ANTHONY AND THE MAGIC PICTURE FRAME GOES ON SALE NATIONWIDE—WITH A WARNING.

SEATTLE, July 25, 2005: Magic Picture Frame Studio today announced that ANTHONY AND THE MAGIC PICTURE FRAME, by Seattle author and photographer Michael S. Class, is available for sale on it's Web site (www.MagicPictureFrame.com) and by toll-free telephone ordering (1-800-247-6553). It's a pre-publication sale: Books ordered today will be reserved and will ship to customers in mid-August 2005. The Web site also provides a "sneak peak" into the book.

CONTROVERSIAL HISTORY BOOK COMES WITH A WARNING

“There is a warning on the book’s Web site,” says author Michael S. Class, “because the book does not ‘talk down’ to young readers. Even some adults might find parts of the book challenging. The book deals with serious subjects: Anthony discusses the nature of good and evil, right and wrong, war and peace, what it means to be an American, honor and discipline, success and achievement, courage and destiny, God and purpose, and events in his modern world.”

Each chapter teaches a unique moral lesson. Anthony compares the people and events of the past with the people and events of his own time. Anthony's observations prompt serious discussion of timeless moral questions. Anthony's opinions challenge readers to think critically about what they see and hear in the world around them.

BOOK DESIGNED WITH TEACHERS IN MIND

As visitors to the book’s Web site will see, ANTHONY AND THE MAGIC PICTURE FRAME places Anthony, the modern-day time traveler, directly into authentic historical photographs with cinematic style. Anthony also has “real” conversations with the people of the past: Anthony’s conversations with the people of the past are built on actual things they said—all properly noted and sourced. The book also includes fascinating historical background notes to Anthony’s story, plus Anthony’s recommendations for hundreds of books, movies, music, and places to visit. “I hope that young readers will love the book—and teachers will find the book’s built-in teaching tools useful in the classroom,” says author Michael S. Class.

AUTHOR MOTIVATED BY 9/11

“As for 9/11, I want to be clear,” Michael Class explains, “I was motivated by what I saw in the months that followed the attack on America. After 9/11, I was shocked to see so many adults confused about basic concepts. Some couldn't see the difference between good and


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evil, right and wrong, heroes and villains. Some couldn't articulate what was good about America, and why America was worth defending. Some couldn't see the differences between America and its enemies—they saw similarities. I was dismayed to see so many adults with a distorted view of America and American history. It was a time when our children were watching—looking up to us for guidance in troubled times—and too many adults were setting a bad example. We have to do better. I feared that our young people—America's future—were being poorly prepared for the times ahead. I knew that the only way our children would be able to succeed and prevail in their modern world was if they were given a proper knowledge of American history—a proper perspective. I was certain that the moral lessons of American history had to be taught to them. I wondered: ‘What would the heroes of the past say to the children of today?’”

Some people may think the book is controversial,” concludes Michael S. Class, “but I don’t. I think the book says what needs to be said.”

BOOK IS AN EXCITING ADVENTURE IN HISTORY

Anthony, a twelve-year-old boy, travels into the past by stepping through the Picture Frame on his bedroom wall. Anthony walks on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, plays baseball with Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth, and crosses the Atlantic Ocean with Charles Lindbergh. He sees brave soldiers storm the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, and watches battle-weary Marines raise the American flag on Iwo Jima. He speaks with survivors of the Holocaust. He works in Thomas Edison’s laboratory and witnesses the invention of the phonograph, the light bulb, and the motion picture. He meets FDR and Doctor Jonas Salk, and watches them conquer polio. Anthony meets his great-grandfather at the turn of the 20th century, and journeys with him to America: Together, they walk through the doors to America on Ellis Island, experience the trenches of World War I, the roaring twenties, and the breadlines of the Great Depression. Anthony is with his great-grandfather the day he becomes an American.

RECOMMENDED FOR GRADE 6 TO GRADE 12 (AND UP)

ANTHONY AND THE MAGIC PICTURE FRAME is recommended for young adults in Grade 6 to Grade 12, but some sections are challenging—even for adults. “And with 225 action-packed pages, 82 historical photographs, 261 historical quotes, 312 background notes—plus Anthony's recommendations for 461 books, 595 movies, 217 songs, and 155 places to visit, explains author Michael S. Class, “the book will take a lifetime to experience!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael S. Class is an author and photographer living in the Pacific Northwest. He is a retired executive of a successful Seattle-based Internet startup who once dreamed of being able to bring the heroes of the past into present-day classrooms to teach children the lessons of history. He dreamed of making history more exciting and relevant to young Americans. ANTHONY AND THE MAGIC PICTURE FRAME is the result of that dream.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Copies of the book are available for qualified reviewers and journalists.

Publisher: Magic Picture Frame Studio LLC, P.O. Box 2603, Issaquah, WA 98027-0119.
Phone: 425-222-7562
E-mail: publisher@MagicPictureFrame.com and class@MagicPictureFrame.com
Web Site: www.MagicPictureFrame.com