Wainwright for the People

We are on Kickstarter!

A Children’s Book project

A Graphic Design project

A Publishing project

A work in progress, but here goes:

Gideon Wainwright, a “too-smart-for-his-own-good” high school sophomore, gets in trouble at school for a crime he did not commit.  Suspended for thirty days, Gideon’s mom, the chief assistant D.A., puts Gideon to work as a clerk at the D.A.’s office, making copies, fetching coffee, stapling papers, and any other menial jobs they can throw at him.  Gideon’s mom figures she will teach him a lesson about what happens in “real life” when you break the rules, but Gideon has other ideas.  A young ADA takes Gideon under his wing and gives him a case to investigate that has eerie parallels to how Gideon got in trouble at school in the first place.  Gideon solves a mystery and does justice, and in the process proves he was in the right all along.

Wainwright for the People is an exciting legal thriller for the teenage market that will also serve as an exceptional civics teaching tool.  ”Law and Order” meets “Encyclopedia Brown,” the adventures of Gideon Wainwright delve seamlessly into the legal system, while keeping readers rooting for an unlikely hero.

The story of Wainwright for the People is based on my real life experiences of an Assistant District Attorney at the Bronx D.A.’s Office.  Wainwright is the first book of a three to five book series designed to excite and engage middle school readers while teaching students about our justice system. In addition to the book, Wainwright for the People is also a Creative Commons licensed curriculum for teachers who wish to incorporate Wainwright into the classroom.

American Bar Association Publishing has already agreed to publish Wainwright for the People.  The first three chapters are already written.  The manuscript is due in October of 2012.  By the end of this year the curricular materials will also be fully developed.

My collaborator on Wainwright for the People is published author Stacey Ballis.  Stacey is an accomplished fiction writer with five books published by Penguin.  Stacey is also an educator who holds a Masters in Education from DePaul University, and has worked with the middle and high school grades as director of educational and community programs for several nonprofits in Chicago.

Adviser for the Wainwright curriculum is Dr. Michael J. Berson, Professor of Social Science Education at the University of South Florida, Department of Secondary Education.