T a m L y k e n s author for middle grade readers

Ardith

Ardith’s story continues, now at 16, and set on changing her world’s view on what women are allowed to do, finding fandom and success in the male-dominated games of horse-racing. But Ardith’s dreams are dramatically interrupted when her father is jailed, her mother defamed, and all look to Ardith to take the throne. Ardith joins a team of unlikely heroes and sets out on a quest trying to escape what every other princess would want.

Ambassador

Right out of high school, Lizzie James and her father Garner pull into the small town of Beckett, Massachusetts. Lizzie quickly secures a job at the local Christmas Tree farm, then goes to the one general store in town to see if her next assignment is the clerk behind the counter.

Racing against prophetic time and a raging enemy, Lizzie and Garner must convince bored teen, Eli, he, like them, is an Ambassador of the loved but absent King Redimere. Oh, and he can also talk to animals and call on invisible agents in a language he can speak but won’t understand.

Below the surface of the battle to find and convince other individuals of these fantastical identities (with only a town name to go on), Lizzie continues to grieve the abandonment of her mother. Tension squeezes harder when Garner is kidnapped and when Lizzie shows up to rescue him, she’s horrified to discover it’s her mother leading the enemy squad.

Other Dreamy Things

(Author’s Note: Much of the following has been reprinted from a similar report for a class at Northwest University, Kirkland, Washington, 2021.)

PARABLE PARK Digital Magazine @ www.parablepark.com (link temporarily disabled).

Vision

To provide children and pre-teen readers with respite, encouragement, thrill, a listening ear, compassion, understanding, validation, and fellowship.

Mission

Helping readers reach their full potential by educating and inspiring young people to understand themselves and their value, while introducing readers to their Intelligent Design: made with love and purpose; with the hope they can then live with the joy of being loved and fulfilled.

Demographics

Offering literary stimulation for children, ages 5-12, around the world.

Diversity

To maintain diversity and authenticity, PP will hire the appropriate ethnic writers for (especially) the diverse Parable Park Kids, delivering accurate representation and relatability. Careful construction of the personalities and consistency in their behaviors in stories will incorporate the Myers-Briggs personalities rubric.

(Original art, by Sarah Keaggy, contracted specifically for Parable Park)

Activities within Parable Park for Readers

• WRITE letters to Ruth Koala (read and answered by PP staff).
• WATCH & HEAR stories read aloud via YouTube video channel.
• Weekly/On-going original short stories, gathered by Lori & Keet the Lorikeets.
• Novel chapters, kept in Fredric Fox’s library.
• Poetry to read at Karson the Koala’s tree.
• Writing Contest every fortnight. The winner’s story will be displayed in Parable Park, including the story illustrated by a professional illustrator/artist.
• Original Music to listen to from Henry Heron’s Orchestral Tree.
• Weekly, Adventurous Activity Challenges drilled out by Polly Possum.

Pre-teen antics with the Parable Park Kids (humans). Multi-ethnic, both-genders, multi-personalities, to offer varied inclusion and relatability. (Ethnicities originally featured, but more to come: Armenian, German, Australian, and Kenyan