Volume 6- Issue 10, October 2007
Published by Llumina Press

Llumina Press

Contact Person: Robyn Benson

Address: 7915 W. McNab Rd.; Tamarac, FL 33321

Telephone:  (866) 229-9244          Fax:  (954) 726-0902
Email: robyn@llumina.com 
URL: http://www.llumina.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Building Character Through Literature

Fort Lauderdale, October 2007: Educators and parents alike face the challenge of raising children of good character.  Many believe that many of our society’s problems could  be alleviated if  we were a nation of citizens of character, possessing such traits as self-discipline, responsibility, and good judgment. Former U.S. Secretary of Education, William Bennett, tells us, “If we want our children to possess the traits of character we most admire, we need to teach them what those traits are.”  But how to do this?    Many educators feel that literature is an  effective medium for educating children, and that fictional characters have the potential to teach positive character traits.

Mike Duffy and His Adventures with the World’s Smallest Person - Sworn to Secrecy is just such a book.  Author Peter Vogel, a father of three daughters with a gift for storytelling, uses the exciting adventures of an average elementary school boy to teach important lessons in life.

Mike Duffy is a fifth grader attending Harbortown Elementary. Life for this ten-year old is much like any other’s. He enjoys playing with his friends, he complains about schoolwork, and he tries his best to dodge chores given by his overbearing mother.

Then a mysterious package arrives on the Duffy doorstep. Stowed away in the box's contents is a three-inch tall man. This "Minutian" slips out unnoticed and seeks refuge in Mike's room. Soon Demetrius (the world's smallest person) is wounded on a mousetrap, and Mike tries to help.

Mike has to keep the tiny man a secret. Demetrius needs another thing from Mike—a way back to his homeland. And Mike, with his knack for getting in jams, needs help too!

The Mike Duffy stories are colorful and they move. But there is more to Mike Duffy than just getting into trouble. Just below the surface are themes like loyalty, courage, friendship, persistence, and strength in family.