Monthly Archives: September 2009

What Happened to Amanda?

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As I’ve posted a couple of times before, story-telling is going to come in new and varied formats in the near future, oftentimes integrated with each other. And I’m not saying that the printed book is going to disappear, but rather that it will become one form of media in a larger experience.

Take, for example, The 39 Clues series for kids. It’s a combination of books, an interactive web site, trading cards, and soon-to-be-released movies. It’s a brilliant amalgamation of various media that offers a richer story-telling experience.

Of course, this isn’t the first time this sort of thing has been done. Can anyone say Dragonlance? Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman were visionaries that were way ahead of their time. So I’m glad to see more of this type of storytelling coming about. Incorporating books, video gaming, web, social media, trading cards, etc is the way to go.

The woman behind The 39 Clues, Lisa Holton of Fourth Story Media, has now applied this concept to a new venture, The Amanda Project. Based, again, on a number of fiction novels and an interactive web site, this adventure is aimed at teenage girls.

“Amanda Valentino changed everything.

Callie Leary has exactly one thing, and one thing only, in common with Nia Rivera and Hal Bennett: They were each chosen by Amanda to be her guide. When Amanda arrived at Endeavor High, she told Callie she moves around a lot and always picks one person to help her navigate the choppy waters of a new school. Why did Amanda lie?

Following a course that they suspect Amanda deliberately plotted, Callie, Nia, and Hal piece together some cryptic clues. But they find more questions than answers and quickly realize that before they can figure out what happened to Amanda—the girl who changed their lives—they’ll need to solve the most important mystery of all: Who is Amanda Valentino?”

Already the project has launched a number of social media sites like: Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace in preparation for its upcoming release.

The first of the novels, Invisible I, written by Melissa Kantor (under the name Stella Lennon) will be released September 22nd and I expect this series to take off quickly based on what I’ve read from early reviewers. Apparently it’s a tasteful and intriguing story in which readers will become enthralled with not only the disappearance of 15 year old Amanda Valentino, but who she really is. So if you are looking for a mystery that will keep you engaged through more than just a few good books, look no further.