The Story Pirates Present: Stuck in the Stone Age

Illustrated by Hatem Aly
Ebook (EPUB)
On sale Mar 06, 2018 | 256 Pages | 9781635650907
Age 8-12 years | Grades 6-8
Reading Level: Lexile 660L | Fountas & Pinnell V
The Story Pirates present an imaginative and funny adventure! This book (inspired by a real kid's idea) doubles as a creative writing guide for young writers!

A glitchy time machine strands a bumbling janitor and a brilliant scientist in the distant past. Can they find their way home before they're attacked by angry cave-men or eaten alive by a saber-toothed tiger? Find out in this fast-paced, funny tale spun from a real-life kid's imagination! 

"Changing kids' lives, one story at a time" is the motto of the Story Pirates, a group of performers who bring kids' writing to life through sketch comedy. Stuck in the Stone Age is an action-packed mystery based on an idea from a real kid! Teaming up with New York Times bestselling author, Geoff Rodkey, this spine-tingling mystery doubles as an introduction to the basics of creative writing. With the help of the extensive back matter called the Mystery Creation Zone, readers can use this novel as inspiration to create their OWN great mystery!
"Time travel, cavemen, laughs, and a perfectly paced manual on story creation. Children's performing group the Story Pirates chose 11-year-old writer Vince Boberski's idea for a book and handed it to Rodkey, who turns it into the tale of a janitor named Tom Edison (not that one) who dreams of becoming a scientist (despite an H in Physics). After a time-machine accident, Tom and shy, brilliant scientist Dr. Marisa Morice are trapped in the Stone Age with sabretooth-tiger-worshipping cavemen. How will they get back to their own time? At key points in the tale, cartoon versions of a Story Pirate and Boberski break in with a question about a story element. Readers can continue with the story or flip to a specified section of the "Story Creation Zone" that makes up the final quarter of the volume. The narrative of Tom and Marisa's adventure is sarcastic, funny, and entertaining enough to interest on its own, and the short (and also funny) instructional lessons on character creation, story setting, plot twists, climax building, and story endings are pitched to pique interest and get the creative juices flowing. Aly's cartoon illustrations will add a giggle or two or three. Marisa appears to be black and Tom white, and naming conventions point to a diverse supporting cast. A must for young writers (even those not interested in sci-fi) and a fab, fun writing manual for writing teachers everywhere."
-- Kirkus Reviews, **STARRED REVIEW**

"Jam-packed with both writing advice and jokes... this two-for-one tale is as smart as it is entertaining."
-- Publishers Weekly, **STARRED REVIEW**

What an amazing read, full of bizarre kid logic and fun, and brought to life with the usual care & empathy that the Story Pirates always show to young writers!
-- Patton Oswalt, Emmy and Grammy award winning actor and stand-up comedian

Do you want to laugh? Or get yanked into a nonstop, page-turning adventure? Or be inspired to write your own story? Or maybe you want to eat a double stack cheeseburger with onion rings? Okay, if it’s any of the first three, then this is the bookfor you. If it’s the last one—sorry, we can’t help you there.
-- Adam Gidwitz, best-selling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm and the Newbery Honor-winning The Inquisitor’s Tale

So zany and imaginative, it's no surprise an actual kid inspired it. You'll laugh a lot—and learn a lot, too.
-- Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever


THE STORY PIRATES are a nationally respected media and education organization founded in 2004 to celebrate the words, ideas, and stories of young people. They've been featured on NBC Nightly News, TODAY, and Sesame Street, and are endorsed by Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien, John Oliver, and more. Visit storypirates.org for more.

JACQUELINE WEST
is an award-winning and bestselling writer for young readers. She lives in Red Wing, Minnesota. Visit jacquelinewest.com for more.

HATEM ALY
is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured in publications around the word, including the Newbury Honor Book The Inquisitor’s Tale. Visit metahatem.com for more. View titles by Story Pirates
© Ash Fox LLC

Geoff Rodkey is the author of the bestselling Tapper Twins comedy series; the Chronicles of Egg adventure trilogy; and The Story Pirates Present: Stuck in the Stone Age, a comic novel bundled with a how-to guide for kids who want to create stories of their own. He’s also the Emmy-nominated screenwriter of such films as Daddy Day Care and RV. Geoff grew up in Freeport, Illinois and began his writing career on his high school newspaper. He now lives in New York City with his wife, three sons, and an easily confused gerbil. Learn more at geoffrodkey.com, and follow Geoff on Twitter at @GeoffRodkey.

View titles by Geoff Rodkey
Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured in multiple publications worldwide. He currently lives in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people. His illustrated work includes the Newbery Honor winner The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz, The Unicorn Rescue Society series also by Adam Gidwitz with several amazing contributing authors, The Story Pirates book series with Geoff Rodkey and Jacqueline West, early readers series Meet Yasmin with Saadia Faruqi, How to Feed Your Parents by Ryan Miller, and The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed. Hatem has more upcoming books and projects in the works. You can find him online @metahatem. View titles by Hatem Aly

About

The Story Pirates present an imaginative and funny adventure! This book (inspired by a real kid's idea) doubles as a creative writing guide for young writers!

