, no-strings attached, free.

Don’t just sit there reading, jump to your favourite book site and grab your copy.

Then you can come back and find out why I’m doing this.

Go on, I’ll wait. Here, I’ll even give you the links:

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play | Smashwords

Back? Good, let us continue . . .

Why, Liam, Why??

Good question! Giving away books for free has always been an effective publishing marketing strategy, but an expensive one. People can read your book, hopefully enjoy it and even more hopefully recommend it to a friend or two or sixteen.

With ebooks, however, it cost nothing (or next to nothing) to give away digital copies. In the last few years this has led to a tsunami of free books hitting Amazon and other book sites. The effectiveness of “free” has been diminished but done correctly it can still work.

And one way to do it right is to work with an ebook book discovery service like BookBub. Every day, they send book recommendations to thousands of subscribers. This often leads to thousands of downloads.

This exposure can lead to lots of other fun stuff, like reviews on Amazon, newsletter signups or, the holy grail of them all, purchases of your other books.

Tomorrow, Thursday November 26, Descent into Overworld will be featured in the BookBub email sent to tens of thousands of middle grade book fans. And hopefully, a bunch of them will download the book and from there, who knows?

You don’t have to subscribe to BookBub to get the book, but you do have to act fast. After December 11th, the freeness ends and the money-grabbing, please-pay-for-my-book game continues.

Here are those links again:

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play | Smashwords

Go on, grab the book!

It was not supposed to go this way. This announcement was meant to be a cause for celebration. Last Friday’s attacks in Paris changed all that.

A few months ago, I was contacted by the French publisher Éditions Gründ about translating my Minecraft book series Battle of the Blocks into French. That was a big announcement I had been sitting on until everything was finalized. Now, it does not seem so important.

When I was contacted by Éditions Gründ, I was thrilled with the idea but, being a cautious writer, I was also wary about it all. Over the next few weeks, my concerns were eased and excitement for the project grew as I worked out the details through a flurry of emails and phone conversations with one of the editors at Éditions Gründ.

Lola Salines 1986-2015

That editor was Lola Salines.

Lola was at the Bataclan concert on Friday night. She did not survive the attack.

The fact that my books will be appearing in French in 2016 is in very large part due to Lola.

While I did not know her well, in our weeks of emails and phone calls, she eased my concerns and answered my seemingly endless questions with patience, professionalism and above all a friendliness and enthusiasm that told me my stories were in very good hands.

I found out about Lola’s passing on Monday and have spent the week in and out of a fog of sadness at such a wasted life. I cannot imagine what it has been like for her family, close friends and co-workers. My thoughts have been and continue to be with them as they cope to make sense of the senseless.

Today, the Éditions Gründ site has a black border in memory of Lola and illustrator Sophie Rohrbach honoured her memory with the beautiful illustration below.

Merci beaucoup à Sophie Rohrbach pour son dessin pour Lola.

I wanted to add my own voice to her memory through this post.

Lola, it is because of your kindness, patience and excitement that my stories will be read by children in France and beyond. I am honoured more than you can know. Your enthusiasm will live on.  Every young person who reads my silly Minecraft adventures in French will do so because of you. For that, and much more, I thank you Lola.

Liam

I’ve been sitting on this for far too long and I’m thrilled I can finally announce that Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Slime Stampede has been nominated for a 2016 Silver Birch Express Award!

I’m late announcing this only because I’ve spent the last week running around my apartment, waving my arms and generally freaking out.

It’s all part of the Forest of Reading program run by the awesome folks at the Ontario Library Association. And it’s one of my favourite awards because the kids choose the winner. I know, right?

I’ll also be visiting a lot  of schools in the new year, too. So, if you’re a teacher, check the School Visits page to learn about my author visit presentation and give me a shout. I’d love to visit your school!

Okay, the only chaos is me running around my kitchen giggling with glee that Nether Nightmare is now available online!

Judging from the early reviews coming in, I’m not the only one who is happy to dive into the second book in the Battle of the Blocks series.

The ebook version launched this week at these fine stores:

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | iTunes | Kobo | Google Play | Barnes & Noble

The paperback edition is on its way, too.

Nether Nightmare picks up right after the events in Descent into Overworld. Here’s the blurb to whet your appetite:

An ancient evil wakes. Friend becomes foe. Herobrine’s invasion draws near.

Twelve year-old Hamid thought he could handle any Minecraft challenge. But when a diseased magma cube infects his best friend and his school principal teams up with ultimate force of darkness, Hamid is ready to say Game Over.

