Good News, Bad News

Good News, Bad News by Alexandra T. Chakos

Steven, an eight-year-old, dreams of winning a BMX bike in his school’s fundraiser. He’s willing to bend rules for his goal. His family includes his older brother Paul, who avoids sales, and his sister Sophia, who tries to keep peace. Dad, an Orthodox priest, is busy fundraising for a new church. Mom manages the family’s busy life. This charming story reveals God’s presence in unexpected ways. Age Range: 7 – 12 years.

Product Details

• Author: Alexandra T. Chakos
• Illustrator: Mike Stonelake
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 88
• Dimensions: 5.25 x 7.5 inches

Family Dynamics

Meet Steven and his family. Paul is glad he doesn’t have to sell. Sophia keeps peace. Dad is busy with church fundraising. Mom manages the family’s activity. This story offers a glimpse into a young clergy family’s life.

About the Author: Presvytera Alexandra has spent the major portion of her life communicating with children. She is the mother of four and the grandmother of fourteen. She has worked for many years as a preschool teacher, a Sunday school teacher, and an organizer of summer camp and vacation church school programs, as well as working as a professional clown and storyteller. Using her knowledge of Greek, English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Swahili, she has entertained children with her stories in the many countries where she has lived and traveled. Good News, Bad News is a story based on real-life events that happened while she was raising her own beautiful children.

About the Illustrator: After completing a degree in fine art, Mike worked in graphic design, before moving into illustration. His background in both fine art and design offers his illustration work a versatility that is evident in the wide range of projects he has been involved with, including editorial, corporate, and children's. Mike has had a passion for comics since childhood, particularly alternative and Bande Dessiné; he writes and draws his own comics. He has visited many former Eastern Bloc countries, and in the 90s lived and worked in Russia; on his return to London, he helped run an art gallery that specialized in work from the former Soviet Union.

Praise for Good News, Bad News

"Presvytera Alexandra Chakos gives us a wonderful story of family dynamics that most parents can relate to, even in today’s world.  So often parents are trying to understand how to parent children who present with such different developing personalities.  A mistake often made by parents is that they, for convenience sake, will apply single, one-dimensional approaches to all the children, such as one repeated punishment.  Presvytera Chakos’ story shows how important it is to work with the different personalities of each child and for both parents to get involved.  Also, how needed it is for parents to sit down and speak to each child and most especially, to integrate our Orthodox Christian faith into their young lives.  What is very refreshing is how well the teaching of the Holy Scriptures is brought to the minds and hearts of the young children in this beautiful story." -Ary Christofidis, Ph.D., LCP, Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Founder of the Orthodox Counseling Institute 

"My 9-year-old daughter and I absolutely loved this book!  Good News, Bad News is a beautiful story of day-to-day events in a Christ-centered Orthodox home.  Children and parents alike will love and benefit from this book.  The story takes the young readers through a series of events, starting with small temptations, ingenuity, and disobedience, and ending with finding peace and true joy through obedience, guided by their parents and the Grace of God.  Our children will learn from the experiences of Steven and Paul, while we parents will enjoy and learn from the balanced way they are parented: calm, loving, and firm." -Dr. Mioara Manole, Pediatrician and mother of four