Press Kit
Presale begins July 30 on Amazon and Bookshop.org
Sixteen-year-old Lenny’s life was never perfect. Raised in Chicago by a single mother and coming out Covid-19 isolation, he’s faced with the fallout of his mom’s drug conviction. When he is sent to live with grandparents in the middle of farm country, Illinois, he does what he always does—he keeps his mouth shut and tries to make the best of it. That is, until his grandparents get Covid. Left to fend for himself as he fights a losing battle to care for them, Lenny confronts his family’s traumatic past, his mom’s inability to escape even after she ran away, and what his life will become if he doesn’t flip the script now.
Preorder KA between now and September 1 be entered in the "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" Drawing. Here are the details:
Supporting urban and rural youth.
Kid America’s main character, 16-year-old Lenny, has grown up hearing this phrase. Many of us have heard it and felt caught there ourselves. When he was younger, Lenny looked to Captain America to come save him and his mom, and he had the pajamas to let the superhero know where he was. Captain America never came, and in the novel, Lenny finds himself perpetually in this between space.
Whether they grow up in urban or rural environments, many adolescents can commiserate with Lenny. Life can be hard with limited opportunities, especially when you have little to no say in what happens to you. Many kids depends on the kind hand of community programs and youth services for guidance and support.
Over the next month, anyone who preorders a hard, soft, or Kindle copy of Kid America will be entered in a drawing for the opportunity to support a youth program of choice.
Here’s how it works:
First, preorder your copy of KA on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or at your local bookstore before September 1. Those who have already done this and told me are already entered in the drawing.
Second, let me know you did it via Messenger, Facebook comments, cworthma@icloud.com, or ChristopherWorthman.com. You must tell me to be entered in the drawing.
And then, on September 5, I will draw three names and announce the winners on September 7, Labor Day.
First Place: $50 contributed to the youth organization of your choice in your name plus a signed copy of KA
Second Place: $30 contributed to the youth organization of your choice in your name plus a signed copy of KA
Third Place: A signed copy of KA
During August, I’ll share with you some of the national organizations serving youth in urban and rural areas. If you win, you can pick from one of these or pick a program you know and support, local or national. They will need to have a website I can share with everyone else. I will donate the money in your name or in anyone else’s name you choose.
And why do I need another copy of the novel?” you may ask. Well, pay it forward and give it to a friend, school, library, or the kid next door. It’s better than Captain America pajamas.
