The Call to Shakabaz Wins Mom’s Choice Awards for Book and Audio Book

Ukiah, CA, January 31, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The Mom’s Choice Awards have just announced that The Call to Shakabaz by Amy Wachspress is a Silver Award Recipient 2009 in the Juvenile and Young Adult Fiction category. Simultaneously, the audio book of The Call to Shakabaz, produced by Legacy Audio Books, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio, received a Silver Award for Juvenile and Young Adult Fiction Audio Book. The Call to Shakabaz previously won three national and two regional awards (including Children’s Fiction Finalist USA Book News Best Books 2007). The audio book, released in September 2008, features the versatile voices of Andrew L. Barnes and Adilah Barnes as well as original music composed by Timothy Barnes. The Call to Shakabaz is a five-star favorite on Amazon and was one of the top 10 children’s books sold at Black Oak Books in Berkeley, California in the first months after publication. Reviewers promise that if you like the Narnia books and Harry Potter, you’ll love The Call to Shakabaz.

In The Call to Shakabaz, the recently orphaned Goodacre children travel with their pesky parrot to the distant land of Faracadar on a quest to retrieve the powerful Staff of Shakabaz from the malevolent enchanter Sissrath. When the young protagonists discover that violence is foredoomed to fail against Sissrath, they must use their wits and imagination to defeat him. A terrific romp with cross-generational appeal, this story demonstrates the fundamental principles of nonviolence as practiced by Dr. King and Gandhi within the context of a real cliff-hanger that has the reader hooked from the beginning all the way to the unexpected, magical climax.

The Call to Shakabaz is filled with adventure, colorful endearing characters, magic and enchantment, thought-provoking threads to spark discussion, children on a hero’s journey, and an epic struggle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. Author Amy Wachspress has combined a passion for children’s fantasy stories and a heartfelt belief in the power of nonviolence with a love of African American culture to create a rip-roaring ride with magic, depth, and soul for readers of all ages.

“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 Audio Book Produced by Legacy Audio Books, Inc.
$29.99 US • ISBN 978-0-9779883-9-6 • Available through Follett Library Resources, Quality Books Inc., BCH, Brodart Co., Baker & Taylor, and Legacy Audio Books, Inc.

Visit www.legacy-audiobooks.com

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

Visit www.wozabooks.com

Media kits and book review copies available. Visit www.legacy-audiobooks.com

Legacy Contact: Andrew L. Barnes (866) 499-2049 a.barnes@legacyaudiobooks.com

Woza Contact: Amy Wachspress (707) 468-4118 amy@wozabooks.com
(URL: www.wozabooks.com)

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