Capstone Unveils H1N1 Title, with Limited Free Download
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By SLJ Staff -- School Library Journal, 11/23/2009 2:05:00 PM
Swine flu got you scared? Finn Reeder, Flu Fighter (Stone Arch, 2009) just might offer the kind of informative and comedic relief that your students are waiting for about the H1N1 virus.
The folks at Capstone Publishers whipped up the book idea in October because they knew it was a topical subject that young people were concerned about, says Michael Dahl, editorial director for Capstone fiction.
“We wanted to give them information that was accessible, fun, and not preachy or didactic,” says Dahl. So after speaking with local writer Eric Stevens, a designer, and an editor, the team produced the 80-page book in a record few weeks.
The book is written in a first-person, journal format, with lots of doodles, and Dahl admits that the creators were inspired by Jeff Kinney’s hugely successful Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (Amulet).
Thirteen-year-old Finn Reeder’s substitute English teacher has given him a dumb assignment: to keep a journal. Little does he know that it will end up documenting a major flu pandemic. As their class size shrinks, Reeder and his friend Amy face down the school bully, draw comics, catch the principal ordering pizza, and even manage to study a bit. Reeder gets vaccinated, survives infection, and just might have even landed a girlfriend along the way.
Complete with a medical glossary, tips for staying healthy, and an advisory about the importance of getting a flu shot, this partly educational, but mostly entertaining book will hopefully spark discussion about the virus. “People are frightened about it, and we’d like them to talk about it not in a panicked way,” Dahl says.
If you’re a librarian who’s interested in the book, or you just want to check it out, you can download it for free for a limited time. After January 1, 2010 it’s $18.99 for a hard copy.
The book is geared toward students in grades four to eight, and its Web site received more than 1,200 hits on its first day, showing that the topic is “important and people are interested,” Dahl says.
Customers downloading the book can also register to receive 10 percent off of the hardcover edition once it’s available in January.
