Starbell Books NEWS
Last update: 1/29/07
This section contains the latest news and information regarding Starbell Books, the Castle Rose Adventures series, author Kevin Franz, illustrator Marilyn Stigler and more. The NEWEST items are always added at the TOP of the list. For downloadable News Releases, Author's Bios, and other information, click here.
1-24-07: Mysterious Museum Release Date! - Starbell Books today announced that the official release date for the The Mysterious Museum will be FEBRUARY 10.
1-20-07: Return to Madison Elementary! - On Friday, April 20, 2007, Author Kevin Franz will return to Madison Elementary School in West Allis, Wisconsin. Last year, Mr. Franz conducted a wildly successful Author In Residence Program at Madison, leading many of the students to design and write their own fantasy adventure stories.
1-16-07: New Event for the Calendar - Kevin Franz will be appearing at the Joliet School District 86 Family Reading Event, Saturday, April 21st, 2007.
12-18-06: Upcoming Events Announced! - Kevin Franz announced today several new events for 2007:
- Friday, March 2, 2007 - Maple Avenue School, Sussex, Wisconsin
- Thursday, March 8, 2007 - Family Reading Night, River View Elementary School, Plainfield, Illinois
- Saturday, March 10, 2007 - Joliet School District
86 Young Author's Event, Joliet, Illinois
11-24-06: Mysterious Museum Cover Released! - Starbell Books today released the official cover artwork for The Mysterious Museum, Book 5 in the Castle Rose Adventures.
11-17-06: Creekside Elementary School Visit - Kevin Franz spoke today in front of the more than 1100 students of Creekside Elementary in Plainfield, IL.
11-16-06: SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER, St. Dominic Parish and School Family Reading Night - Kevin Franz was selected as the special guest speaker for the St. Dominic Parish and School Family Reading Night. Mr. Franz spoke to the students during the day, then gave a second presentation during the Reading Night festivities.
8-12-06: Manteno Elementary School Visit - Responding to a request from teacher Kim Kane, Kevin Franz spoke today to the students of Manteno Elementary. The enthusiastic crowd of 400+ students set a new Starbell Books record by purchasing nearly 400 Castle Rose books (all of which were individually signed by Mr. Franz!)
6-18-06: Book 5 Officially Announced - While previews and other early material has been released, today marks the official announcement of Book 5 in the Castle Rose Adventures Series. The book is scheduled for a late 2006/early 2007 release, and will be titled The Mysterious Museum.
5-15-06: Westlawn Elementary School Visit - Kevin Franz visited Cedarburg, WI today and spoke to the students of Westlawn Elementary School. This appearence by Mr. Franz was donated by Starbell Books to the Southern Wisconson Fragile-X Foundation, an amazing organization in search of a cure for children with Fragile-X Syndrome.
5-9-06: Eagle Point Elementary School Visit - In a final National Book Week appearence, Kevin Franz visited Eagle Point Elementary for the first time. Nicki Clegg and the staff created a wonderful event, with more than 1000 students participating in the workshop!
4-11-06: Meadow View Elementary School Visit - The official school of the Princess Sisters! Yes, Meadow View Elementary in Plainfield, IL is the school where Rachel and Lisa (the inspiration for the Princess Sisters) spent their early years, and now Mr. Franz has formally presented his amazing workshop for the entire student body! What a great visit to an old favorite!
4-7-06: Wesmere Elementary School Visit - Donna Timmermans and the staff at Wesmere Elementary in Plainfield celebrated National Library Week with a visit from Kevin Franz. More than 1000 students attended the presentations.
4-6-06: A Return to Lincoln Elementary - Kevin Franz returned to one of his first and most popular speaking locations - Lincoln Elementary in Plainfield, IL. Cathy Panozzo and the staff at Lincoln ensured that it was a spectacular event, and Mrs. Kelly's class even created signs and posters for the day!
4-5-06: Liberty Elementary School Visit - One of the newest schools in Plainfield, IL welcomed author Mr. Franz as the students of Liberty Elementary enthusiastically participated in a Creative Writing Workshop. Lucia Dilg did a fantastic job of coordinating the event!
