BESTSELLING AUTHOR NICHOLAS SPARKS WINS 2013 FAMILY CHOICE AWARD FOR NOVEL LEARNING SERIES™ BOOKS

Winning Titles Were NLS Editions of FRANKENSTEIN, DEAR JOHN, and A BEND IN THE ROAD

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks’s Novel Learning Series (NLS) has won a Family Choice Award for Frankenstein, Dear John, and A Bend in the Road, Grand Central Publishing announced today. The Family Choice Awards recognize the best in children’s and parenting products. Now in its 18th year, The Family Choice Awards is one of the most coveted, family-friendly consumer award programs in the nation.

The Novel Learning Series was launched in 2012 with four of Sparks’s books—The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, The Last Song, and Three Weeks with My Brother—and was expanded this past summer with three more titles for teenage readers. The three new titles were Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Sparks’s own Dear John and A Bend in the Road, all Family Choice Award-winners.

All seven books in the Novel Learning Series include the full text of the novel or memoir along with study guides after every few chapters, and “question and explanation” sections, essay prompts and sample essays for students’ enrichment and understanding.

Regarding the Novel Learning Series, Sparks says, “I was delighted to expand the options in the Novel Learning Series this summer, and my hope is that by introducing teenagers to these stories in a manner that is fun, illuminating, and educational, we will encourage them to read more for pleasure throughout the year and for the rest of their lives. I am thrilled to have been acknowledged by the Family Choice Awards for all three recent additions to the NLS series.”

“The Novel Leaning Series is truly resonating with educators and students across America, and the endorsement from The Family Choice Awards further underscores this,” says Jamie Raab, President and Publisher, Grand Central Publishing. “Studies show that students who read for enjoyment become more proficient readers, and that motivated readers tend to read more, leading to improved vocabulary and comprehension skills. If we are able to excite more young people about reading, while also introducing them to popular and enduring works such as Frankenstein, Dear John, A Bend in The Road, and The Notebook, that is a winning combination.”

Each student guide in the Novel Learning Series includes the full book’s text interspersed with learning guides. The NLS also addresses the needs of teachers: each title in the series is aligned with the ELA Common Core State Standards and fulfills protocol requirements used by almost every state.

Special features included in the books:

• Questions and explanations about the text after every few chapters, which check comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and usage, style and characterization and literary terms
• Standard test questions format style throughout, which to help students prepare for standardized tests with SAT- and ACT-style questions using vocabulary and grammar from the books
• Step-by-step sample writing prompts and essays and evaluation rubrics which guide students through the elements of an above-average, average and below-average essay – and explain why

The Novel Learning Series provides students and teachers with seven compelling, dramatic books packed with additional resources that help with the development of critical thinking and comprehension skills. The titles in the series are available wherever books are sold.

ABOUT THE CREATORS

Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, including his most recent novel The Longest Ride, which debuted at #1, with over 90 million copies in print worldwide. Eight of his novels have been adapted into major motion pictures. Sparks is a household name to a generation of teens who have grown up devouring his books and eagerly seeing his films upon release.

Micah Sparks has worked extensively with John Wiley and Sons, publishers of CliffsNotes, and has spent years working with English teachers across the country. Their passion for education and student enrichment led him to develop the concept of integrated learning, the foundation for the development of the Novel Learning Series.

Rich Wasowski has been teaching high school English for nearly twenty years, has written model curriculum for the Ohio Department of Education and has served as a content-area consultant for Reading & Writing across the Curriculum: STEPS for the Common Core.

THE NOVEL LEARNING SERIES:

A WALK TO REMEMBER: 978-1-4555-0856-3; $14.99, PB;

THE NOTEBOOK: 978-1-4555-1559-2; $14.99, PB

THREE WEEKS WITH MY BROTHER: 978-1-4555-1561-5; $14.99, PB

THE LAST SONG: 978-1-4555-1560-8; $14.99, PB

DEAR JOHN: 978-1-4555-2944-5; $14.99, PB

A BEND IN THE ROAD: 978-1455529421; $14.99, PB

FRANKENSTEIN: 978-1455529438; $14.99, PB

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Angela Baggetta

212-705-4221

abaggetta@goldbergmcduffie.com

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