Dear Parents,

  Your child has just completed the novel "Elephant Run" by Roland Smith!  We also had a visit from the author.  Mr. Smith told the students about the research process he used to get information about Burma, now Myanmar, before writing the book.  He even traveled to Myanmar to see and experience the country to gather details.

  I would encourage you to talk with your child about this book.  It contained historical details about the Japanese invasion, as well as geographical and demographical details about the country and people of Burma/Myanmar. 

  Gulf Middle will be engaging in the Summer Reading Program again this year.  Your child might be interested in reading one of the many novels written by Roland Smith.  They include:  "Cryptid Hunters" which is about a young boy who goes looking for his father and hunts for the egg(s) of a dinosaur considered to be extinct;  "Thunder Cave" and "Jaguar" are about a young boy whose father is a field biologist in Africa.  When his mother dies unexpectedly he goes to Africa to find his father and has many adventures; "I.Q. Independence Hall" follows the story of a young boy and his new step-sister, who get involved in international espionage in order to find her mother, who is presumed dead.

  To find more books by  Roland Smith (and there are many!!) go to the Scholastic Books website (www.scholastic.com). You can also go to www.IQtheSeries.com . 

   As always, it has been my pleasure to be your child's reading teacher this year.

 Nadine Prince