A glitchy time machine strands a bumbling janitor and a brilliant scientist in the distant past. Can they find their way home before they're attacked by angry cave-men or eaten alive by a saber-toothed tiger? Find out in this fast-paced, funny tale spun from a real-life kid's imagination! 

"Changing kids' lives, one story at a time" is the motto of the Story Pirates, a group of performers who bring kids' writing to life through sketch comedy. Stuck in the Stone Age is an action-packed mystery based on an idea from a real kid! Teaming up with New York Times bestselling author, Geoff Rodkey, this spine-tingling mystery doubles as an introduction to the basics of creative writing. With the help of the extensive back matter called the Mystery Creation Zone, readers can use this novel as inspiration to create their OWN great mystery!

Reviews

"Time travel, cavemen, laughs, and a perfectly paced manual on story creation. Children's performing group the Story Pirates chose 11-year-old writer Vince Boberski's idea for a book and handed it to Rodkey, who turns it into the tale of a janitor named Tom Edison (not that one) who dreams of becoming a scientist (despite an H in Physics). After a time-machine accident, Tom and shy, brilliant scientist Dr. Marisa Morice are trapped in the Stone Age with sabretooth-tiger-worshipping cavemen. How will they get back to their own time? At key points in the tale, cartoon versions of a Story Pirate and Boberski break in with a question about a story element. Readers can continue with the story or flip to a specified section of the "Story Creation Zone" that makes up the final quarter of the volume. The narrative of Tom and Marisa's adventure is sarcastic, funny, and entertaining enough to interest on its own, and the short (and also funny) instructional lessons on character creation, story setting, plot twists, climax building, and story endings are pitched to pique interest and get the creative juices flowing. Aly's cartoon illustrations will add a giggle or two or three. Marisa appears to be black and Tom white, and naming conventions point to a diverse supporting cast. A must for young writers (even those not interested in sci-fi) and a fab, fun writing manual for writing teachers everywhere."
-- Kirkus Reviews, **STARRED REVIEW**

"Jam-packed with both writing advice and jokes... this two-for-one tale is as smart as it is entertaining."
-- Publishers Weekly, **STARRED REVIEW**

What an amazing read, full of bizarre kid logic and fun, and brought to life with the usual care & empathy that the Story Pirates always show to young writers!
-- Patton Oswalt, Emmy and Grammy award winning actor and stand-up comedian

Do you want to laugh? Or get yanked into a nonstop, page-turning adventure? Or be inspired to write your own story? Or maybe you want to eat a double stack cheeseburger with onion rings? Okay, if it’s any of the first three, then this is the bookfor you. If it’s the last one—sorry, we can’t help you there.
-- Adam Gidwitz, best-selling author of A Tale Dark and Grimm and the Newbery Honor-winning The Inquisitor’s Tale

So zany and imaginative, it's no surprise an actual kid inspired it. You'll laugh a lot—and learn a lot, too.
-- Tim Federle, author of Better Nate Than Ever


Author

THE STORY PIRATES are a nationally respected media and education organization founded in 2004 to celebrate the words, ideas, and stories of young people. They've been featured on NBC Nightly News, TODAY, and Sesame Street, and are endorsed by Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien, John Oliver, and more. Visit storypirates.org for more.

JACQUELINE WEST
is an award-winning and bestselling writer for young readers. She lives in Red Wing, Minnesota. Visit jacquelinewest.com for more.

HATEM ALY
is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured in publications around the word, including the Newbury Honor Book The Inquisitor’s Tale. Visit metahatem.com for more. View titles by Story Pirates
© Ash Fox LLC

Geoff Rodkey is the author of the bestselling Tapper Twins comedy series; the Chronicles of Egg adventure trilogy; and The Story Pirates Present: Stuck in the Stone Age, a comic novel bundled with a how-to guide for kids who want to create stories of their own. He’s also the Emmy-nominated screenwriter of such films as Daddy Day Care and RV. Geoff grew up in Freeport, Illinois and began his writing career on his high school newspaper. He now lives in New York City with his wife, three sons, and an easily confused gerbil. Learn more at geoffrodkey.com, and follow Geoff on Twitter at @GeoffRodkey.

View titles by Geoff Rodkey
Hatem Aly is an Egyptian-born illustrator whose work has been featured in multiple publications worldwide. He currently lives in beautiful New Brunswick, Canada, with his wife, son, and more pets than people. His illustrated work includes the Newbery Honor winner The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz, The Unicorn Rescue Society series also by Adam Gidwitz with several amazing contributing authors, The Story Pirates book series with Geoff Rodkey and Jacqueline West, early readers series Meet Yasmin with Saadia Faruqi, How to Feed Your Parents by Ryan Miller, and The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed. Hatem has more upcoming books and projects in the works. You can find him online @metahatem. View titles by Hatem Aly