The Imagination Warriors, a middle-grade fiction book by first-time author Marc Romanelli, won two top honors at the 2019 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards banquet last Saturday: best “Juvenile” book and best “Cover Design-Fiction (6x9),” a nod to the beautiful illustrations by Odessa Sawyer.
1,545 books were entered in this year's awards program and 182 of those entries were selected as finalists — entries came from large and small publishers from the US.
The wonderfully written tale weaves elements of fantasy and magic realism throughout a story that centers on a young girl who discovers her sleepy New Mexico village is the epicenter of bizarre time distortions that reach all the way back to the Renaissance. Nine-year-old Philomena, confident and independent, soon teams up with her grandmother’s psychic cat to solve a series of mysteries involving strange paintings. Their investigations take them across time and space to worlds powered solely by imagination. Ultimately, the courageous time travelers not only decode the baffling paintings but discover that inspiration can come from unexpected places; that perseverance, love, and creativity are richly rewarded; and that the only tools needed to take flight and soar are imagination and the stroke of an artist’s brush.
Author Marc Romanelli, who is currently working on Book Two of The Imagination Warriors series says, “I’m completely thrilled that we won in two categories. There were over 1500 contestants entered in this competition, so it just feels incredible.” It’s not the first award the book has received, however. In 2018, it was granted The Silver Award from Mom’s Choice Awards.
For more information, please visit www.littleromanpress.com
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