Orlando, FL -- (SBWIRE) -- 12/09/2013 -- While the Common Core Standard Initiative is being adopted by thousands of schools each year, keeping the curriculum fun and engaging is no easy task. However, Florida’s Christopher Tozier has a bold solution that has proven immensely successful – wrap learning into an enthralling story and middle-grade students will learn without even knowing it.

Tozier has proven his method following the release of the Olivia Brophie series, an enchanting science and nature-based narrative that is perfect for classrooms implementing Common Core Standards. Book one titled ‘Olivia Brophie and the Pearl of Tagelus’ has already seen an abundance of success. Book two, ‘Olivia Brophie and the Sky Island’, is due for release in January of 2014.

After winning the 2012 President's Book Awards Silver Medal for Children's Literature from the Florida Publishers Association, as well as winning the Honor Book Award from the Society of School Librarians International, a team from across the country has used the series to develop ‘Worlds Around Us’ - a free curriculum appropriate for grades four through seven.

Series synopsis:

Olivia Brophie feels betrayed. She hasn’t heard from her mom who’s serving in the army in Iraq. And for no reason, her dad sent her to live with her crazy aunt and uncle in the middle of nowhere—the Florida scrub. It seems boring till bears follow her to school, coral snakes leave her gifts, and tree frogs start writing cryptic messages on her bedroom window.

Olivia is fascinated by the giant insect walkingsticks that her uncle tenderly protects. He turns out to be crazier than she thought with wild ideas about magnetic currents, cosmic rays, and a mysterious device that controls the laws of the universe. He doesn’t know the half of it.

Along with Doug, a local eco-nerd genius, and Gnat, her videogame-obsessed little brother, Olivia discovers a vast underworld city that holds the secrets of history as well as the way to the future. With the forces of evil at her heels, she finds a brilliant pearl and must use its power to discover her life's ultimate destiny.

As the author explains, his book has become a vital resource in classrooms across the country.

“As many teachers struggle to implement Common Core Standards, it is vital we develop tools that can be used in multiple classrooms. I’ve wrapped lessons of science and nature into an exciting story, allowing teachers to convert students’ enthusiasm for the narrative into an opportunity to teach biology, weather, water lifecycle, Linnaean classification, magnetism, states of matter and diversity,” says Tozier.

Continuing, “Book two will further this opportunity and advance the lessons offered in my debut release. We also plan to continue developing the ‘Worlds Around Us’ curriculum as further schools adopt it. This is powerful stuff!”

Since its release, the book has garnered a string of rave reviews. For example, Dustin Angell commented, “As a 27 year old science educator who recently moved to Central Florida, I give this book 5 stars. I am impressed with how much natural science the author included. I also like the Nikola Tesla connection, and how the "magic" in the book is more like science fiction. The author really ended this on a great cliffhanger, too.”

“Olivia Brophie and the Pearl of Tagelus” is available now in paperback and Kindle formats: http://amzn.to/1dZtELw.

Author website http://www.christophertozier.com/
Book website http://www.oliviabrophie.com

About Christopher Tozier
Christopher Tozier is experienced in live television, radio, and public speaking appearances. He won the 2011 Individual Artist Fellowship from the State of Florida. He currently lives in the Orlando Florida area. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.