Willowbrook Assistant Principal writes young adult book series

Willowbrook Assistant Principal Ann Kimpton and her husband, Paul, recently published their third novel, “Summer of Firsts.”

The novel is part of a three-book series for young readers that showcases musicians as the heroes. The series fosters not only a love of music and its foundations, but also of American history, as the early books in the series are set during World War II.

“The reason we started writing these books was because, as a reading teacher, I couldn't find any good books that had strong positive role models who were musicians for students who liked music or played instruments,” Kimpton said. “There were plenty of sports books, but none for the musically inclined.”

Kimpton said the experience of writing the books and sharing them with students has been amazing.

“We have truly enjoyed sharing our passion for music and history with young people throughout the world and then receiving letters about how the students can’t wait for the next book,” she said. “How fantastic it is to have someone in Singapore reading and enjoying our books!”

Along with the three-book series, Kimpton and her husband also have written two curriculum guides for the series, as well as a book called “Grading Musical Excellence” that discusses how best practices in grading should be applied to music.

The Kimptons have many future plans for their series.

“Book No. 4, ‘Stepping Up,’ is definitely on the way,” Kimpton said. “We also are creating a science fiction music mystery called ‘A440’ and working on ‘Teaching Literacy from the Podium: Using the Common Core Standards and 21^st-Century Skills to enhance Musical Performance.’”

Kimpton’s goal is for the series to get young readers excited about music.

“I hope our books help them realize a solid understanding of history will enrich their lives,” Kimpton said. “I also hope the books provide educators ideas of different ways to approach teaching – ones they might not have considered before.”

To buy books from the series, go to www.giamusic.com. The first two books, “Starting Early” and “Dog Tags,” also are available at www.amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and other major bookstores.