ROD MARTINEZ
Winner - 2018 Professional Development for Artists Grant Program
AUTHOR, SPEAKER
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GRANDMA LUTHER KING - Picture Book
During a city bus ride, a grandmother is asked about a building just outside the window by her grandson. She shares a story and brings to life how, during a civil rights protest long ago, several Black students arranged a sit-in that changed how Black folk could eat in certain restaurants. Only near the end does he find out that she was one of those teenagers and he compares her to his hero, Martin Luther King, Jr.
REVIEWS:
...A new--and perfect--kind of bedtime story for all little kids.
Award winning author - Jerry Spinelli
Rod Martinez has done a great job keeping this important conversation about civil rights alive and relevant to kids today. “Imagine if you discovered your grandma was a real superhero. This tale covers a contemporary look back at how local action drove national impact in the civil rights movement.”
George Brown - Executive Director - Highlights Foundation
“Grandma Luther King” is a sweet and heartwarming story that reminds people how important it is to remember history. I loved the setting, the message and the reminder of Tampa’s past.
Laura Taylor - Bookstore & Programming | Director, Oxford Exchange | Tampa Fl.
Powerfully Perplexing Presidential Profiles
Powerfully Perplexing Presidential Profiles is a fun fact/trivia book on our United States Presidents from George Washington to Donald Trump, written in a fun, witty style, to make learning entertaining and enjoyable. The book includes a never before published timeline linking two presidents at the same time somewhere in history.
Whether you like American History or not, you will find a wealth of stories and facts to be shared that could spark conversation or debate at any party. After all, George Washington’s kids were the first to play on the White House lawn right… or were they? This book covers a vast array of presidential trivia and facts, making it a fun read for kids and adults alike.
BIRTHRIGHT: SIERRA'S LEGACY
She was born on a lake, her family died in a lake, and molecules of water are mysteriously at her command. Sierra has endured tragedy in her young life that most people could never realize. Orphaned at a young age, she has only vague memories of her family. Sometimes they come in dreams, sometimes in visions. She was left alone, but Sierra was left with a gift. She calls it a legacy, and it completely changed her life around.
She’s since moved away from the small Florida town with the haunted past, but now she feels a calling. So she has to go back to Old Indian Lake, where her life was changed forever and will do so again.
This is an exciting ride through water and time. I highly recommend it! Facebook Review
I particularly enjoyed the strength, charisma, and character growth of the protagonist. She had not only a past, but also her future was consistently afflicted by it. https://jeyranmain.com/
THE JUNIORS
Four middle school friends find themselves in a battle of wits against adversaries that will stop at nothing to retrieve an encrypted computer disk found at a cafe. The kids are planning a summer of fun before starting 7th grade but instead, it is filled with danger, kidnappers, hijackers, and down-right criminals. The combined talents of these pre-teens thrust them in the limelight as crime-solving heroes, and being in the limelight was nowhere near their plans. Join these four friends in Tampa, Florida as they fight crime, solve the mystery and still try to make it through school.
There is never a dull moment when the Juniors are together and they always seem to
find themselves involved in one adventure after another
Amazon
...you will find yourself hungry for whatever happens next. You become completely
engulfed in the story. The twists keep you on your toes until the last page - and
then you want more.!
Goodreads
...This book was cleverly written. You will fall in love with the kids and the parents
of this book. Action packed with comic relief
Barnes & Noble
Who Is The GRAY Man?
He is a legend, he is a mystery and he can only be seen by children.The people who know about him are long dead, he is the Gray Man.One family will learn first-hand the power and horror of ‘he who walks in the shadows’, but the legend of the Gray Man is real and strikes fear to all who lay eyes on him, because once you see him…you will surely die. Ten year old “TJ” is about to embark on a journey that no one in this small Florida town has ever taken – and lived. Strange things are going on and it all leads to one thing for TJ and his family, a one on one encounter with the most feared Urban Legend in town. Will he be the only person who has ever seen the Gray Man and lived?
I was very impressed with Martinez's book. The author understands the minds of children and delves into the power of the imagination. He perfectly captures life in small town Florida.
Amazon
...his vivid characterization and suspenseful plot. A surprise twist made this story even better.
Goodreads
Well crafted and suspenseful. A wonderful read!
Barnes & Noble
CASSIE'S CURSE
The Hulk, Sinatra, Pretty Boy - nicknames of three friends in the small Florida town of Cobra Lake. “Sinatra” is Olivia Kelly, cute, smart, and driven; “Pretty Boy” is Devin Yau, athletic and addicted to CSI TV shows; “The Hulk” is Cassie Saunders and Cassie has a secret she promised she’d always keep it to herself. The eleven year old has a mark on her wrist, it looks like a tattoo and she hides it by covering it with her watch, a watch that doesn’t even work anymore. Cassie is the daughter of a very important man in town, but she wasn’t born with the mark that looks like a cobra, it mysteriously appeared one day… the day her grandmother died. And that tattoo of a snake has a purpose that Cassie and her friends are going to soon come to face with- whether they like it or not.
From the very beginning there's a sense of mystery and suspense, catching the reader’s attention right away. Great introduction to main characters. There's a character that each different reader can identify with.
Goodreads
BEFORE DAWN: TRILOGY COLLECTION
DO YOU LIKE WEREWOLVES?
Four school friends find something in the woods that has been hidden there for ages
and never had contact with the outside
world until they discovered it. And the
small town of Lobo Cliff, Florida will
never be the same.
(Book 1 available as a free download below)
...written for middle school age but as an adult I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was interested in the characters and what would happen to them. There was a delicacy in how the author treated having a friend with an illness. Being a cancer survivor, I found it sympathetic. The plot and suspense kept me reading..
Goodreads
ORPHANS OF DANICA :BOOK 1
People are dying in Danica. An age old historical event that brought this rural Florida town together is slowly tearing it apart, an event that bonds six fifth graders together on a quest. These kids from different backgrounds and families are brought together by one linking fact – they are the children of dead people. And this fact pushes these school kids to take on a mystery that might very well make them the next victims, of the Curse of Danica. Daphne, the new girl in town who is still adjusting to life in a new state and a new school, is thrust into a group of what she refers to her mom as ‘misfits’, but she realizes that she has a bond with them since she too is an “orphan”, she finds that she was put there in Danica for a reason. Together as a group they attempt to solve the age old curse that has ripped into the fabric of this ‘perfect’ little town.
Martinez certainly knows how to write a suspenseful story. He also knows his history and his setting of small town Florida. There's a curse and a mystery to be solved. There's also a touch of pathos that gives this story depth. Great read!
Barnes & Noble
TIARA WARS :BOOK 1
“Could you be friends with someone you really didn’t like?”
Danielle didn't know that the tiara she wore all the time was an actual prized jewel. After arguing with Heather, the girl in school she didn't get along with, the tiara was tossed in the park where it quickly got lost. Just in time for jewel thieves to be on the lookout for it. Together, with anther school friend, the girls have to fight smart and together to foil the bad guys in a small Florida town right in the middle of the biggest event of the year - the Strawberry Festival. Can three fifth-graders outsmart career criminals?
Love, love this book. Perfect for elementary readers, especially little girls obsessed by princesses. Has a great mystery. Bought copies for all my nieces and their friends.
GoodReads
JAMEY GUY: PRIVATE EYE
CHAPTER BOOK
Eight year old Jamey Guy loves computers, detective shows and eating pizza. Celebrating the last day of school is what he and his friends are getting ready for, but a series of crimes in town has the grown-ups in fear. Someone needs to solve this mystery so they can all celebrate summer in peace. Will it be the police or Jamey who crack the case?
