Happy Friday and welcome to my stop on the KINGSTON AND THE MAGICIAN’S LOST AND FOUND blog tour! I’m so excited because today I have an interview with Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi to share with you! This book is truly amazing and I’m so so excited to for you to find out more about it, PLUS enter for a chance to win a print copy!
Kingston and the Magician's Lost and Found by Rucker Moses, Theo Gangi Published on February 16, 2021 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy
Pages: 288
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Magic has all but disappeared in Brooklyn, but one tenacious young magician is determined to bring it back in this exciting middle grade mystery.
Kingston has just moved from the suburbs back to Echo City, Brooklyn--the last place his father was seen alive. Kingston's father was King Preston, one of the world's greatest magicians. Until one trick went wrong and he disappeared. Now that Kingston is back in Echo City, he's determined to find his father. Somehow, though, when his father disappeared, he took all of Echo City's magic with him. Now Echo City--a ghost of its past--is living up to its name. With no magic left, the magicians have packed up and left town and those who've stayed behind don't look too kindly on any who reminds them of what they once had. When Kingston finds a magic box his father left behind as a clue, Kingston knows there's more to his father's disappearance than meets the eye. He'll have to keep it a secret--that is, until he can restore magic to Echo City. With his cousin Veronica and childhood friend Too Tall Eddie, Kingston works to solve the clues, but one wrong move and his father might not be the only one who goes missing.
In one to two sentences, tell readers what Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found is about?
In our book we follow Kingston James through Echo City, a Brooklyn neighborhood that is now a shadow of its once magical self. Kingston is determined to learn what really happened to his father who disappeared in a magic battle at the prestigious Mercury Theater and along the way he’ll discover magic is truly real.
What was the inspiration behind Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found?
Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found came to life because we took an everyday occurrence like two scraggly gentlemen having a so called magician’s battle in a park and added characters, bonds, and lore to the event to grow it into a story.
Do you have any writing quirks or superstitions when it comes to writing?
I like to have my Haribo Gummies for any long stent of writing.
When it comes to authors, who inspires you?
Arthur C. Clarke, Madeleine L’Engle, and John Christopher were the most influential authors that inspired me at a young age to love novels and stories that blend fiction with modern and theoretical science.
Favorite childhood book?
John Christopher’s Tripod Series – The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, The Pool of Fire, When the Tripods Came.
Favorite all-time book you will read again and again?
Rendezvous with Rama
What is the take-away message you want readers to know about Kingston?
After reading Kingston, I hope readers take another look at the world and their neighborhoods and realize magic is everywhere. Stories are everywhere. That is how we came up with this story, but the journey and discovery of building lore and characters became a worthy quest of our own taking. Thus, I hope they too follow the clues and discover a quest worth their time in their own lives.
Rucker Moses is the pen name of Craig S. Phillips and Harold Hayes Jr. They both hail from Atlanta and started telling stories together at the University of Georgia. Together, they’ve been nominated for three Emmys for writing in a children’s program and have written for TV shows based on books by R. L. Stine and Christopher Pike. They also make virtual reality experiences and own a production company named SunnyBoy Entertainment. In no particular order, their favorite things to write about are ninjas, magic, space, and abandoned amusement parks. When not doing all that, they are hanging with their wonderful families at home in Los Angeles.
Theo Gangi is a novelist and writing teacher based in Brooklyn. He’s written several acclaimed novels and short stories, and he’s worked on shows for Netflix. He writes far-out adventures that happen right next door. He directs the MFA program at St. Francis College and lives with his wife, young son, and their dog. Kingston and the Magician’s Lost and Found is his first book for young readers.
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What do you think about KINGSTON AND THE MAGICIAN’S LOST AND FOUND? Have you added it to your tbr yet? Let me know in the comments and have a splendiferous day!
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