But the nightmare has just begun.

Trapped in Minecraft and running out of time, Hamid, Jaina and their video game allies must race across the Nether to cure Ant, catch Principal Whiner and defeat Herobrine before his army of monsters invades the real world.

Grab your pickaxe, the Battle of the Blocks continues . . .

If that doesn’t make you want to dive into a world of fire and chase monsters, then maybe the amazing new cover will:

Yeah! Thanks to the fantastic ScribbleLiz for the amazing artwork.

Liz is the very talented artist behind the illustration on re-issue of Descent into Overworld:

Sweet!

With the second book in the series released into the world, I’m really excited to see where these books go in the coming months.

And don’t worry, I’m hard at work on Battle of the Blocks 3: Escape from the End, coming soon. (Honest!)

In the meantime, grab a copy of these books for your favourite Minecrafter!

I am excited and slightly terrified for this September.

As a teacher, the “new year” for me begins in September. It usually involves a new school, new classroom and new group of students. This year will be different. I won’t be the teacher. I will be the student.

Starting September, I’ll be taking a leave from my teaching position to pursue my Masters of Early Childhood Studies at Ryerson University.

Very exciting. Very terrifying.

I’m slightly terrified for that host of unknowns that I will face. It’s been a while since I was a student. I guess I’ll have to stock up on KD.

Mostly, I’m excited for a new adventure that will build on my work around video games and technology in the classroom.

I’ll keep you posted on my post-grad adventures.

In the meantime, I have some back to school shopping to do.

It’s officially official: Nether Nightmare hits e-readers and book shelves on Saturday August 15th, 2015.

The second book in the Battle of the Blocks series picks up right where Descent into Overworld left off.  Hamid, Ant and Jaina are on the hunt for their runaway principal who has the one Minecraft item that could doom them all.

I’ll post an excerpt very soon.

In the meantime, check out the amazing illustration that will grace the cover:

Is that not totally cool? The illustration was created by the amazingly talented ScribbleLiz, who also created the new cover for Descent into Overworld.

If you’re wondering why I changed the covers of the books midway through writing the series, just read this post where I explain all.

But before you do that, tell me what you think of the illustration in the comments below!

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While the rest of the world gets excited about a certain new book today, I’m bouncing in my chair for a completely different reason.

Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Slime Stampede is now available as an ebook on Amazon!

This is kind of big deal because Amazon is kind of a big deal. As you know, I like my ebooks, and now knowing that Kindle readers can get some slime too, is better than a plate of choco-slug cookies.

For those non-Kindley folk, the ebook is also available at Kobo, on iTunes and Barnes & Noble. And that’s very cool, too.

So, get clicking and enjoy!

You can also learn more about Tank & Fizz here.

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June is turning into a bittersweet month for me. On one hand, I’m saying so long to some old friends, but on the other I’m saying hello to a brand new detective duo that I think you will grow to love.

First, the goodbyes . . .

Max Finder Mystery wraps-up 12 year run in Owl Magazine

This June, the final Max Finder Mystery comic appears in Owl Magazine.

Max, Alison, Smasher and all the Whispering Meadows crew will take an indefinite break from their monthly slot in the magazine, which they have held for over a decade.

Back in 2001, I had the opportunity to pitch the editors at Owl Magazine my idea for a new comic. It was a mashed together short ‘you-solve-it’ mysteries (a la Encyclopedia Brown) with comics. The star of this comic was a grade seven fact collector by the name of Max Finder.

Fast forward, twelve years or so years, over 50 mysteries and seven collected casebooks translated into 3 languages, Max Finder Mystery has exceeded my expectations many times over.

While I am sad to say goodbye to my first detective duo, I am considering their retirement merely a holiday. I am confident we will meet again someday for more crime-solving fun.

As one detective duo leaves, another enters . . .

Meet Myron & Hajrah: West Meadows Detectives

While I was planning the departure of Max and Alison, I was getting ready to introduce a new pair of young sleuths to readers. So, without further ado, meet Myron and Hajrah:

Meet Myron & Hajrah, Whispering Meadows’ newest detectives!

If you’re catching a hint of Max Finder in here, you are correct. Myron is a veteran sleuth who worked with (and mostly annoyed) Max and Alison in a few Max Finder Mysteries. Myron has now moved across town to the West Meadows neighbourhood, where (thankfully) mysteries still abound.

