Book app for “Reluctant Readers” 50% off June 15 to promote summer reading

June 11, 2012 - PRLog -- Brush of Truth, a recommended book app for reluctant readers 8-12, is cutting its price to 99 cents on June 15 to promote summer reading. The 50 percent discount will be available in the iTunes store for the iPad, iPod touch and iPhone. Brush of Truth was released by Story Bayou, http://www.storybayou.com.

The app has been named a “Recommended iPad Book App for Older and Reluctant Readers Ages 8-12” by Digital Storytime, and one of “6 Interactive Book Apps to Get Kids Excited About Reading” by Tecca. The iGameMom calls Brush of Truth “an effective tool in engaging reluctant readers.” Brush of Truth, geared to third- through sixth-graders, is the first book app created by Story Bayou, a mom’s vision to get tweens to read, www.storybayou.com.

“Reading during the summer helps prevent the problem of summer academic loss, also known as ‘summer slide,’” said Julie Landry Laviolette, author of Brush of Truth. “A book app is a great way for kids to read on-the-go, because they can access their reading material on a smartphone or other touchscreen. With a book app, kids and moms can always have reading material with them.”

Written in second person, “your” voice, Brush of Truth lets the user choose how the action unfolds at critical points in the plot. Brush of Truth has 125 pages of story and colorful illustrations, with 65 decision points and 20 possible endings.

The app is regularly $1.99 and available on the iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Kindle Fire, as well as Android and Windows 7 smartphones and tablets.

Laviolette, a parenting journalist and mom of a 10- and 11-year-old, wrote Brush of Truth and created its parent company, Story Bayou.

Brush of Truth tells the story of two tweens who find an enchanted paintbrush. They begin to discover its powers as they go in adventures under the ocean, inside a sand castle, and while rescuing a sea creature.

“Studies show that “summer slide,” when a child regresses academically outside of school, is more serious than we realize, because students who start school behind struggle to catch up throughout their education,” Laviolette said.  “Research shows that kids who start school behind will likely stay behind, and that children who cannot read at grade level by fourth grade will likely face an on ongoing struggle to learn.”

Laviolette, a New Orleans native, is a former columnist and editor for The Times-Picayune. She currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fl., where she contributes to The Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, South Florida Parenting and more than 30 regional parenting publications in the U.S. and Canada.

Story Bayou, founded in 2011, partnered with Linxter, Inc., a Cooper City software engineering company, to create the mobile app. Brush of Truth was released in February 2012.