The Amanda Project Makes the Invisible Interactive

Fourth Story Media mixes traditional children's book publishing with online and digital media in The Amanda Project, a new interactive book series and website, developed in collaboration with HarperTeen. The project officially launches on September 22, and the first book in the series for teen girls, The Amanda Project: Invisible I by Melissa Kantor and Stella Lennon, is featured on the Fall Children's Indie Next List, in stores now.

"First and foremost, the book is a great read and a fun handsell," said Lisa Holton, CEO and founder of Fourth Story Media. "It's also a first -- the website extends the story and invites readers to participate by creating a fictional character and then contributing their own writing to the ongoing mystery."

The eight books in the series will work in conjunction with the interactive website, which uses social networking, online games, and user-generated content to create a collaborative reading experience for girls ages 12 and older.

"It's a perfect choice for Teen Book Clubs, Mother/Daughter Book Clubs, or for avid readers who love to write as well," said Holton. "And if you look in the back of the book, you'll find the work of Lisa Strumm -- a 17-year-old girl whose writing on the website was chosen for the first book." (For her piece, Strumm, who lives in Plano, Texas, received an honorarium of a $100 gift certificate to her local indie bookstore, Legacy Books.)

To booksellers, Holton said, "Encourage your customers to write on the site, and perhaps they will be chosen for book two!"

Readers who visit www.theamandaproject.com can become a character and create a profile, comment on weekly stories and post their own theories (with the chance to be included in future stories and even published in the books), upload art, listen and download the character's favorite music, uncover clues, and discover more about Amanda. To ensure that the project would appeal to kids, Holton and her team enlisted the help of 150 girls around the world to beta test the website.

Questions about the site and Fourth Story Media can be sent to [email protected]. To order The Amanda Project: Invisible I, booksellers should contact their Harper reps.