Myron is not a fan of his new neighbourhood, new school and new classmates. To be honest, he’s not a fan of anything ‘new’. But does love mysteries and when a thief steals lunches from the school kitchen, Myron is on the case faster than spaghetti sauce on a clean shirt.

Myron is autistic and this, along with his neurodiverse detective partners, helps him crack the case while his neurotypical teachers and classmates are still struggling to catch up.

I tried to pack a lot of fun into this first book and I’m excited to see what people think of it when it comes out in October 2015.

Preview West Meadows Detectives Today!

You don’t have to wait until then to get started with Myron’s first case.

Follow this link to download a free sample of West Meadows Detectives: The Case of the Snack Snatcher.

This will lead you to a Dropbox page where you can download the free pdf preview. You don’t need a Dropbox account to get the book.

Feel free the preview with the young detective in your life. I’d love to know what you think of West Meadows Detectives. Let me know in the comments below!

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One of the things I love most about indy publishing is the ability to change my mind.

Want to tweak the blurb on the book’s Amazon or Goodreads page? Go for it. Need to fix a typo spotted by an eagle-eyed reader? Done. And the biggie of them all: Want to change your books cover? Make it so!

And that is exactly what I have done for my Battle of the Blocks adventure series set in Minecraft. Read on to find out why and to see the new cover.

Cover 1: Good in Theory but  . . .

The Battle of the Blocks series is a trilogy with each book featuring a different land in Minecraft. I wanted each book’s cover to reflect the signature block that makes up that land. Book 1, Descent into Overworld, takes place in Overworld the land of grass and stone. So, the cover featured a grass block background. Book 2, Nether Nightmare, would feature a block from the Nether and book 3, Escape from the End, would feature a block of End Stone.

Here’s the cover of book 1:

The first cover. Not bad but an idea that just didn’t work.

All great in theory but not so great in execution. While my cover designer did an amazing job creating the cover to my specs, it just didn’t look the way I thought it would.

It didn’t say “kids book” and it didn’t fit with the growing number of other Minecraft kids books appearing online. If I was a kid, that cover wouldn’t grab me.

I lived with the grass block cover while I wrote book 2, but I knew early on that I would be changing things up when book 2 was nearly complete. And that time is now.

Cover 2: Now We’re Talking!

For the second version of the covers, I knew I needed the characters front and centre. To do that, I was going to need original art. And that meant hiring an artist. A first for me, but very exciting. This is where I take off my writer’s hat and put on my publisher’s chapeau and hunt for illustrators.

I turned to the hugely popular Minecraft 2014 calendar for inspiration on what a scene in Minecraft could look like when you take that blocky look just a little bit further.

My search led me to ScribbleLiz, who posts some great Minecraft art on her DeviantArt page. I contact Liz and we worked out some concepts for the books. I was thrilled when she sent me sketches and rough illustrations that brought the characters to life.

After a few short weeks, Liz sent me the final illustration for the book and I couldn’t be happier.  And here it is:

The new and improved cover illustration. Lots of action and energy. Hamid, Jaina, Ant and Bones all charging into battle, with Slashax, a baddie looking suitably sinister.

This art is for the print edition of the book. The right half will be the front of the book with the left half being the back. All the text needs to be put on, but I think you can get the idea of how it will look. In my view, totally awesome!

As I type this, I’m expecting the finished version from the designer who is adding the title, author name and all that stuff. I can’t wait to see it.

And right now, Liz is working on the cover for Nether Nightmare. I’ve seen the rough sketches and it’s going to be just as fantastic.

Getting a good cover takes time and costs a bit more, but at the end of the publishing day it’s totally worth it.

What do you think? Do you like the new cover illustration? Let me know in the comments below.

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A little over a month ago, I sent a copy of Battle of the Blocks 2: Nether Nightmare to my wonderful beta readers.

Then, I promptly went into hiding.

I explained my fears in this post, but it turns out I didn’t have to worry. It’s not because my writing was any good, but because my beta readers are truly fantastic.

Without exception, they all read the story and sent back thoughtful insights, amazing typo-fixes and incredibly valuable Minecraft corrections. They caught when I gave the Zombie Pigmen iron swords when they should have gold swords (d’uh.) They pointed out a kind of major flaw in my logic with my world building. They even identified dozens of pesky typos that I had missed.

I asked them for broad comments and feedback and they gave me in depth, detailed analysis and proofreading. It was truly fantastic. But it gets better.

