NEW YORK, NY: West 44 Books is very pleased to announce that it will release two exciting new chapter-book series from bestselling author Wil Mara this summer!
IZZY JEEN THE BIG-MOUTH QUEEN
Isabella Jean Marino—or ‘Izzy Jeen the Big-Mouth Queen,’ as she is known among her classmates—has issues. Mostly, she is at the age where she’s just trying to get a grip, usually with little to no success. All her life, she’s let her emotions run wild, driving her friends, family, and pretty much everyone else to the edge of their patience. But there’s a new factor in the equation now—a budding sense that perhaps there’s a better way to handle things. Each story in this laugh-out-loud series brings Izzy face to face with a new challenge familiar to all kids her age. From there—and usually with a little help from those closest to her (and know that her heart, at least, is always in the right place)—Izzy has to decide which part of her nature will lead to the best solution…or, at the very least, the one that will keep her from totally losing it.
THE KID FROM PLANET 27
Logan Lewis seems like an ordinary American kid in every way. He lives with his parents in a nice neighborhood. He tries his best in school. He rides his bike, plays video games, and watches TV. He also has a best friend, the street-smart Abby Parker, who lives next door. And Abby is the only person who knows Logan’s biggest secret—that he and his family are not from Earth. In fact, they’re from Kepri, the 27th planet from the sun. Their leaders have determined that the people of Earth are going to discover their world pretty soon. So they’ve sent Keprians here to study us. In the stories that follow, Logan encounters human behavior in all its many colors as he tries to figure out what makes us tick. And even with Abby’s help, he quickly realizes that understanding Earthlings both young and old is a lot more complicated than he ever imagined.
West 44 is also unveiling today the covers for the first story in each series. Further details will be announced soon!
The Izzy Jeen and Planet 27 books are intended for a 2nd thru 4th-grade reading level. As with Wil’s popular ‘Twisted’ series, they will be readily enjoyed by enthusiastic readers—but particular attention has also been given to the requirements of reluctants, hi-los, and other challenged students.
Wil Mara is the author of more than 275 books, both fiction and nonfiction, for children and adults. His work for children includes more than 150 other educational titles for the school libraries. He has also ghostwritten five of the popular ‘Boxcar Children’ mysteries. His 2013 novel ‘Frame 232’ reached the # 1 spot in its category on Amazon. The hit 2014 feature film ‘Draft Day,’ starring Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner, was based on his 2006 novel ‘The Draft.’ More recently, he released the new supernatural series known as ‘Twisted’, which has proven tremendously popular with midde-grade readers. And he was recently given the Literary Lion Award of New Jersey from the United States Library of Congress.
For more information on West 44—
For contact, please use general@wilmara.com. All emails are answered within 24 hours.
