Mainer time travels with ghost in new book

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — The remote and scenic northern woods on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, a young girl and a ghost are the essential elements for Tim Caverly’s new book: “An Allagash Haunting – The Story of Emile Camille.”
    Caverly and illustrator, Franklin Manzo, Jr., achieved initial success with their first book “Allagash Tails, Volume 1.” The new project, a 10,000-word children’s book, intended principally for use in classrooms is based on a 1991 newspaper article Caverly came across when he worked as a park ranger in the Allagash. But, the author says of his new work, “I think adults will find it interesting as well.”
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
PUBLICITY TOUR — Author Tim Caverly made the Houlton Pioneer Times’ office the first stop on a publicity tour for his new book: “An Allagash Haunting – The Story of Emile Camille.” Caverly points out  to Pioneer Times staffer Wanda MacIlroy how the glossary encourages a young student’s reading comprehension with words in bold face type that may be new to young readers.
    “It tells the story of a young girl [in the present day] who takes a trip down the Allagash Waterway and meets a lumberjack who takes her to a 1925 French-Canadian dance.” Caverly, now an ed-tech in the Millinocket school system, says “It has a Lexile score of 1170 for teachers and is appropriate for students with a seventh- or eighth-grade reading level to encourage reading, vocabulary comprehension and attempts to write on their own.” A Lexile is a unit for measuring text difficulty from 10L on the low end to 1700L on the high end, according to the Northwest Evaluation Association.
    The author says he got the idea for the educational component to the new story after reading his first book “Allagash Tails” to students. “I had some students come up to me and ask me if I would help them write a story. So, I got thinking if we had a book that could be used in schools from the local area it might encourage them to read and be more involved.”
    The story has “challenge words” in boldface type that students may not understand with a glossary in the back to enhance comprehension. For example, on page 17 the word “paranormal” is in bold type. The glossary has the following definition: “paranormal – a general term that describes unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation, or phenomena alleged to be outside of science’s current ability to explain or measure.”
    Caverly says he had written stories for his daughter, Jacquelyn, instead of having her watch TV. Now, she and her daughter, 10-year-old Olivia, are principle characters in the book as the mother and daughter. He says he has more stories planned. “I have a volume three planned, probably, for next spring. It’s going to be animal characterizations from the Allagash Waterway.”
    So far sales on the first book, according to Caverly, are “pretty good.” “Allagash Tails” is for sale at York’s Book Store in Market Square in Houlton, the gift shop in Houlton Regional Hospital and some local stores in Presque Isle. It can be ordered through the Web site: www.allagashtails.com.
    Caverly says he will donate copies of the new book, “An Allagash Haunting – The Story of Emile Camille,” to  schools by raising grant money from businesses, Rotary and Lions clubs, banks and personal donations. For more information, call Caverly at 907-0517.