Boston College graduate Ted (T.M.) Murphy has teamed up with his childhood friend, Mark Penta, to launch Totally Weird Activity Books (West Margin Press), an open-ended book series for kids who can add their own stories and artistic creations. Murphy is the writer and Penta is the illustrator. The first volume in the series is Super Strange Story Starters. Filled with unusual illustrated characters, strange stories, and peculiar places, each of the 22 story prompts includes space for young readers to write down and explore ideas of what happens next. The second volume is Creative Coloring and Far-Out Fun! where kids can color the pages, finish comics, solve mysterious jumbles, and more. A third installment, Unusual Objects in Fantastic Places, is forthcoming this spring. Educators and parents say that these books spark children’s imaginations and build self-esteem as children realize they can create something uniquely their own. Murphy graduated from BC in 1994. He is author of the Belltown Mystery Series and Saving Santa’s Seals. He also taught writing at BC’s Woods College of Advancing Studies for 12 years.