Message of Nonviolence a Winner for The Call to Shakabaz Author - Positive message of unusual children's fantasy adventure "The Call to Shakabaz" takes home another prize.
Message of Nonviolence a Winner for The Call to Shakabaz Author
By Amy Wachspress
Nov 17, 2009 - 5:56:16 PM
Amy Wachspress, author of the award-winning children’s fantasy
adventure
The Call to Shakabaz, has received the 2009 Spirit of Youth
Award from Artists for a Better World. The award is one of several awards
presented each year to artists who are changing conditions in society through
their aesthetic and social contributions. The Spirit of Youth Award recognizes
an artist who inspires young people to make the world a better place. Amy is
being honored both for the message of her book and her ongoing work as a grant
writer (she has raised over $100 million for worthy causes nationwide).
The Call to Shakabaz has won numerous national and regional awards and is available in
audio book format from Legacy Audio Books, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio.
The
Call to Shakabaz is unusual both in message and content. It features all
Black characters; a rare occurrence in the children’s fantasy adventure genre.
In the book, the recently orphaned Goodacre children travel to the distant
fantasy land of Faracadar on a quest to retrieve the powerful Staff of Shakabaz
from the malevolent enchanter Sissrath. When they discover that violence is
foredoomed to fail against Sissrath, they must use their wits and imagination
to defeat him. The book demonstrates the fundamental principles of nonviolence
as practiced by Dr. King and Gandhi within the context of a cliff-hanger that
has the reader hooked from the beginning right through to the unexpected,
magical climax. A rip-roaring ride with enchantment, depth, and soul for
readers of all ages, the book is a terrific cross-generational family
read-aloud and a good bet as a holiday gift that will afford hours of family
entertainment. Reviewers promise that if you like the Narnia books and Harry
Potter, you’ll love
The Call to Shakabaz.
Amy teaches that creativity is the opposite of violence because it
requires imagination to build a peaceful solution to a complex conflict. In
2009, Amy received a grant from the Mendocino County Arts Council to conduct
author visits in the schools. She and students made fold-out books printed with
her
Everyday Practices for Young People Who Want to Help Save the World
(available for free online at her website).
“The Call to Shakabaz is a children’s book that is important for everyone to know
about. I suggest you buy it and read it together with the whole family.” --
Bev Smith, nationally syndicated talk radio host
“First
and foremost, The Call to Shakabaz is a highly readable, entertaining
fantasy that anyone can enjoy. But beyond that, it fills some important holes
in fantasy literature. It’s about time that a good fantasy came along featuring
characters that African-American children can identify with.”--
Sheila Ruth,
Wands and Worlds
The Call to Shakabaz by Amy Wachspress Published by Woza Books
$15.50 US •ISBN
978-0-9788350-2-6 • 6" X 9"
272 pages Trade Paperback
Available
through Follett Library Resources, Baker & Taylor, and Reach and Teach
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