CHANDLER, AZ (July 2019)—Story Monsters Ink® magazine, the literary resource for parents, teachers and librarians, is celebrating a big milestone next month. August marks the fifth anniversary since Story Monsters LLC published its first issue.

President and publisher Linda F. Radke always dreamed of publishing a magazine during her 30-plus years in the publishing industry, but struggled to find the right message to share. That all changed with the creation of the Story Monster mascot, initially as a puppet, then a lovable, huggable 6-foot tall mascot to inspire children to love to read. As a book publisher, Radke saw first-hand how people of all ages reacted to the performance puppets she created to complement her authors’ books.

“With Story Monster, I wanted to find a way to take reading from feeling like a chore to an activity that children love,” says Radke. “It was amazing to see the reactions we got wherever we went with him. Pure joy is the best way to describe it.”

At last, Radke found the message she wanted to share, and Story Monsters Ink was born. Since its beginning, the magazine’s mission has been to make reading fun by bringing the best news in books to parents, educators, librarians, and book lovers. The first issue was a 20-page newsletter and now, it has flourished into a full-fledged digital magazine that reaches international audiences of all ages. Under the helm of editor-in-chief, Cristy Bertini, each issue features columns by the world’s bestselling author James Patterson and Scholastic Book Clubs president Judy Newman, as well as author profiles, book reviews, movie reviews and much more. With teachers in mind, each issue also provides online access to classroom questions to use with students.

“Somewhere in my childhood I must have done something right,” says Radke. “I am so very blessed to be surrounded by such a dedicated and talented team of professionals to reach this important milestone. The wonderful content that is produced each month would never happen without them.”

Published monthly and supported primarily by its advertisers, Story Monsters Ink has consciously provided articles and columns that educate and inspire and has tackled tough subjects such as learning disabilities, bullying and eco-awareness. The magazine has featured celebrities such as the late Stan Lee, Kobe Bryant, LeVar Burton, Nathan Lane, Julian Lennon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kelly Clarkson, Kate DiCamillo, Jason Reynolds and Jeff Kinney, to name a few.

“When thinking about how the magazine has evolved over the past five years, I am truly humbled by the diversity and breadth of the folks that we’ve had the privilege of featuring,” says Radke. “Heroes come in all shapes, sizes and ages. I am thrilled to discover that so many celebrities who I have long admired are also lifelong supporters of literacy.”

Digital subscriptions are available through the Story Monsters Ink app, Apple App Store, Google Play and Amazon.com for $4.99 for 12 issues per year. Teachers can subscribe for free by visiting https://www.storymonsters.com/store/subscription and entering the code STORYMONSTERTEACHERS at checkout. Authors or publishers seeking book review consideration or organizations interested in advertising to a targeted market while supporting literacy should contact Cristy Bertini at cristy@storymonsters.com or (413) 687-0733. To learn more about Story Monsters Ink, visit www.storymonsters.com.

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