Author and therapist Jess Redman will begin a virtual book tour in support of QUINTESSENCE, her newest children's book with Macmillan. The tour will include special guests such as NYT bestselling author Natalie Lloyd and hosts like Books & Books, Square Books, and Interabang. | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT
JUPITER, FL (July 16, 2020)—Author and therapist Jess Redman will launch her newest book with FSG/Macmillan, Quintessence, with a series of virtual events beginning on July 28, 2020. Quintessence follows twelve-year-old Alma Lucas, an anxious girl who sees a star fall into her backyard one night. Along with three unlikely friends, Alma begins a quest to find the four classical elements—earth, air, water, and fire—and create a magical fifth element with the power to send the star home.
As a licensed mental health counselor, Redman is very aware of the rising rates of anxiety in young people. She says she chose to include a main character with an anxiety disorder because “it’s important to me that readers see themselves, in all their complexity, in the pages of my stories.” Quintessence includes a magic-infused town, a book of medieval alchemy, and explorations of STEM topics, but it also delves into panic attacks, friendships, family relationships, and identity. “I hope this story speaks to the many anxious kids who are in search of light, hope, and wonder,” Redman says.
So far, this combination of science, magic, and mental health seems to have readers and reviewers hooked. Publishers Weekly described Quintessence as “a fanciful adventure with a rich emotional core and a fairy tale flair,” while Megan Frazer Blakemore, author of The Firefly Code, called it, “A wildly imaginative tale full of wonder and hope that is grounded in our everyday world and the very real problems that today’s children face.” The book has already found a wide audience after being chosen as the featured book of the month for the OwlCrate Jr. book subscription box.
Redman’s debut, The Miraculous, was a Bank Street Best Children's Book of 2019 and an Amazon Best Book of 2019. The story has been used in grief groups, book clubs, and classrooms around the country, and Redman hopes Quintessence will resonate with readers in the same way.
On July 28th, Redman will celebrate Quintessence’s publication with a virtual event hosted by Books & Books on Instagram Live. She will be in conversation with New York Times bestselling author Natalie Lloyd. Redman will follow this launch with a series of virtual bookstore and library events. A complete list of events can be found on her website, https://www.jessredman.com, as well as a teacher’s guide, book trailer, preorder giveaway information, and more. The author is also on Instagram and Twitter at  Jess__Red.
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EDITOR'S NOTE:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jess Redman is a therapist and author of books for young readers with FSG/Macmillan. Her first book, The Miraculous, was a Bank Street Best Children's Book of 2019, an Amazon Best Book of 2019, and was called "layered, engaging, and emotionally true" in a Kirkus starred review. Her second book, Quintessence, releases on July 28th. The book was featured in OwlCrate Jr.’s subscription box and described as “a fanciful adventure with a rich emotional core and a fairy tale” by Publishers Weekly. Her third book, The Adventure Is Now, is scheduled for publication in May 2021. Redman currently lives in Florida with her husband, two young children, an old cat named SoulPie, and a fish named Annie. Visit her at www.jessredman.com or on Twitter and Instagram at Jess__Red.
ABOUT THE BOOK
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374309763
Quintessence by Jess Redman
Published by FSG Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan
ISBN: 978-0374309763
On Sale: July 28, 2020
Available for preorder now
Quintessence is an extraordinary story from Jess Redman about friendship, self-discovery, interconnectedness, and the inexplicable elements that make you you.
Find the Elements. Grow the Light. Save the Starling.
Three months ago, twelve-year-old Alma moved to the town of Four Points. Her panic attacks started a week later, and they haven’t stopped—even though she’s told her parents that they have. She’s homesick and friendless and every day she feels less and less like herself.
But one day she finds a telescope in the town’s junk shop, and through its lens, she watches a star—a star that looks like a child—fall from the sky and into her backyard. Alma knows what it’s like to be lost and afraid, to long for home, and she knows that it’s up to her to save the star. And so, with the help of some unlikely new friends from Astronomy Club, she sets out on a quest that will take a little bit of science, a little bit of magic, and her whole self.
ABOUT THE EVENT
https://booksandbooks.com/event/virtual-author-series-jess-redman/
QUINTESSENCE Virtual Launch
Hosted by Books & Books
Location: Instagram Live
Jess Redman in conversation with NYT bestselling author of SNICKER OF MAGIC and THE PROBLIM CHILDREN series Natalie Lloyd |
