Category Archives: Books

Here s a list of books written for teachers that are worth reading. Enjoy!

Your students would enjoy reading Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles

Posted on by

If you’re looking for some reading material for your students,  I suggest my most recent book, Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles, which is now available in both paperback and ebook versions from amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. This is my first novel for young people. But the volume has also garnered praise from adults who have read it and loved it!

In the book, I have created a charming cast of animal characters and their human companions who live in or visit the local dog park. Each event which takes place holds an essential message about kindness, community, inclusion, and personal responsibility. There are also messages of anti-bullying and anti-prejudice.

In addition, the narrative includes commentary about how young people can appreciate nature, even if they live in a suburban environment. I explore themes related to the migratory patterns of Canada geese, the natural instincts of the animal characters, and the progression of the seasons.

The dog park described in the novel, Vila Borba, really exists! It is located not far from my home in Chino Hills, California. And depicted on the cover of the book are two of my very own pets! The little white terrier mix on the front cover is Kurby, whose rescue story is described in Chapter 4. (In the book the Kurby character is named Bowser.) The elegant black and white tuxedo pictured on the back cover is my own ladycat, Licorice.

This 156-page book would make a terrific book for your students to read, or for you to read aloud to your students! Order your copy today!

Terry Lee Marzell to make author appearance at Paws in the Park

Posted on by

Author Terry Lee Marzell and her fur baby, Kurby, will make an author appearance at this year’s Paws in the Park event at Vila Borba Dog Park in Chino Hills on Sat., Sept. 6, from 9:00-11:00 am. Photo credit: Hal Marzell

Terry Lee Marzell will be making an author appearance at the Paws in the Park event to be held on Sat., Sept. 6, 2025, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am at Vila Barb Dog Park located at 17001 Amadora Dr, Chino Hills, CA 91709. At the event, Terry will feature her book, Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles.

The novel shares the story of Bowser, based on the true-life experience of Kurby, the little terrier mix that Terry and her husband, Hal, adopted after he was rescued from an abusive former owner. Their fur baby is even depicted on the front cover of the book!

But that’s not all the book is about. The narrative features a charming cast of animal characters and their human companions who live in or visit the dog park. Each event which takes place holds an essential message about kindness, community, inclusion, and personal responsibility. There are also messages about anti-bullying and anti-prejudice.

In addition, the narrative includes commentary about how young people can appreciate nature, even if they live in a suburban environment. For example, Marzell explores themes related to the migratory patterns of Canada geese, the natural instincts of the animal characters, and the progression of the seasons.

Come to the Paws in the Park event to meet Terry Lee Marzell and Kurby! Copies of the book will be available for purchase and signing. The book is also available in both paperback and ebook versions online from amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. See you at the park!

Sugarcane Academy shows how to teach children evacuated following catastrophic weather events

Posted on by
As Americans mark the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we understand that citizens of New Orleans are still in the process of rebuilding their lives and their communities.

As I usually do during times such as these, I ask myself questions about what the teachers were doing during times of upheaval like this. With regards to Hurricane Katrina specifically, I am reminded of a book I read which described a remarkable teacher who opened a school for the children of evacuees following the catastrophic weather event.

When surging flood waters from Hurricane Katrina forced thousands of families to flee from their homes, New Orleans residents had their minds more on survival than on whether their children would be missing school. But when a group of evacuee parents who landed in New Iberia, Louisiana, realized they would not be returning to their homes any time soon, they realized they had to find a strategy to help their children cope with their enforced and unexpected exile. They pooled their financial resources and hired a fellow refugee, teacher Paul Reynaud, to establish a one-room school for their children in an abandoned office building. The story furnishes valuable lessons for dealing with examples of nature’s fury.

The book is entitled Sugarcane Academy: How a New Orleans Teacher and His Storm-Struck Students Created a School to Remember.The author of this intriguing true story is journalist Michael Tisserand, and the volume was published in 2007 by Harcourt. You can find the book on amazon.com.

