The Missile Kids - On the Road Again

The Missile Kids series is a historical fiction young adult series that depicts the life of the Boeing Technicians and Employees who signed on the work on the Minuteman Missile Project starting in the early 60s and finishing in the 70s. Little is known about the 10,000 families who migrated throughout the midwest following the missile sites and stations many coming from the Boeing Factory in Washington State. This story narrated by a preteen during the years from 1960-1970 gives us some idea of how it was to be one of the families whose fathers worked on the "Front Line of the Cold War". The following is from the preface of Book 1 in the Series of Books covering the aforementioned years. "There was a peculiar migrant group in the 1960s that moved at least once or twice every year to a new town in the great plains of the Midwest. All kinds of families made up this group, big and small, from all over the United States. They lived in cities, large and small towns, on farms, air force bases, in apartments, mobile homes, temporary housing, and basements and even in motels. They usually did not live near their relatives and sometimes did not know anyone in the town that they were moving to. When they registered at the school in the new town, they stayed for a couple of months or a year, if they were lucky. They had folding ironing boards, umbrellas and clothes like everyone else but they also had folding beds, folding tables, folding chairs and even . Just about everything they owned could be taken apart and packed into a trailer in an instant. There was ONE thing they all knew for sure; they would be moving somewhere, sometime soon. They were the MISSILE KIDS! "
About the Author: Sandy Blanes has 35 years of experience in management, teaching, advising and curriculum development in and out of the U.S.A. She is a university graduate with Masters of Management from Cambridge College where she also developed a program to fill in the gaps for English Language Learners. She has taught adults for many years and specializes in preparing them for entering college to fulfill their lifelong dreams. She is the author of the ESL course, "English in 24 Hours", and develops content-based ESL curriculum to ensure that adults receive a more focused, accelerated preparation while they are studying English as a Second Language. She has taught courses related to Certificates for Interpreters and has worked with many nonprofits in outreach to families and parents whose primary language is English. Blanes is fluent in Portuguese and has conversational Spanish. Her 16 years in Brazil included having 8 children who are trilingual and founding a successful school to teach English and Portuguese. Blanes tutors for the following subjects and test preparation: TOEFL, SAT (reading and writing), GED and for Statewide and college preparatory exams. Writing, composition and writing for any level from grade school through college and any type of exam plus business courses, term papers and ILPs are also part of Sandy's specialties. Help with English as a Second Language on all levels and Portuguese are provided also. Spanish-speaking students are welcome. Writing children's books started as a hobby but has become a lifelong and retirement gift that Sandy Blanes brings to the community. Drawing on her vast experiences in and out of the U.S., Blanes begins by telling the story of her unusual childhood as a "Missile Kid" in the 60s through the historical fiction series, "The Missile Kids". Her most recent book is "Where's MY Grandma?" retelling a story on paper that took place in Brazil where most of her children were born and grew up. There is a story board for at least six books in the Missile Kid series and the grandparent stories will keep coming. Available for presentations of all kinds, places and events are on Ms. Blanes calendars where she gives interactive workshops, readings and entertains.