![The Galactic Adventures of Jaedyn
Sojourner’s Truth Staffhttp://www.thetruthtoledo.com/story/2012/012512/jaedyn.htm
Author Andre Gaines refers to his 11-year-old niece Jaedyn as a “girly-girl,” but says he can’t remember a single Halloween when she’s wanted to dress up like a princess. “She’s always wanted to be a superhero,” Gaines said. “I remember one Halloween when my Mom called me upset because Jaedyn wanted to be Spider-Man. I thought it was awesome”
While Gaines says his niece has a strong personality and isn’t afraid to speak her mind, he notices that for many children her age, speaking up is a unique challenge, especially for kids being bullied. “That’s where I got the idea to write a book.” Gaines, a television writer and producer in Los Angeles, started thinking about the struggles of these bullied kids in contrast to his own spirited, strong-willed niece. “I thought it would be really cool if these kids had a superhero to defend them,” Gaines said.
But he didn’t want a run-of-the-mill superhero. Instead, he wanted a champion for middle-grade readers who are consistently underrepresented on bookshelves. “I realized that there are lots of little girls out there who are starving to see images of themselves in the male-dominated superhero universe. It’s really a shame that there aren’t more adventure books for girls in the marketplace and even more ashamed that few books in this category represent African-Americans.”
Featuring his niece as the fiery, precocious lead character, Gaines was motivated to inspire bullied kids and uplift the presence of African-American heroines in his first novel, The Galactic Adventures of Jaedyn G. (Parkside Press 2012) – a 128-page middle-grade novel that follows the title character on a journey of self-discovery from the schoolyard to the outer galaxy. In the novel, Jaedyn—a straight-forward, self-confident young girl with a talent for wrestling—leads a space alien named Zel to a place called Planet Bob on a mission to recover her stolen wrestling belt. Zel, a softhearted victim of bullying, becomes her friend and confidant, and together they discover that real superpowers come in all forms.
Gaines, who owns the animation studio Cinemation, said he got his entire family involved in the writing process, including his niece, his parents and his brother, Jay, who is Jaedyn’s father.
“My parents Jimmy and Sharon Gaines were especially instrumental in shaping the story. My mom has been an educator for years, and a Specialist in early childhood education educational administration and supervision,” Gaines said. “My brother, Jay, read over ten drafts of the manuscript and was really key in helping me iron out the plot points. He has an uncanny knack for solving story problems, and I often called him in the middle of the day for a fix.”
The most important feedback, however, came from Gaines’ niece Jaedyn, who unwrapped an advanced copy of the book on Christmas Day and says she read all 20 chapters in two days.
“I’ve never seen a book like this about aliens and I really like seeing myself as a superhero. I like it even better than some of my favorite books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Spacehedz because it’s about a girl and not a boy,” said the 11-year-old, who is an honor student at the Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy in Columbus, Ohio. “Everyone started circling around my teacher when she was reading the book. Then a friend of mine who bought the book asked me if she was going to get her ten dollars back because we’re friends and I told her no.”
Jaedyn said she liked everything about the book except one very important detail—in The Galactic Adventures of Jaedyn G., the title character’s favorite color is purple, and her favorite color is actually neon green.
Gaines is optimistic about the future of the middle-grade series. “I sent an advanced copy to a good friend and mentor of mine, author Tananarive Due, and she emailed me saying, ‘my son snatched it up right away, so it’s a hit!’” Gaines said. “I got the same reaction from several other friends who bought advanced copies for their nieces and nephews, which is very rewarding.”
While critical reviews for the novel have been strong, with more expected in the Spring, Gaines said he values customer reviews on Amazon.com the most. “My goal was to write something fun and hopefully empower young girls everywhere with a sense of self-determination and confidence in being who they are.”
The novel is currently available on Amazon.com and will be available to major booksellers everywhere through Ingram and Baker & Taylor on January 26, 2012.
