LUCY & JAMES: The Shanghai Six is book one of a series dealing with the plight of vanishing species around the globe. Thirteen-year-olds Lucy and James meet by chance on the Star Ferry in Hong Kong, where they are both headed to The World Academy on nearby Lantau Island. But the real adventure lies ahead in their adrenaline-fueled chase through China to save six plowshare tortoises from ending up on the menu of a fancy restaurant in Shanghai. The devotion of the main characters is at the forefront of the storyline. Lucy, an introverted, gutsy New Yorker, lives to save endangered species from extinction, while James, a hyperactive San Franciscan, exists entirely for physical thrills but has been searching for something more meaningful to believe in, and knows Lucy is the key. This unlikely pair forge an unshakeable bond as they face life or death situations in a nearly impossible quest. Minor characters are woven into the action: Townes, Lucy's best friend and 'go-to tech guy' in New York, tracks the ship carrying illegal cargo; Madame Te (aka The Grey Ghost), a teacher who is also a master in martial arts, shadows them through the perils of their adventure; Danko, a terrifying but deeply flawed 'bad guy' sent to go after them - all the way to the Terracotta Army pits in Xian - to a final heart-stopping showdown. With thirty-two hyper-realistic illustrations by acclaimed fine artist Gwen Manfrin. For young readers, ages 9-14. Appropriate for MG and YA as well.
Manfrin, Gwen: - "Gwen Manfrin is an artist in realistic figurative illustration and mixed media paintings. She received a fine arts degree from UCLA and has worked in the gallery world for many years, exhibiting drawings and paintings of young teens, capturing their true emotions - especially ones they hoped to hide.Gwen began working with Sherry Stein shortly after the first draft of LUCY & JAMES: The Shanghai Six, and through an ingenious process of using her own photographs of non-professional models of the age to draw, was able to capture the young protagonists perfectly. She continued work on the second book, Deep Blue Rescue and designed the cover as well. Gwen lives in Orinda, CA.for more information: www.spellboundillustration.com"
Stein, S. B.: - Sherry Blankenship Stein, aka, S.B. Stein, is a writer and designer based in Santa Fe New Mexico.A passionate advocate of endangered species, she travels the globe researching stories for the LUCY & JAMES Adventure Series. With a degree in industrial design from Art Center College of Design, Pasadena CA, she worked for Nike, Fila, Capezio and Ariat designing shoes and boots, and Gap in New York as director of men's accessories. In 2005 she created her own line of sturdy utilitarian bags, STEIN WORKBAGS, presently made and sold by Heath Ceramics in San Francisco under the label HEATH + STEIN. www.writedesignmake.com