My totally awesome GamingEdu pal, Diana Maliszewski read the book to her lunchtime book club (as well as offering others the ebook files to read on their own.) As Diana read, the kids drew what they were seeing. As Hamid and Jaina chased their runaway principal through the Nether, the kids turned my words into pictures. Yeah. Kind of epic.

Even better, she shared the pictures with me to share with you. Check them out!

Some of them captured a single scene from the book:

Jaina digs deep beneath the Nether, while Gonquin the Zombie Pigman and Bano the Mysterious Villager look on.

Others created a collage of scenes and characters:

Hamid is confronted by an army of endermen, Ant presents the Seed to the Alpha Slime and below them the Wither hunts for its first victim.

Another collage of scenes (note the piles of TNT – a key plot element!)

Jaina’s warning appears on the school’s computers while the massive piles of TNT wait for their eventual blowin’ up!

It’s really hard to explain how fantastic it feels to see readers bring your stories to life with honest sketches like this. Massive thanks to Diana and her creative students! I’m still smile every time I look at them.

And speaking of smiling, I’ll have another big Battle of the Blocks announcement very soon. It’s had me smiling for days and I can’t wait to share it with you.

Until then, happy reading!

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After writing 35 + books for kids, I’ve learned to be patient (sort of) while I wait to hear what folks think of my latest project. There’s the pre-publishing buzz created by book reviewers who get advanced copies. But then, silence.

What I’m finally figuring out is that silence is actually people reading the book and then (hopefully) telling others how great (or not so great) it is. And that’s where we’re at with Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Slime Stampede.

Yesterday, my amazing GamingEdus pal Diana Maliszewski tweeted out an equally amazing review from Penny Draper (a great author herself!), writing for the Toronto Public Library.

Turns out they like the slime!  Here’s some highlights of they said about Tank & Fizz:

The Case of the Slime Stampede is the first book in the irresistible new Tank and Fizz mystery series. A combination of chapter book and graphic novel, the fast-paced action is driven by realistic dialogue, well-placed cartoons and wildly strange, yet believable, characters and situations.

A cross between Inspector Gadget and Monsters, Inc., the ogres, goblins and trolls of Slick City will ooze their slimy way into the hearts of readers.

You can read the rest of the review here and visit tankandfizz.com to learn more the slimy shenanigans in Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Slime Stampede.

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This new world of publishing both thrills and terrifies me.

I’m thrilled because in addition to writing fun books for traditional publishers (like my Tank & Fizz mystery series for Orca Book Publishers), I can also publish my own projects and get an immediate response from readers.

The image below is a clear example:

A photo posted by Andrew Forgrave (@aforgrave) on Apr 5, 2015 at 11:39am PDT

About an hour ago, I sent out a “rough around the edges” ebook copy of Battle of the Blocks 2: Nether Nightmare to my totally amazing group of beta readers.  Within minutes, the photo above appeared on instagram from my GamingEdus pal Andrew Forgrave.

As I type this, I know Andrew and the other kind beta readers are reading my words and forming opinions about the book. It’s amazing. And totally terrifying.

In the olden days (eg 2002), I would send a manuscript off to a publisher and move on to the next project. A few months later, the book would be published and I’d see a review or two in a magazine. That would be it.

Now, in 2015, I know Andrew is reading my words right now. And so are some of the other beta readers. And after 15 years and over 35 books, knowing others are reading my stuff RIGHT NOW makes me want to hide.

So, that’s what I’m going to do.

Let me know when he’s finished reading, okay?

Thanks.

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About two years ago, I made a promise to write a follow-up to my post: Essential plugins for Minecraft servers. That post never happened. I am a bad blogger. And more than one visitor to this blog and my personal blog told me as much. But that changes today! So, here after much delay, are “Four More Essential Plugins for your Minecraft school server”.

But First: A Word About Craftbukkit!

As I type this, it’s 2015 and, up until very recently, our GamingEdus servers run Craftbukkit, which is a fancy program that lets you add all the plugins that do fun stuff with your server. Craftbukkit is dead. We recently switched over to Spigot that allows us to run Minecraft 1.8 (see here for more about Game Versions.) We’ll be switching over to most likely Sponge when it’s ready, which is set to replace Craftbukkit.

Why are you telling me this, Liam? Good question. What I mean is, these plugins work now, today, on our server. They might not work on your server. Make sure you do your research before installing any of these plugins. Just letting you know to save you a few hours of Google search frustration.

