"ANTHONY AND THE MAGIC PICTURE FRAME" CELEBRATES TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY:
FREE BOOKS AND SECRETS REVEALED!
Award-Winning Book Showcases Amazing Photographs of Boy's Journey Through Time; Offers Inspiring Lessons of History
Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame is out of print, but “some new, unopened copies were held back,” reveals author Michael Class. “I would like to donate those copies to schools, homeschools, and libraries; gifts to families who will cherish the books and appreciate the important message within the story.”
That’s just one of the secrets revealed on the ten-year anniversary of the award-winning American history book. The book’s Web site, www.MagicPictureFrame.com, also gives a peek at the book’s ‘lost chapters.’
Ten years ago, Seattle author Michael Class used advanced digital photography to place his twelve year-old son, Anthony, in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, on the moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, in the laboratories of Thomas Edison and Jonas Salk, and on Normandy beach on D-Day. Father, son - and daughter, Angela - labored for nearly four years in their garage filled with props from an army surplus store; the garage walls covered with blue bed sheets. The result: It looks like Anthony really did meet Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, FDR, Lou Gehrig, Charles Lindbergh, and Audie Murphy.
The Web site, www.MagicPictureFrame.com, displays some of the book's amazing photographs.
"I wanted to capture the interest of today's kids," says Class, “by turning American history into a grand time travel adventure."
In the book, Anthony travels into America's past by stepping through a Magic Picture Frame on his bedroom wall. The book also provides a 'time machine' for its readers. There is a way for kids to see, hear, and experience the things that Anthony did in the past: The book includes recommendations for 461 books to read, 595 movies to watch, 217 songs to hear, and 155 places to visit, all keyed to the subjects of each chapter.
“This book can take a lifetime to fully explore,” says Class.
Each chapter of the book comes with an inspiring message. The chapter about Apollo 11 is really about courage and goal-setting. The chapter about Lindbergh’s flight is really about planning and choosing one’s destiny. The story of Lou Gehrig is about leading a virtuous life and never quitting. The chapter about Thomas Edison is really about business and the benefits of hard work. The story of Dr. Jonas Salk is really about dedicating one’s life to a higher purpose. Anthony’s observation of D-Day and the liberation of the death camps during the Holocaust is a testament to the reality of evil and the need to fight it. When Anthony meets his immigrant great-grandfather at Ellis Island, it's really a story about marriage, family, living through adversity, and what it means to be an American.
Class also designed the book to help parents and teachers. Years of meticulous research went into the book: Class spoke with relatives of famous scientists and inventors, Holocaust survivors, award-winning biographers, and others to ensure that the facts of the book were both accurate and vivid. Historical accuracy rules every page: even Anthony’s conversations with the people of the past are based on things they really said, all properly footnoted. The book’s Web site offers a free, fun ‘Final Exam’ - along with other ‘secrets’ never before disclosed.
"The storyline is fictional, but the history is authentic," says Class.
Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame was named Outstanding Book of the Year by Independent Publisher (2006); awarded the Parent-to-Parent Adding Wisdom Award for Excellent Books (2007); is a celebrated winner of an iParenting Media Award for Excellent Products (2007), was named Reviewers Choice by Midwest Book Review (2006); and garnered Editor's Pick by Homefires: The Journal of Homeschooling Online (2006). Nationally syndicated talk-show host Michael Medved calls the book "entertaining and educational." Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin said: “Parents and teachers will appreciate the inspiring message this unique history book holds for America's next generation. I recommend this book to all young Americans, may they take us to the stars and beyond."
Website: www.MagicPictureFrame.com