For other intriguing stories about remarkable teachers in America’s sometimes turbulent history, check out my book Chalkboard Champions. You will find it on the web site for Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Unleashed makes a terrific story for your students to read

Posted on by

Author Terry Lee Marzell and her fur baby, Kurby, share Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles Photo Credit: Hal Marzell

The upcoming school year is a terrific time to encourage your students to pick up a leisure reading book, or read one aloud to them during class!  I suggest my most recent book, Unleashed! The Dog Park Chronicles, which is now available in both paperback and ebook versions from amazon.comand barnesandnoble.com. This is my first novel for young people. But the volume has also garnered praise from both children and adults who have read it and loved it!

In the book, I have created a charming cast of animal characters and their human companions who live in or visit the local dog park. Each event which takes place holds an essential message about kindness, community, inclusion, and personal responsibility. There are also messages of anti-bullying and anti-prejudice.

In addition, the narrative includes commentary about how young people can appreciate nature, even if they live in a suburban environment. I explore themes related to the migratory patterns of Canada geese, the natural instincts of the animal characters, and the progression of the seasons.

The dog park described in the novel, Vila Borba, really exists! It is located not far from my home in Chino Hills, California. And depicted on the cover of the book are two of my very own pets! The little white terrier mix on the front cover is Kurby, whose rescue story is described in Chapter 4. (In the book the Kurby character is named Bowser.) The elegant black and white tuxedo pictured on the back cover is my own ladycat, Licorice.

This 156-page book would make a terrific book to read. If you have already purchased the book, thank you so much! I hope you would consider writing a review of the story on amazon. I am also asking for support to offer an AR (Accelerated Reading) quiz for the story. You could make a request for this at the AR website.

Have a great school year!

Teacher Appreciation Day is coming up!

Posted on by

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up soon! This year, the celebration will take place from May 5 to May 9. When thinking about the best way to honor your teacher, or your child’s teacher, or friends and family members that are teachers, or someone you know that is going into the profession, consider gifting them with an inspirational book.

I suggest one of these two inspirational books, Chalkboard Champions and Chalkboard Heroes. The books make great reading anytime, but especially now, while educators are considering new and innovative ways to work with their students. They are also appealing to history buffs and social scientists. Each volume is packed with inspirational stories about remarkable educators in American history and the historical implications of their pioneering work.

Among the captivating stories in Chalkboard Champions is the story of Charlotte Forten Grimke, an African American born into freedom who volunteered to teach emancipated slaves as the Civil War raged around her. Read the eyewitness account of the Wounded Knee massacre through the eyes of teacher Elaine Goodale Eastman, and educator Mary Tsukamoto, imprisoned in a WWII Japanese internment camp. Read about Mississippi Freedom Summer teacher Sandra Adickes who, together with her students, defied Jim Crow laws to integrate the Hattiesburg Public Library. Marvel at the pioneering work of Anne Sullivan Macy, the teacher of Helen Keller, the efforts of teacher Clara Comstock to find homes for thousands of Orphan Train riders, and the dedication of Jaime Escalante, the East LA educator who proved to that inner city Latino youths could successfully meet the demands of a rigorous curriculum.

In Chalkboard Heroes, you’ll find about dedicated educators who were heroes both inside and outside of the classroom, including WWI veteran Henry Alvin Cameron and Civil War veteran Francis Wayland Parker. Learn about teachers who were social reformers such as Dolores Huerta, Civil Rights activist Robert Parris Moses, suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt, and Native American rights advocate Zitkala-Sa, all of whom put themselves at risk to fight for improved conditions for disenfranchised citizens. Discover brave pioneers who took great risks to blaze a trail for others to follow such as Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space; Willa Brown Chappell, the aviatrix who taught Tuskegee airmen to fly; Etta Schureman Jones, the Alaskan teacher who was interned in a POW camp in Japan during WWII; and Olive Mann Isbell, who established the first English school in California while the Mexican american War raged around her.

All these remarkable stories and more can be shared with someone you know this year on Teacher Appreciation Week!