Four More Essential Minecraft Plugins

1. WAR: Easy PvP

There really is nothing like a blocky battle to the finish your friends and the WAR Player vs Player (PvP) plugin makes that happen. WAR lets players create their own battle arenas where everyone starts with the same items and they must agree to battle before joining. It’s a great way for students to blow off steam after an in-game class activity.

Check out this great video showing you how to make your own battleground:

2. CoreProtect

This is my anti-griefing tool of choice. It’s a bit resource heavy but I find it easy to use and reliable. It allows server admins to undo any unwanted player damage with a few clicks. With CoreProtect running, everyone can have fun knowing that all griefing will be caught and easily fixed.

3. ClearLagg

Busy servers quickly get slowed down with spawned creepers, skeletons and who knows what else. This can lag for your players and that’s not fun. With ClearLagg, server admins can quickly and quietly delete any unused blocks or land chunks, giving the server less stuff to think about and speeding it up for players. Definitely a good one to have to keep everything ticking along.

4. World Edit

This one is great for admins and trusted players if you want to create big builds fast. It gives you a suite of commands that let you create spheres, cylinders and vast tracks of blocks with a single click. But where is really shines is making ginormous balls of TNT.

Spheres created in World Edit. Fun!

What’s Your Favourite Plugin?

That’s just four more of my favourite Minecraft plugins that keep our servers running. If you’re setting up your own server, I advise you check them out and see if they’re still available and up to date.

I know I’ve missed some, so if you know of a good plugin, let us know in the comments below!

[This post originally appeared on the GamingEdus blog, on March 24, 2105.]

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See what happens when someone lets the  slimes out! No wonder Tank & Fizz are trying to stop the Slime Stampede in their first adventure.

Don’t worry, this slime is completely harmless and totally easy to make. Just ask the amazing folks at Orca who celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a slime stampede in their lunch room. Follow the link to see all their gooey photos.

Want to make your own slime?

Slimetastic!

Follow the recipe below or grab your own copy right here (launches .pdf)

When you’re done, share your goopy-creation on Twitter or Facebook and use #tankandfizz so we can see it!

Watch out for my own slime-making attempts very soon!

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The monsters are here! The monsters are here! (Don’t worry, that’s a good thing.)

Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Slime Stampede is now available at your local bookstore and online everywhere.

Run, slither or slurp your way to your local bookstore or favourite online retailer and get your claws on a copy today.

Get Tank & Fizz #1 Now!

Here’s what reviewers are saying about the goblin and troll detective duo:

Kirkus reviews gets gooey:

O’Donnell rolls out a slick subterranean caper flavored with a diverse nonhuman cast, topped off with a suspenseful scramble. Young readers will slurp up the gumshoes’ gooey first exploit with relish. And perhaps a few choco-slug cookies.

Canadian Materials digs Mike Deas amazing art (as they should!):

Tank and Fizz is an entertaining mystery narrative full of monsters, detectives, and magic.The story notably includes many incredible comic vignettes illustrated by Mike Deas to provide readers with a visual accompaniment to the events taking place in the text.

An enjoyable read! I look forward to book two in the series: Tank & Fizz: The Case of the Battling Bots.

Helen Kubiw, writing for the Quill & Quire has this to say:

O’Donnell knows how to weave the typical elements of detective stories such as multiple plot lines, red herrings and the usual suspects . . . a monstrously imaginative and funny read that launches a great new series.

What do you think?

That’s all fine that a bunch of fancy, schmancy book reviewers enjoyed it. I want to know what readers think of it!

Have you read The Case of the Slime Stampede? What did you think?  Let me know in the comments below!

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A few weeks ago, I dropped by the fantastic Styling Librarian’s blog to share some of my favourite digital tools I use to get my students reading. You can read the post below, but you should totally drop by the Styling Librarian for a ton of great kids book reviews and articles. And if you hurry, you’ll have a chance to win a signed copy of Descent into Overworld, my middle grade novel set in Minecraft. So, get going. Then, get reading.

Enjoy!

Five Digital Tools to Get Reluctant Readers Reading

Life is full of digital distractions. From hilarious YouTube videos to the latest iPad game, young people have a world of entertainment at their fingers. For many young people today, that means they would rather swipe through apps than turn pages. I can understand.

Tank and Fizz coverAs a kid, I was a tech-obsessed reluctant reader. I’d rather blast aliens than read a book any day. Today, I’m a teacher who tries to use digital tools get introduce video game playing kids to the magic of a good story. I’m also a writer and my books are aimed directly at reluctant readers. My new monster-filled detective series, Tank & Fizz , mixes the appeal of comic books with the allure of a good mystery. Descent into Overworld, my middle-grade adventure set in Minecraft, taps straight into the power of that blocky building game to engage readers.

