Resources

For Educators

Free guides, lesson plans, and classroom visits for Sophia Sprite and the Sasquatch Secret (grades 5 to 9) and The Adventures of Pinky Whiskers and Sharp Nose (grades K to 4).

Download the guides Request a visit

I write books for kids who like a fast story with something under it. Sophia Sprite is a fourteen-year-old soccer player who finds out her late mother had a secret life with the hidden civilization the world calls Bigfoot. Pinky Whiskers and Sharp Nose are two mice looking for a home, in stories my great-grandfather used to tell. Everything on this page is free to download, copy, and share with your class.

Two books, two age groups

Which book fits your class?

Cover of Sophia Sprite and the Sasquatch Secret

Grades 5 to 9 · Ages 10 and up

Sophia Sprite and the Sasquatch Secret

Contemporary fantasy and adventure · 29 chapters · about 72,000 words

“Nuanced beats that avoid forced life lessons.” BookLife Reviews (Publishers Weekly)

Themes: belonging, grief, courage, evidence and truth, prejudice, environmental stewardship.

Content notes: the main character's parents die before the story begins; there is bullying, fantasy peril, and a villain who argues that humanity should be eliminated, which makes for a strong discussion about extremism and good intentions. Clean language.

Chapter 1 free, read by Bahni Turpin
Cover of The Adventures of Pinky Whiskers and Sharp Nose

Kindergarten to grade 4

The Adventures of Pinky Whiskers and Sharp Nose

Illustrated chapter book · 11 chapters · about 25,000 words

A read-aloud for ages 4 to 8 and an independent read for about grades 2 to 4.

Themes: family, home, courage, curiosity and consequences, kindness to strangers.

Content notes: a cat, an owl, a snake, and one worrying night when Mother is sick; nobody dies, and every chase ends at home.

Free, no signup

Free downloads

Print them, copy them, and share them with your team. Each one opens as a PDF.

Grades 5 to 9 · 18 pages

Classroom Discussion Guide: Sophia Sprite and the Sasquatch Secret

A full synopsis, an anticipation guide and pre-reading activities, discussion questions for five reading sections (chapters 1 to 5, 6 to 10, 11 to 17, 18 to 23, 24 to 29), themes, a 27-word vocabulary list with chapter references, a sidebar on Bigfoot folklore and the real Olympic Peninsula, ten writing prompts, six activities, a culminating project menu, and standards connections (CCSS ELA grades 5 to 8, NGSS MS-LS2).

Download the PDF (free)

Grades 5 to 8, usable in 9 · 22 pages

Lesson Plans: Sophia Sprite and the Sasquatch Secret

Five complete 45 to 60 minute lessons with student handouts: Who Decides Who's a Monster? (argument analysis and writing), Absence of Proof (evidence and media literacy), The Rules of the Whistle (world-building and narrative writing), The Weight Doesn't Get Lighter (character change and grief, with a sensitivity plan), and Bridges: The Real Olympic Peninsula (research and ecology). Each lesson has objectives, a timed procedure, assessment criteria, differentiation, and an exit ticket. Includes a pacing table and a standards matrix.

Download the PDF (free)

Grades K to 4 · 14 pages

Classroom Guide: The Adventures of Pinky Whiskers and Sharp Nose

A picture walk and prediction chart, mice-as-animals background, a chapter-by-chapter read-aloud guide with questions and a vocabulary word for each of the 11 chapters, themes in plain language, six activities (story map, draw the boat, my perfect home, measure like a mouse, what does a mouse need, reader's theater), writing prompts with sentence starters, a Story Map handout, a Character Web handout, and standards connections (CCSS K to 3, NGSS K-LS1-1 and K-ESS3-1, SEL).

Download the PDF (free)

Running a reading club or a family read-aloud instead? The Book Club Kits are on the Book Clubs page.

Free audiobook chapter

Listen in class

Chapter 1 of Sophia Sprite and the Sasquatch Secret is free to stream, about fifteen minutes, read by Audie Award winner Bahni Turpin, who performs all four voices. No sign-up. Teachers use it to open the unit or to model fluent reading.

Listen to Chapter 1

Schools

Author visits

Free virtual visits. I do free 20 to 30 minute video visits for classrooms as my schedule allows: a short reading, how the book came to be (the Bigfoot part and the grief part), and plenty of time for questions. Works for a single class or a grade-level assembly. Tell me your dates, grade level, group size, and whether the class has finished the book. Classes that write letters get letters back.

In person. In-person visits are free for schools and libraries in the Chicagoland area, where I live. Outside Chicagoland, I visit by video.

What to put in your email:

  • School
  • City
  • Grade level
  • Number of students
  • Dates
  • Virtual or in person
Request a visit

Classroom sets

Ordering for schools

Paperbacks are distributed through Ingram (55% discount, returnable), so your usual book vendor can order them by ISBN.

  • Sophia Sprite and the Sasquatch Secret: 9781734179415
  • The Adventures of Pinky Whiskers and Sharp Nose: 9781734179446

Hardcovers are available on Amazon. I offer bulk pricing on classroom sets and school orders. Email me with the book and the number of copies, and I will send you a quote. Signed copies are available too.

Ordering for a library? ISBNs for every book and library ebook details are on the For Librarians page.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask

Can I copy the guides for my whole class?

Yes. Everything in the downloads is free to reproduce for educational and library use.

Is there a Spanish version?

Not yet. If you need one, tell me; demand decides what I make next.

Will there be guides for the rest of the Sophia Sprite series?

Yes. Book 2, Sophia Sprite and the Banshee Bargain, is in progress, and each book will get a guide.

Can my students email you?

Yes, through a teacher or parent, at hello@brianyoungauthor.com. I answer every one.

Say hello

Contact

Questions about the guides, a visit, or an order? Email me. I read every message.