4-4-06: River View Elementary School Visit - Kevin Franz kicked off a series of Creative Writing Workshops with a successful visit to River View Elementary. Thanks to Kay Carter and all at River View for a fantastic event!
3-20-06: Author in Residence Program! Madison Elementary School in West Allis, Wisconsin has chosen Kevin Franz to be their Author-in-Residence. Mr. Franz will visit the school a total of four times, helping each student write their very own fantasy story. For information on the Author-in-Residence program, click here.
3-17-06: Library Sponsored Visits Announced! - In conjunction with the upcoming Nation Library Week (April 2 - 8), Kevin Franz of Starbell Books and the Plainfield Public Library will be sponsoring Creative Writing Workshops at the following schools:
- April 4 - River View Elementary School
- April 5 - Liberty Elementary School
- April 6 - Lincoln Elementary School
- April 7 - Wesmere Elementary School
- April 11 - Meadow View Elementary School
3-10-06: More Wisconsin Visits! - Kevin Franz spoke to hundreds of potential young authors during his recent visits to two schools in Wisconsin. The school visits were:
- First Immanuel Lutheran School, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
- St. Paul Lutheran School, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Thanks to Bob & Jean Stocker, and Jeff & Marcy Pipkorn for arranging these events!
2-14-06: Starbell Books and Plainfield Public Library Team Up! - In conjunction with the upcoming Nation Library Week (April 2 - 8), Kevin Franz of Starbell Books and the Plainfield Public Library have teamed up for a series of sponsored events at Plainfield schools. More information on specific dates will follow.
11-2-05: More Girl Scout Appearances Announced! - Kevin Franz announced two more appearances at the Girl Scout Trailways Council. The new dates are:
- Tuesday, January 24, 2006, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
- Thursday, January 26, 2006, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
10-29-05: Halloween Appearance! - Kevin Franz appeared at the Plainfield Public Library in conjunction with the library's Halloween festivities. Mr. Franz spoke about the traditions of Halloween, and also read excerpts from The Halloween Haunting.
9-29-05: FREE Visit, John R Tibbott Elementary! - Kevin Franz spoke to the students of John R Tibbott Elementary in Bolingbrook, IL. Tibbott was the lucky winning school of a FREE Visit giveaway sponsored by Starbell Books.
9-21-05: The Halloween Haunting IS OUT! - The Halloween Haunting is now back from the printer and it looks great! Click HERE to place your order!
9-16-05: More on The Halloween Haunting! - With the release of The Halloween Haunting on September 23, here is some handy links:
- Click here to place an order
- Click here to read the official News Release for The Halloween Haunting.
- Click here to read an excerpt from the book
8-20-05: OFFICIAL BOOK 4 Release Date Announced! The Halloween Haunting - Book 4 of the Castle Rose Adventure Series - will be officially release on SEPTEMBER 23, 2005.
8-7-05: Upcoming Appearances! Starbell Books announces several upcoming author appearances by Kevin Franz:
- Saturday, October 1, 11:00 - 3:00, Regional Author's Fair, Joliet Public Library, Joliet, Illinois
- Saturday, October 29, 11:00 - 12:00, Halloween Haunting Reading and Book Signing, Plainfield Public Library, Plainfield, Illinois
7-27-05: Award Luncheon! Kevin Franz was among those receiving Certificates of Recognition from Illinois House of Representatives House Republican Leader Tom Cross during a luncheon at the Plainfield Public Library.
7-23-05: Story Time! Kevin Franz participated as a volunteer "guest reader" for the Plainfield Public Library Story Time program. Mr. Franz read several selections following the "Superhero" theme, and then the children created a superhero mask during craft time. A lot of fun was had by all involved.
6-8-05: Young Authors Publishing Workshop! Kevin Franz spoke to an enthusiastic group of young authors at the Plainfield Public Library. The topic of the discussion was "Publishing Basics," and Mr. Franz provided a solid introduction to the process of getting your writing in print.
5-25-05: Book 4 Cover Art Released! The cover art for Book 4 of the Castle Rose Adventures--The Halloween Haunting--has been finalized. Here is what it looks like:
The Halloween Haunting is scheduled for a September 2005 release.