Copyright © 2012 by [The Sojourner’s Truth]. All rights reserved.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyd908plyD1qz7c5jo1_400.jpg)
The Galactic Adventures of Jaedyn
Sojourner’s Truth Staff
http://www.thetruthtoledo.com/story/2012/012512/jaedyn.htm
Author Andre Gaines refers to his 11-year-old niece Jaedyn as a “girly-girl,” but says he can’t remember a single Halloween when she’s wanted to dress up like a princess. “She’s always wanted to be a superhero,” Gaines said. “I remember one Halloween when my Mom called me upset because Jaedyn wanted to be Spider-Man. I thought it was awesome”
While Gaines says his niece has a strong personality and isn’t afraid to speak her mind, he notices that for many children her age, speaking up is a unique challenge, especially for kids being bullied. “That’s where I got the idea to write a book.” Gaines, a television writer and producer in Los Angeles, started thinking about the struggles of these bullied kids in contrast to his own spirited, strong-willed niece. “I thought it would be really cool if these kids had a superhero to defend them,” Gaines said.
But he didn’t want a run-of-the-mill superhero. Instead, he wanted a champion for middle-grade readers who are consistently underrepresented on bookshelves. “I realized that there are lots of little girls out there who are starving to see images of themselves in the male-dominated superhero universe. It’s really a shame that there aren’t more adventure books for girls in the marketplace and even more ashamed that few books in this category represent African-Americans.”
Featuring his niece as the fiery, precocious lead character, Gaines was motivated to inspire bullied kids and uplift the presence of African-American heroines in his first novel, The Galactic Adventures of Jaedyn G. (Parkside Press 2012) – a 128-page middle-grade novel that follows the title character on a journey of self-discovery from the schoolyard to the outer galaxy. In the novel, Jaedyn—a straight-forward, self-confident young girl with a talent for wrestling—leads a space alien named Zel to a place called Planet Bob on a mission to recover her stolen wrestling belt. Zel, a softhearted victim of bullying, becomes her friend and confidant, and together they discover that real superpowers come in all forms.
Gaines, who owns the animation studio Cinemation, said he got his entire family involved in the writing process, including his niece, his parents and his brother, Jay, who is Jaedyn’s father.
“My parents Jimmy and Sharon Gaines were especially instrumental in shaping the story. My mom has been an educator for years, and a Specialist in early childhood education educational administration and supervision,” Gaines said. “My brother, Jay, read over ten drafts of the manuscript and was really key in helping me iron out the plot points. He has an uncanny knack for solving story problems, and I often called him in the middle of the day for a fix.”
The most important feedback, however, came from Gaines’ niece Jaedyn, who unwrapped an advanced copy of the book on Christmas Day and says she read all 20 chapters in two days.
“I’ve never seen a book like this about aliens and I really like seeing myself as a superhero. I like it even better than some of my favorite books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Spacehedz because it’s about a girl and not a boy,” said the 11-year-old, who is an honor student at the Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy in Columbus, Ohio. “Everyone started circling around my teacher when she was reading the book. Then a friend of mine who bought the book asked me if she was going to get her ten dollars back because we’re friends and I told her no.”
Jaedyn said she liked everything about the book except one very important detail—in The Galactic Adventures of Jaedyn G., the title character’s favorite color is purple, and her favorite color is actually neon green.
Gaines is optimistic about the future of the middle-grade series. “I sent an advanced copy to a good friend and mentor of mine, author Tananarive Due, and she emailed me saying, ‘my son snatched it up right away, so it’s a hit!’” Gaines said. “I got the same reaction from several other friends who bought advanced copies for their nieces and nephews, which is very rewarding.”
While critical reviews for the novel have been strong, with more expected in the Spring, Gaines said he values customer reviews on Amazon.com the most. “My goal was to write something fun and hopefully empower young girls everywhere with a sense of self-determination and confidence in being who they are.”
The novel is currently available on Amazon.com and will be available to major booksellers everywhere through Ingram and Baker & Taylor on January 26, 2012.
Copyright © 2012 by [The Sojourner’s Truth]. All rights reserved.
