A couple months ago I found that S.D. Smith offers the first Green Ember book as a free audiobook on his website (you can find it here).
I’ve seen so many good reviews about the book I decided to download it and upload it to a Yoto MYO card for my kids.
Now, my kids are often picky about the books they listen too and the best way to introduce them to a new book is while driving.
One particular day we were going to be driving a fair amount so I plugged the card in and waited. When we reached our destination my boys were hooked.
They went down the rabbit hole (pun intended) and flew through the audiobooks! (Which we could access through the Libby app and our local library). Now Green Ember has seeped its way into everything they draw, play, and talk about. (For reference my boys are 7 and 5). They’ve talked about it so much their 2 year old sister has picked up names and will run around playing it with them.
I’ll admit I haven’t read the books, I’m trying to read them (in-between my own fantasy novel reads). But so far I’m impressed with the positive influence the story has had on my kids.
There are three sets of stories; the main Green Ember series (4 books), a spin off about the archers, and a spin off that’s an earlier story. Now S.D. Smith is releasing a new book about a beloved character and his origin story.
But not only is he releasing a new book but he’s releasing a video game that goes with the book! The goal is a wholesome video game that is story focused, no paying in game, no addictions, no gimicks. I really like what S.D. Smith said in his newsletter this week about the game, “
| Video games exist. Most kids play them a lot. There aren’t enough games built with love & care for kids. Our game is made with profound love & care for kids. Our game is made with their hearts, souls, and delight in mind. We are not preying on them, but praying for them. We are not trying to extract maximum dollars from them (or you). We aren’t making a game in opposition to reading. We are (audacity alert!) making an integrated game and novel. We think this will lead to MORE reading. We believe more reading of good books is good. We know lots of boys don’t read. Publishers aren’t offering much for boys. The boys would rather play video games. We made a very boy-friendly game and book. We believe this means more boys will read as a result. I wrote a book that is deeply and morally formative for boys. Girls will also dig it. Girls read much more widely than boys. Lots of girls play video games too. (More and more every year.) Girls of the future (and present) need boys to be shaped by moral stories. Civilization needs noble boys. The boy your daughter may someday marry or the neighbor boy is probably playing video games a lot. What if we reached him through our game and that led him on a journey? What if he played the Green Ember game, then read the books, then read better and better ones? What if this game changed his life and your daughter’s life and had a compounding cultural impact for generations? I don’t think kids should spend too much time playing video games. We designed our game to have natural limits. Kids should play outside. Kids should read. Kids should pray and have a devotional life. We are your biggest allies in this stuff. We are not against you. I understand the clarity and safety of hard boundaries. I appreciate it when you understand my heart in this. I love you. I’m such a devoted ally to you and your family. I care deeply and work extremely hard to serve you and your kids. I’m on your side. |
I’m really excited for this. We are a family that plays video games but we are very selective on what is played. To know there’s a game coming out that is wholesome, family-friendly, and meant to encourage boys (specifically) to read is really exciting for me.
They are doing a Kickstarter that runs till May 29 that has a few tiers. You can support their Kickstarter here!
Find the books here:
Green Ember, Ember Falls, Ember Rising, Ember End
The Last Archer, The First Fowler, The Archer’s Cup
The Black Star of Kingston, The Wreck and Rise of Whitson Mariner, Prince Lander and the Dragon War
