Movie producer turned author Tracey Hecht is a mother of four and knows the competition that exists between books and technology.
“You know, it’s harder to get a kid to read a book than it is to pick up twenty minutes of a YouTube video or something else,” says Hecht.
It’s why Hecht writes her series to come alive.
“I wrote this series to sound like a movie and it’s sort of like what I would call, the Pixar of books,” says Hecht.
‘The Nocturnals’ is a middle grade book series featuring three unlikely friends. All are nocturnal animals going on adventures together.
Hecht says, “I literally read all about them, study them, look at their videos, and then I let their physiology inform who they are.”
There’s Dawn the fox, a fearless leader.
Tobin is a sweet and often scared pangolin.
Finally, there’s the hilarious sugar glider, Bismark, a self-centered romantic.
And no book would be complete without a villain.
Hecht says, “One of the big things about the series is how we deal with our villains. There’s always a bad guy and the bad guy is always horrible.”
Hecht uses her villains to bring up more serious topics, like bullying. She says her characters are forced to understand the villains on a deeper level and learn why they are the way they are.
She continues, “I think it’s really easy no matter how old you are to sort of blanket statement what someone is or what someone isn’t. But usually we’re more layered and I think that conversation with kids, especially around the age of bullying, is really important.”
But don’t expect it to stay too serious. Hecht says one of the best parts of this series is being able to laugh together while reading.
“It’s fun and that’s one of the best things of reading with your family,” Hecht says.
Tracey Hecht offered up some tips to get kids more interested in reading. She says let them read what they want and read aloud. She says it’s great for a child’s development, helping in vocabulary, analytics and even math.
You can purchase your copy of ‘The Nocturnals’ where books are sold or buy clicking here.
