My name is Michael Moorehead. When I was in the second grade I wrote

The Student from Zombie Island. It wasn’t an assignment, it was a thank you

gift for my teacher, Ms. Lujan (she’s the teacher in the story, by the way).

 

A few years later, on summer break between the fourth

and fifth grades, I asked my mom how I could get my

story published. I figured she would know the answer,

because she is a newspaper and magazine writer and

editor. She told me I should polish my story and submit it

to several different publishers. So I did as she suggested.

Much to mum’s amazement (not mine though, I always

fully expected to be published), Little Five Star

(Five Star Publications) published my book.

 

I am the youngest author to ever win the Reader Views Best Children’s

Book Award and the Glyph Award, which I received in 2008.

 

I’m now 13 and I travel across the country, visiting

schools, conventions, bookstores and libraries to talk

about rumors, writing, publishing and “following your

dream.” I am also a dedicated supporter of Kids Can

Publish University www.KidsCanPublishUniversity.com

 

I live in Tempe, Arizona (USA) with my parents, dog

and two cats. I’m busy writing other stories and I also

enjoy hiking, playing video games and Boy Scouts.

I’m currently a Star Class Scout.

 

My favorite animal is the polar bear, and

I hope to one day become an environmentalist.

I’ve heard about how the polar bears need help

and so I want to stop global warming and save

these majestic white creatures from extinction.


















The new kid at school has yellow fangs,

dragon-like claws and fiery breath!

 

New book takes us into the wild world of rumors

 
Bust ’em Up Bill (nobody knows his real name yet) is coming
to school and already the rumors are flying.
 
The Student from Zombie Island: Conquering the Rumor Monster,
reveals what can happen when we make things up.
 
The Student From Zombie Island shows us just how crazy
it can become when we make assumptions, listen to
gossip, and spread rumors. By the time Bust ’em Up Bill
arrives in the classroom, everyone is prepared to take
cover. And why wouldn’t they? They’ve already decided
that he must be the most frightening, most horrid kid
to ever show up in an elementary school.
 
Along with my humorous writing, the lively and captivating
illustrations by artist Kathy Parks help convey the story’s message
that rumors can quickly get out of control and seldom do they
resemble the truth once they becomes known.










The last full week in September is National Stamp Out
Rumors Week to stop rumors in their tracks, whether
they are innocently spread or intentionally started. Learn
how untrue rumors can be personally and emotionally
hurtful, physically damaging to one's livelihood, and
can constitute verbal bullying.
 Participation is FREE!!!!!





RUMOR RESISTANT CHALLENGE
Teachers whose classrooms agree to take the challenge receive a free print out of the Zombie Island Curriculum for grades 2-4, an abridged PDF version of The Student From Zombie Island to use in the classroom during Stamp Out Rumors Week and 30 bookmarks.

Classrooms that successfully complete the challenge are placed in a
drawing for either 30 Rumor Resistant wristbands or a Zombie Island
DVD that features Michael Moorehead discussing his book and
answering the most often asked questions.










Here's a News Report on Winning my Awards

CHILD AUTHOR EDGES OUT ADULTS

TO CAPTURE MOONBEAM CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD

 

TEMPE, AZ (Nov. 4, 2008) – A third-place bronze medal may

not seem like an overly huge honor, but when it’s captured

by a 13 year old author competing in a national contest

against adult writers, it’s something extremely special – and

so it is for Michael Moorehead, the award-winning author of

“The Student From Zombie Island: Conquering the Rumor

Monster,” which recently won the Bronze Moonbeam Children’s

Book award for Best First Book in October 2008.

“I’m really astonished and appreciative to have won such a

prestigious award at such a young age,” beams Moorehead.

But, this isn’t the first award the young author garnered

for his beautifully illustrated, humorous picture book. He is

also the first place recipient of the 2008 Reader Views

Annual Literary Award for Best Children’s Book for Ages

7 and Older, and he garnered the 2008 Glyph Award for

Best Cover Design.

Michael will accept his award in Denver in January at the American Library

Association’s Midwinter Conference, January 23-28 at the Colorado Convention

Center, during which the Newbery and Caldecott medals will be announced.

Michael wrote The Student From Zombie Island as a gift

for his second-grade teacher who he says “inspired him to

read and write.” The book tells the story of a boy, Bust

‘em Up Bill, starting at a new school and the wild rumors

that circulate about him before he even sets foot in the classroom.

Michael's book is available in hardcover at places including Barnes & Noble,

Borders, Amazon.com, Target.com, ZombieIslandBooks.com,

KidsCanPublish.com, indiebound.org and FiveStarPublications.com.

 

To book a Zombie Island or Kids Can Publish presentation, call 480-940-8182.