How to read our books

Leather Foundry books can be read alone but they can also be read together as a family. We made these books because we have fond memories of our dads reading to us as kids and we wanted to recreate the experience with a modern twist. What's the "modern twist"? Well, we're all so used to playing little games on our phones and consoles these days that we thought it'd be nice to include some game and collectible elements in our books too - and to have them connect to an online portal called PlayGate.Online where you can win rewards and collectibles for solving the puzzles! Some of our favourite books to read (and play) as kids were the Fighting Fantasy series of books and the Interplanetary Spy books. Have you heard of those?

You're free to read the book however suits you best but here's an approach we suggest, especially for parents!

Start with a Puzzle!

We put one right at the front of the book for you: Spot the Difference. Have the kids try and spot the 10 differences between the cover image and the inside front cover. There's a special bonus 11th difference if you're clever! (Hint: it's meta...)

Now, before you start reading, make your little audience aware of the following and leave these activities to them, so they have something specific to do:
- Leather Foundry books hide SECRETS. Everywhere.
- Have a pen and paper handy.
- Look at the pictures. Look at the words. Notice ANYTHING out of the ordinary? TAKE A NOTE OF IT.
- Note any details that stand out and then note the *ordinary* things that are relevant like *page number*. What page is this detail on?
- See anything familiar? Perhaps you've seen something like it on another page? Or maybe there are some words that ring a bell? For now, perhaps, CIRCLE IT, so you can go back later and check, rather than derailing your current progress.
 

READ the first chapter
 

Read the first chapter to your waiting audience. When you're finished the chapter, ask a few questions to prompt thought about what's happened and to lay the ground for the story to come. This is an important step to help them process the story and the messages within it better and to help them remember key points as you progress.

​

Treasure Hunt Puzzles

There will likely always be a treasure hunt or two in a Leather Foundry product. As an example, in Book One, The Broken Lute, there are ten Talens (coins) to be found, hidden in pictures throughout the book. You could do a treasure hunt before you start or after you've finished the story but we suggest perhaps considering splitting the treasure hunt into a few parts. Perhaps read through a section of the book - say, the first half - and suggest the family do a search through ONLY the first half of the book. Then search the second half of the book once you've finished the whole thing. Make sure to note the page numbers and details of what you find so you can enter them into the PlayGate.Online portal later for rewards!

​

On the following pages you'll find a list of the chapters in Book One (The Broken Lute) and the questions you can ask about them as well as more specific puzzle help for Book One.