Each day in the classroom, I turn to a few reliable tools that get kids reading in some surprising ways. Read on to discover five digital tools for the reluctant reader in your life.

Epic: ebooks for kids

Sometimes just adding a tech element to a book is enough to get a reluctant reader to try out a story. Ebooks are an amazing way to introduce reluctant readers to all the adventures of traditional books. However, buying Ebooks only to have a young reader abandon them after the first few chapters can get expensive. That’s where Epic comes it. For a small monthly subscription, young readers can have access to a world of Ebooks from a range of publishers.
From non-fiction beginning readers to young adult novels and graphic novels (including my Graphic Guide Adventure series), there is a wealth of books to choose from. And the buffet-style approach to titles means parents don’t have to fret if their finicky reader samples a few stories until finding that perfect match.

Visit getepic.com to learn more.

Biblionasium: book-based social network

As a teacher, I’m always encouraging my students to see themselves as readers. That means not only reading books, but also talking about books and sharing recommendations with others. Biblionasium is an online social network for kids designed to do just that. Think Goodreads for kids. Accounts are free and there are many parental controls and features built in to ensure your child’s privacy is secure. Inside Biblionasium, kids can create profiles, earn badges for reading and write reviews of their favorite books. They can search for new books by theme and connect with other readers to swap book suggestions. Setting up an account could be a great way to open reluctant readers to the world of stories waiting to be discovered.

Visit biblionasium.com to learn more.

Tumblecloud Jr.: ebooks come alive

The only thing better than reading a book is having someone read a book to you! The folks at Tumblecloud Jr have gathered together an impressive collection of books and added voice over narration. Readers can choose to read the text themselves or turn on the narration to enjoy the story as an audio book. But it’s with their graphic novel collection that Tumblecloud Jr really shines. Not content to just convert print comics to an electronic format, Tumblecloud Jr also adds simple animation and music to many of their comics (including my own Max Finder Mystery series.) These touches make the stories come alive and are an excellent way to engage readers struggling with pages of text.

Unlike other digital reading tools, parents can access Tumblecloud Jr free of charge only if their local school board or public library has purchased a license. The good news is that many libraries have done just that. To find out, visit your public library’s website and search for Tumblecloud Jr. or ask your librarian.

You can also visit: tbcjr.com to learn more.

Text adventures: old school games for the iPad generation

One of my favorite digital tools to get kids reading doesn’t have many bells or whistles but it has plenty of traps and puzzles. The good old-fashioned text adventure is a low-tech way to get readers traveling down twisty little passages in search of treasure and discovering a love of reading along the way. I grew up playing text adventures like Zork. Even in a world of Xboxes and tablets, there is something magical about these ‘graphics free’ video games. For the uninitiated, text adventures are interactive stories that are presented in short paragraph chunks. Readers are the hero of the story who make decisions that affect how the adventure unfolds. The interactive element and short chunks of text are an ideal way to engage readers who like puzzles and want to be at the heart of the action. Many of the classic text adventures are available online for free and can be played in a standard web browser.

Visit web-adventures.org  for some kid-friendly text adventures.

Minecraft: from block builders to book readers

Unless you’ve been living under a mountain in a world with no children, you’ll know that Minecraft is kind of a big deal. The video game is the obsession of millions of kids around the world, many of them reluctant readers. As a teacher, this level of engagement makes Minecraft an ideal digital tool to encourage reading. The secret is transferring that excitement for the game over to having excitement for reading and writing. I’ve blogged about some ways I use Minecraft in the classroom to boost writing.  As the game has exploded in popularity, the catalog of Minecraft-based reading material has grown along with it. From countless online how-to guides to the incredibly popular Minecraft Guides series of books, readers are spoiled for choice with non-fiction reading material. Minecraft-inspired fiction is another growing area, with my book, Descent into Overworld, being a recent entry.

Using a reluctant reader’s personal interest to encourage reading isn’t a new idea or limited to Minecraft. From Hockey to Pokemon and beyond, tying reading to a special interest is a tried and true strategy.

Digital Reading Tools Delivered Monthly

These are just a few of the ways parents and teachers can use the digital world to get reluctant readers hooked on books. If you want more tech-inspired ways to get reluctant readers reading, subscribe to Reading Change, for monthly project updates and digital resources for the reluctant readers in your life.

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