5-10-05: PTO TODAY Show! Kevin Franz and Starbell Books will be meeting and greeting hundreds of Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) officers at the PTO TODAY show in Illinois. Mr. Franz will be reserving Creative Writing Workshop dates for the upcoming school year. Autographed books will also be available.
3-3-05: Career Reading Night! Kevin Franz was one of the special guests at the Irene King Elementary School Career Reading Night. Mr. Franz led eight sessions of eager students and adults through the writing and publishing process. He also read from his books, signed autographs and personalized copies of his books.
3-2-05: Family Reading Night! Kevin Franz was one of the guest readers this evening at the Lincoln Elementary School Family Reading Night. Mr. Franz read one of his stories from the Castle Rose Adventures, posed for pictures and signed copies of his books.
2-15-05: Book 4 Title and Release Date Announced! The 4th book in the Castle Rose Adventures series will be called The Halloween Haunting. The spooky story is scheduled for an October 2005 release - just in time for Halloween!
1-26-05: Author in Residence Program! Today author Kevin Franz began his work with Walker Elementary School in West Allis, Wisconsin as their Author-in-Residence. Mr. Franz will visit the school a total of five time, helping each student write their very own fantasy story.
12-29-04: BOOK 3 is RELEASED! The third book in the Castle Rose Adventure Series - The Affaire at the Faire - was officially released today.
11-5-04: New Review Available: The web site www.BookIdeas.com reviewed Books 1 and 2 of the Castle Rose Adventure series. Into the Hidden Lands and The Underwater City each received 3 stars!
10-14-04: Web Site Updates! The Starbell Books web site (www.StarbellBooks.com), and the Princess Sisters web site (www.Princess-Sisters.com) have each undergone a major update in preparation for the release of Book 3 - The Affaire at the Faire.
10-4-04: Illinois Library Association Authors Luncheon: Among the honored authors at the 2004 ILA luncheon was Castle Rose creator Kevin Franz. The luncheon featured nearly 300 librarians and guests from throughout the state, and Seattle author Nancy Pearl was the key note speaker.
9-13-04: Joliet Authors Fair - October 23, 2004! Kevin Franz will be one of nearly 50 local authors appearing at this year's Joliet Authors Fair at the Joliet Public Library (Black Road Branch). Mr. Franz will be available from 11:00 - 3:00 signing books and meeting readers.
9-12-04: Kevin Franz to be "Guest Author!" Walker Elementary School in West Allis, Wisconsin has selected Mr. Franz to be their Guest Author for 2005. Each year, Walker chooses an author to work individually with students, leading up to a "Young Authors Night," which this year will be held March 22, 2005.
9-10-04: Updated release date for The Affaire at the Faire! With the artwork nearing completion and the manuscript out for final review and edit, we can now come closer to pinpointing the release date of Book 3. If all goes according to plan, The Affaire at the Faire will be released in December, 2004.
9-03-04: Library Wholesaler chosen! Starbell Books will be using Book Wholesalers, Inc. (BWI) to handle all library sales. BWI, which is based in Lexington, Kentucky, is a major provider of books to public libraries across the country. Visit www.BWIbooks.com for information.
8-29-04: Into the Hidden Lands goes into Second Printing! Book 1 of the Castle Rose Adventures - Into the Hidden Lands - has now officially sold out of the First Printing, less than six months after release. All books sold from now on will be Second Editions. Let's hope that all of those First Printings will soon become collector's items!
8-24-04: Honored Author! Kevin Franz will be an "Honored Author" at the 2004 Illinois Library Association convention. The luncheon will take place October 3, at the Navy Pier convention center in downtown Chicago. Thanks to the Plainfield Public Library for sponsoring Mr. Franz at this event!
8-15-04: Title Chosen! The title for the third book in the Castle Rose Adventures series has been decided! The new book will be called "The Affaire at the Faire" and the scheduled release date is November 2004.
Press Releases and other Downloadable Files:
Official
Author's Bio
Press Release for Book 1
Press Release for Book 2
Promo Pack
Book Information Sheet
Speaking Engagement Information
Sheet
Copyright© 2004, Starbell Books
