MATTHEW BURNETTE

Staff Writer

Local author Joyce McCullough has released her second children’s book, one that she hopes ignites a spark for reading.

Max and Her Stacks, which can be purchased on Amazon, is about a girl named Max who is an avid reader and prefers to be surrounded by books, even telling her teacher that that is what she wants to do when she grows up.

Not only does she love reading, but she wants to share that love with others, including her little brother.

McCullough admits that she wasn’t much of a reader at first, though her sister was. The book features a scene where Max’s little brother tries to get her to play, but she’s too busy reading, a scene based off of an incident between McCullough and her sister.

“I knocked her over, and I’m not trying to advocate for that behavior, but she literally fell on a pile of books and continued reading,” she recalled. “It took me a little while. My fifth grade teacher with Little House on the Prairie got me interested in that and encouraged me to read to the kindergarteners. I thought that I couldn’t do that because I wasn’t a good reader and she said ‘Yes, you are.’ It all evolved from that.”

The main inspiration for the story is McCullough’s 16-year-old niece from Murfreesboro who the book is dedicated to. McCullough used to go to her house and read to her once a week for their “rocking and reading time.”

Her niece is now an avid reader, and McCullough hopes that the book will have the same effect on other children as well.

“When my publisher talked to me about doing it when we did, she said the literacy rates are at an all-time low, and she really thought this would be a good time to get it out to encourage kids to read, so that’s what this is all about,” she explained. “My niece absolutely loves reading, and her little brother did not love to read at first, but she’s gotten him on board, especially with sports books.”

McCullough also hopes that the book will inspire young readers to put down their devices and read more books and find the kind of stories they enjoy.

“I’ve been reading to all of the elementary schools here in Manchester and Coffee County, and one of the things I like to ask is how many of the kids like to read, and most of them do, but then some of them say that they hate it, and I say that they just need to find the right book,” she said.

“When I go to the schools and read the book, I take books out of a big cart that she is actually reading, and when I hold up the Steph Curry book, whom I had never heard of before until my nephew taught me about him, they all go ‘That’s Steph Curry! I know who that is!’” she added. “You just have to find your niche.”

Max and Her Stacks makes multiple references to other popular books and characters such as a Gryffindor scarf from Harry Potter, James Patterson’s Maximum Ride, The Hardy Boys, Bilbo Baggins and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, among others.

McCullough is a retired English teacher from Coffee County. She hopes that some of her former students might read her book to their children and continue the cycle of teaching.

“I miss teaching, and I miss encouraging kids to read,” she admitted. “Some of the books that are mentioned are books that I taught in class. I taught The Hobbit. I didn’t like it, but my 16-year-old boys read it and liked it, so I thought if they’re going to read it, then I’m going to teach it.”

McCullough began attending writers’ conferences 30 years ago and was encouraged to begin writing.

She had some articles and devotions published before releasing her first book Look for the Pink Ribbons, a story inspired by her own mother’s battle with breast cancer. McCullough has also already signed the contract for a third book, a rhyming board book.

For now, she hopes Max and Her Stacks will bring families together around a piece of literature.

“I’m hoping this book will encourage kids to read more and encourage parents and grandparents and caregivers to read with their kids and have that connecting bond that will maybe be remembered for a lifetime.”