Tonya Duncan Ellis's Blog, page 19
November 15, 2017
These Are a Few of My Favorite Books…
The holiday season is here, and it’s time to start thinking about gifts for your loved ones. I recommend books for all middle grade readers, with my Sophie Washington series at the top of the list of course 
November 6, 2017
Free Copies of Sophie Washington: The Gamer!
Sophie Washington fans can enter my Goodreads book giveaway starting November 9, 2017 for a chance to win one of 25 free copies of Sophie Washington: The Gamer. Entry information can be found by typing in the book name in the website’s search engine at www.goodreads.com, and the contest ends on December 1, 2017. Good luck!
November 1, 2017
Tonya Ellis’ Upcoming Events
November 2, 2017 – Author Visit – Fort Bend Christian Academy
November 4, 2017 – Harvest Fest- The Imani School
October 31, 2017
“The Gamer” Excerpt – “Lent”
“That’s not fair!” Cole exclaims. “I don’t want to give up my games for Lent.”
“I’ve been concerned about the amount of time you spend playing video games, son,” Mom gently replies. “The minute you get in the car you start playing, and I see you on them almost every day after school and on weekends. This may be a good time for you to put them aside for a while and do other things.
“Lent officially begins this Wednesday,” she continues, “so you can prepare yourself to take a break in the meantime.”
“Your mother is right,” Dad chimes in. “Your grades have gone down some, and we blame the time you are wasting playing video games. And I haven’t seen you doing any of your drawings in weeks.”
October 22, 2017
Reviews of Sophie Washington Books
“A satisfying read, full of real-life lessons and good-hearted characters.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Finally, there is a character that looks like students at my school! Join ten-year-old Sophie Washington and her multicultural friends as they encounter everyday problems like bullies, bratty brothers, know-it-all classmates and video game excesses in suburban Houston.” – Diane King, Head Librarian Westbury Christian School
“Ellis’s plot is convincing and fun to read, especially the ongoing antics between Sophie and her little brother, Cole. This is a series worth watching.” – Reader’s Favorite
“As a father of two young kids, I cracked many a smile at the antics of Sophie, her younger brother, and her 10-year-old friends. Tonya Ellis’ grasp of children’s behavior is spot-on, especially their obsession with all things electronic.” Richard Clark, Author
“I enjoyed reading the book, and I found it reminded me a bit of the Junie B. Jones books with how they both managed to truly capture the personality of a child in their main characters.” – Reader’s Favorite
October 19, 2017
“Things You Didn’t Know About Sophie” Excerpt – “The Phone”
He loves me. He loves me not.
I shrug my shoulders and tug the last petal off the cream-colored daisy, watching it drift to the floor. Then I scoot the mess under my bed with my feet. I have been playing this game every morning for the past week and come out losing more often than not.
“It’s no use,” I moan. “Toby will never like me!” Toby Johnson joined our sixth-grade class this past fall, and it’s as if I’m seeing things through 3D glasses. Mom hardly has to call me to come down for school in the morning, because I can’t wait to get there. Our boring Texas history class is exciting now that Toby sits in the seat in front of me. Even P.E., which I’ve always hated, is fun, because Toby is in the class. He tells funny jokes, is good in sports, and talks to everyone, even the shy and quiet kids.
October 16, 2017
October 14, 2017
Gingerbread Market Success!
It was so warm outside (in the mid 90s) that event planners said they may call it Pineapple Market next year, but sales of the Sophie Washington book series were also on fire at the Gingerbread Market, so I won’t complain. I hope all my young readers enjoy their books!
October 13, 2017
Ways to Cut Down Your Kids’ Gaming
Ways To Cut Down Your Kids’ Gaming
In Sophie Washington: The Gamer, Sophie’s parents encourage her little brother Cole to stop playing video games for 40 days during Lent. The challenge doesn’t go over too well at first, and Cole goes so far as to sneak home an iPad from his school library, with disastrous results.
I was inspired to write the book after struggling to reduce my own kids’ screen time. Normally my offspring are easy going. Take away their electronic devices? Not so much.
After a lot of trial and error, I’ve found some things that keep them off the video games while keeping the peace at home. Try using some of these tips to up your electronics parenting game to the next level:
Set the ground rules – Whether it be no gaming/phones until homework is done, or none, period, during the school week, set your rules early on and stand fast by them. It may be trying at first, but if the kids see you’re an immovable wall where this is concerned they will eventually quit asking.
Use technology to your advantage. There are numerous apps that allow you to actually shut down your child’s devices from your own phone. One that I love is called Our Pact. Simply sync your child’s phone to yours and you’ll be able to shut the Wi-Fi off from anywhere. It’s amazing how kids you haven’t seen for hours suddenly reappear once the Wi-Fi is not working.
Get them outside – Require your child to go outside for 30 minutes to an hour for every hour spent gaming, or better yet, go out with them for a family walk or bike ride.
Make Sunday, or another designated day of the week, a day of rest. I tried setting time limits for gaming but found it too difficult to keep track. I’d get busy doing something, and the hour limit I set would morph into two or three. We’ve started making Sunday a complete day of rest from gaming so there is no question about whether they will be in front of the Xbox or PlayStation or not.
Take the controllers with you. To keep kids from gaming for hours on end when I’m out, I’ve learned to put the controllers in a bag and go. No joysticks, no games!
Sure, your kids may be upset with you for awhile, but they’ll get used to it. And the smiles you’ll see when they get better grades, or take up a fun new sport or activity because they aren’t spending all their free time in front of a screen? Priceless!
October 7, 2017
Tonya’s Upcoming Appearances
I’ll be at Sienna Plantation’s 12th annual Gingerbread Market, next Saturday, October 14. Start off the holiday season right by buying Sophie Washington books and other gifts! The market runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
