Meet Hubert the Hermit Crab and his Friends

Available in paperback and ebook:
Marina Royale (Saltwater Spy School series #1)

Hubert the Hermit Crab, wants to play cards with his best friend Sparky the Dogfish. Too bad Olga Octopus, Sparky’s other friend, thinks Hubert is too small to play.

When Hubert accuses Olga of cheating, she carries him out past the drop-off and abandons him where the sea monsters live. Can Hubert outwit the predators and find his way home? Read about his daring escape and magical discovery in Marina Royale.

Now available in ebook and paperback:
The Hunt for Red Octopus (Saltwater Spy School series #2)

The Hunt for Red Octopus

When Hubert and friends play hide-and-seek in the spooky kelp forest, Little Red gets lost. With a storm raging, can Hubert bring her home safely?

Finding one tiny octopus in the ocean is tougher than locating one grain of sand on the beach. Fortunately, Hubert has a secret weapon. Read about it in The Hunt for Red Octopus.

Coming soon:
Gold Stinger (Saltwater Spy School series #3)

At Saltwater Spy School, Hubert the Hermit Crab meets crab-eating seals, hungry sharks, mind-reading fish, and a girl genius jumbo shrimp. When humans steal Giant Clam’s pearl, every team in spy school wants to get it back.

Tiny Hubert must lead a team of big fish on a heist worthy of Ocean’s Eleven. Will he prove he can swim with the sharks, or will they reject him like a fish out of water? Find out when you read Gold Stinger.

Author interview with Apricot Banks

It’s not a big secret that my penname, Apricot Banks, stands for chapter books parents will enjoy. The Saltwater Spy School Series got some love from a new book review channel this week. Gimme 5-Book Review & Author Interviews talked to me Marina Royale and the process of writing fun, undersea stories about Rainbow Reef’s fabulous fish kids. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed the conversation.

Interview with Apricot Banks (AKA Maaja Wentz)

Apricot Banks with Loki
This little pup is too adorable.

The Hunt for Red Octopus is On!

Suffering sea monsters! Can Hubert brave the storm?

Meet Rainbow Reef’s fabulous fish kids: Aiden, the panicky pufferfish, Sparky the doggone friendly dogfish, Olga the eight-legged bully, her little sister Red, and Hubert, a tiny hermit crab who is working on his spy skills.

When Hubert and friends play hide-and-seek in the spooky Kelp Forest, Red Octopus gets lost. With a storm raging, can Hubert bring her home safely? Finding a tiny octopus in the ocean is trickier than detecting one grain of sand on the beach. Fortunately, Hubert has a secret weapon.

Read about it in The Hunt for Red Octopus.

Available in paperback and ebook from selected retailers.

This sequel to Marina Royale can be enjoyed as a stand-alone book or read in series.

Instantly get the activity and joke book for free when you join the Apricot Banks Reading Club. It’s an engaging selection of jokes, crafts, games, and stories designed by a teacher-librarian for kids.

Read Aloud for Kids

Make Reading Fun

Are you teaching your kid to read, or  looking for fun ways to increase reading comprehension? Maybe your child is a reluctant reader looking for something light and fun. As a teacher-librarian, I’m always on the lookout for ways to spark a love of reading in children.

Librarians Have More Fun

Normally, I would do that by sharing with children in the library. I ran a Forest of Reading program (with prize-nominated books), held a writing club for junior students, promoted literacy through book fairs, and, of course, had a wonderful time reading funny books to kids. There is nothing quite like the right book read the right way to make an entire class break out laughing.

Marina Royale
Saltwater Spy School Series

Free Videos for Reading and Entertainment

Since I’m not in physical school this year, I’ve missed reading to kids in the library.  Instead, I’m making a series of read-aloud videos where I read the chapters of my chapter book, Marina Royale. The book itself was written for the fun of it. Imagine, James Bond meets Sponge Bob Square Pants! Hubert the hermit crab is a little guy and wannabe spy, dealing with bullies and learning to be brave in the shark-eat-shark world of beyond familiar Rainbow Reef.

Kids can watch me read the book aloud on one side of the split screen, while the text appears on the other side. It’s easy to follow along chapter by chapter. That way, I can model reading with expression while kids read at home. No more frustration or stumbling over difficult words.

Hubert Crab Superspy goes under cover--over water.
Crab versus Crab… Hubert Crab Superspy goes under cover–over water.

New YouTube Channel for Apricot Banks

A new chapter posts to YouTube every Sunday, but don’t worry. You won’t be left on a cliffhanger. Marina Royale is one complete story, and I will post a new chapter each Sunday until the entire book is up on YouTube.

Subscribe to ApricotBanks on YouTube so you won’t miss a single chapter.

Happy Reading!