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Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
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MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD

Ryan Andrews Alana Harrison Drew Callander

You wake up in the fictional land of Astorya, where stories from our world come to life. Armed with your trusty pencil, you have the power to create. Everything you write in the book becomes part of the story! To prove that the pencil is mightier than the sword, you must write, draw, and puzzle your way through this hilarious adventure.
A humorous and fantastical interactive middle-grade novel that pulls you, the reader, into the action. Yes, YOU!

You wake up in the fictional land of Astorya, where stories from our world come to life. You're a real human being (we assume), and in this fictional world, that makes you a superhero. Armed with your trusty pencil you have the power to create: what you write, draw or scribble in the book becomes part of the story!

Only you can rescue Prince S. from the evil Queen Rulette. Aided by the Couriers--a French stoat with dangerous dance moves, a giant dung beetle, a fire ninja, a Pegasus-centaur-cowgirl and a super-intelligent femalien chameleon--you must write, draw, and puzzle your way through a hilarious adventure that is unique to every reader! And most importantly, you must prove that the pencil is mightier than the sword.

Penguin Workshop will publish July 10, 2018. We currently have two books signed up, this is the first in a series of second-person, illustrated paper-over-board novels.

About the authors and illustrator:

Alana Harrison and Drew Callander have spent their lives telling stories and cracking jokes. Alana graduated from The College of William and Mary with a degree in Comedic Writing and Performance. Drew graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Fiction Writing. Together they have created cartoons and short films with Jon Stewart, Conan O'Brien, John Oliver, and Kristen Schaal. Their work as writers and improv comedians has aired on Sirius XM Radio, NBC, and Comedy Central.Mightier Than the Swordis their first full-length middle-grade novel. They live with their baby daughter and exquisitely talented cat (neither of whom help with the dishes).

Ryan Andrews lives in the Japanese countryside, with his wife, two kids, and their dog, Lucky. A friendly Kodama or two have been known to take up residence in the giant acorn tree that shades the house. Ryan often works at his drawing desk in the early-morning hours, to the sound of rummaging wild boar and badgers, who come from the surrounding forest seeking out shiitake mushrooms and fallen chestnuts.
Available products
Book

Published 2018-07-10 by Penguin Workshop

Book

Published 2018-07-10 by Penguin Workshop

Comments

I have never seen a book like this before. Especially for the reluctant reader, this book would be phenomenal! It is funny, creative, and requires a level of interaction that gives kids a sense of ownership in the story.

Hilarious, fun, and wonderfully insane! It's more than just a bookit's a book you can play!

Arch humor and goofy jokes provide continual laughter along the way... Humorous footnotes ramp up the jokes, a shortcut ending adds a loopy option, and softly sketched but detailed monochromatic illustrations provide visual entertainment.

Drew and Alana were on SIRIUS/XM KIDS PLACE LIVE's "Absolutely Mindy Show" this morning to talk about the book and the writing process! Read more...

MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD appeared in the BookRiot (1.2 million UVPM) "The Kids Are All Right" new releases newsletter. Read more...

What a great book to add to your child's summer reading list. A book they will be happy about diving into because they get to be part of the action and adventure.

This book is for 8 years and up and is snarky, punny and overall a really fun book. I will absolutely be sending my friend's kiddos this book.

I recommend the book to kids that are very creative like me and kids that like writing activities including Madlibs and Hangman. I also think that kids will enjoy being part of the story.

This is a cleverly written book with several subliminal messages about the effects of marginalization, the danger of a single story, and the power of words.