In the tradition of EB White, this beautifully illustrated middle school reader will appeal to all ages. Without a hint of pedantic style, Ms. Mayo manages to imbed both scientific content and ageless themes into a fast-moving, emotionally turbulent plot. Mariah, a young `tween newly arrived in a coastal New England town, transforms into a mature young adult as we watch her cope with various challenges. Mariah discovers an old horseshoe crab, Nelson Telson, who communicates to her the wisdom of the ages and ultimately helps her understand and appreciate aquatic and human life as it relates to the health of the planet. Fluidly blending ecology, marine science, history, philosophy and some profound life lessons into Mariah's transformation, this book offers important insights that are accessible to all ages. Nelson Telson is one of those rare books that might inspire struggling or reluctant readers toward further study. I would love to see our local schools acquire this book, as student readers stand to gain an appreciation for the wonders of their coastal ecology. Readers of Nelson Telson will never again view horseshoe crabs as ugly or fail to feel a sense of appreciation and curiosity when spotting one of these now-rare creatures crawling along at the shoreline. Instead, they might even consider attempting to start a conversation with the noble crab.
Middle school science teachers, have you ever been asked, "why do we need to know this?" Well, if you teach ecology, biology, or even Einstein's theory of relativity start your unit with the novel Nelson Telson: The Story of a True Blue Blood. Author Heidi Mayo infuses a fantasy world of talking animals and time shifting travel with well-researched science about the importance of conserving and protecting our planet's natural resources. Middle school students will immediately identify with the shy main character Mariah who feels tormented by a mean teacher and a sneaky-evil cousin. As she learns from the wisdom of the animals her viewpoints of both the natural world and the people around her evolve, so that she sees herself and the world around her in new and wonderful ways. As a Consulting Teacher of Reading I highly recommend this book be added to your classroom library or teaching text set.
The 2016 Readers' Favorite International Book Award Contest featured thousands of contestants from over a dozen countries.
Readers' Favorite has become the fastest growing book review and award contest site on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the “Best Websites for Authors” and “Honoring Excellence” awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.
In addition to reviewing for some of the biggest names in the literary industry, as well as the first time independent author, they host a respected award contest which features entries from new authors to NYT best-sellers, as well as celebrities like Jim Carrey and Henry Winkler.
“Readers’ Favorite is proud to announce that "Nelson Telson; The Story of a True Blue Blood" by Heidi Mayo is a Gold Medal Winner in the Children - Grade 4th-6th category in our 2016 International Book Award Contest.”
A must-read for humans of all ages, this middle grade novel grows up before your very eyes. Painfully shy and lonely, eleven-year-old Mariah Miller hates being a human; she’d rather be an animal so she wouldn’t have to go to school and deal with mean old Mrs. Tarbox and her nasty cousin Travis who has invaded her life. Enchantment abounds when she finds a magic spearhead on the beach that allows her to talk to a wise old horseshoe crab and a host of other animals. Her father becomes seriously ill, and throughout her trials in the real world, she is often surprised by the unpredictable power of the spearhead. As she travels through time and space, and listens to the wisdom of creatures and people, Mariah makes leaps in her own personal growth, discovers the interdependence of all living things, learns how perspective creates reality, and what it really means to be human.
Heidi Mayo lives in Plymouth, MA where she makes art and teaches fine art to students of all ages. Her love of the local shoreline and the natural world that sustains us is the inspiration for “Nelson Telson.” Heidi and some learned colleagues are currently developing a spiral, middle school curriculum, “Teaching Nelson Telson” using the novel as a springboard for a myriad of fun, creative thinking activities.
“Nelson Telson is a well-written and wise story that looks beneath our views of the everyday and finds a perceptive truth and beauty about life and relationships. And there is something very special about a book that can convey that to children at the same time as telling a good and entertaining story. Recommended" Hilary Hawkes for Readers' Favorite
