Read the full review HERE
Read the full review HERE
Who has ever heard of a bird refusing to fly?
This isn't your usual coming-of-age tale. Steven Sparrow, a young bird with plenty to say, shocks his family by declaring he'll walk instead of fly. Yeah, that's right—a bird choosing to walk. And he's pretty stubborn about it too.
Steven has always been the family entertainer. While his siblings are stuck doing chores, he's busy charming audiences with grand stories. But his family isn't laughing when Flying Day arrives and Steven refuses to leave the nest by air. His decision sends shockwaves through the community. Walking sparrow? Who's ever heard of that?
Steven quickly learns that being earth-bound isn’t so easy when he encounters a frog with an attitude, a bird feeder run by snobby scrub jays, and a blood-thirsty cat. But Steven’s stubbornness keeps him hopping forward, determined to prove everyone wrong. He’s convinced he’s doing something legendary—at least that's what he tells himself.
Steven must also face hard truths about himself. Sure, he's clever and charming, but is that enough when he’s lost and alone? He meets Mouse, another creature who’s seen trouble and survived. Their friendship might be Steven’s best chance at making it on foot.
Steven Sparrow & the Shade of a Great Tree captures the struggle we all face trying to fit in or stand out, and what can happen when your headstrong nature puts you at odds with your community—and even your family. Can Steven stick to his decision and survive, or will he finally learn the value of compromise?
This modern fable is full of humor and heart. Steven’s snarky wit will have readers chuckling and shaking their heads. But beneath the laughs is a powerful message about the choices we make and the courage it takes to face the truth of their consequences.
The Cup Makers Guild is a quick and engaging must read for every young person on their way to high school, every current high schooler looking for a boost, and every graduate trying to figure out what happened…and what they can do about it.
Destined to be a modern classic, The Cup Makers Guild is a fantastical narrative poem in metered rhyme that inspires young people to move beyond dreaming of the places they'll go and to start developing the growth mindset necessary to make their dreams reality. It's a timeless message of how the life we all desire begins with the development of self (self awareness, self regulation, and self responsibility), and how the sooner we figure that out, the better.
Informed by ancient texts like Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and inspired by modern classics like Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss, The Cup Makers Guild integrates the wisdom of Stoicism into a fantastical tale for the young reader on their journey to developing a philosophy of life. Perceiving the challenges of high school as an opportunity to strengthen character frames this important life period as a Hero's Journey. Recent research confirms that this approach leads to improved life outcomes.
A brief tale, A Seat in the Back, is included as a preface to The Cup Makers Guild. It takes a light look at a heavy topic, following two of the recently departed as they attend their own funerals.
High school is boot camp for life, where teenagers learn how to be independent and thriving adults, yet an alarming number are failing to confidently transition into the world. Psychologists are calling it Peter Pan Syndrome because of their reluctance to grow up. In Japan they’re calling them hikikomori, the modern day hermits. So why are there so many twenty-something, hoodie-clad shut-ins?
In Helping Teens Succeed in High School & Life for Parents & Teachers, Matt Jones reveals how these crucial four years are an intentionally crafted Hero’s Journey that for decades has forged teenagers into the young adults the world needs them to be. Unfortunately, it’s a quest many cellphone and sugar addicted teens are failing to embark on, instead retreating to their virtual worlds and darkened bedrooms. Drawing on twenty years of classroom experience, Matt decodes the playbook utilized by the most successful students and their mentors to master The 10 Challenges of High School that are specifically designed to transform teenagers into flourishing adults. Parents and teachers are given the proven, field-tested strategies they need to help their emerging adults step up and grow up. Ignoring the playbook is a one-way ticket to Never Never Land.
At times informative, sobering, and painfully humorous, Helping Teens Succeed in High School & Life for Parents & Teachers is a necessary companion for any parent or teacher guiding teenagers on their quest to become confident, capable adults.
Since 2000, Matthew has been an educator. He has worked in both public and private institutions, in grades six through twelve, and is currently a high school Health, Driver's Education, and Geography teacher. He has a B.A. in Theatre Arts (Performance & Directing, Long Beach State '94), and an M.A. in Teaching (Multicultural & Social Justice Education, Fresno State '15).
Prior to education, he was the founder/operator of the party rentals business Jump for Less on Oahu, a founding member of the Elephant Off Main theater company in Los Angeles, and the lead singer and bass player in The Neighbor Lees, a post-punk band. He also played and coached volleyball, was a security guard at Knott's Berry Farm, and worked in the circulation department of the Midweek newspaper on Oahu.
He loves going to concerts, watching movies, and collecting vinyl records and Reyn Spooner aloha shirts.
During the pandemic, he and his wife Laurie co-hosted the Teacher Saves World! podcast. They were married in 1999 (Kailua, Hawaii), have two children in college, and live and work at the same high school in Tulare, California.
instagram: instagram.com/writermdj
email: mdj@matthewdalejones.com
