Merlin & Me
In keeping with BAM’s committement to developing 360 transmedia projects, this Middle Fiction Children’s book and edutainment franchise series was developed to accompany a TV series and long form film all created to launch the concept. BAM provided creative and packaging support at all stages of the project’s evolution and for the initial packaging and concept creation of the book, MERLIN & ME, a children’s fiction novel created and written by authors Geoff Fairbanks and Katherine Huston.
MERLIN & ME
by Geoff Fairbanks and Katherine Huston
ABOUT THE STORY:
What would happen if Bart Simpson and Harry Potter were somehow magically combined, and transported to California?
Suddenly uprooted from beach, boogieboards and a waaay cool world driven by a Hip-Hop beat … to a really boooring Northern California suburb, Marvin’s sure his life is over … all 12 years of it … finished!
Marvin’s “the new kid in town,” fighting that age-old battle for power with the biggest bully in class. He’d rather be doing anything but spending his lunch hour hiding in the Camelot Hills Middle School restroom.
Marvin doesn’t believe in magic until he comes face-to-face with the grandfather he’s never met … Merlin, the 1,650 year-old Wizard from King Arthur’s Court.
Merlin’s feeling his age. From his castle in northern California at the edge of Camelot Hills, Merlin fights an even older battle for power with Morgan La Fay, the evil Sorceress from Camelot. He’d rather be doing anything but going another round with the Wicked Witch until he meets the grandson he didn’t know existed!
These two have a lot in common. Magic has skipped a few generations and Marvin’s just a chip off the ol’ crystal ball.
For a kid who’s spent his life inventing ways to get out of chores, school, and everything but trouble, magic should be a dream come true. But, it’s not as much fun as he’d thought. Merlin’s pop quizzes mean fire-breathing dragons, things that explode and lots and lots of HOMEWORK! Fortunately, Mynah, a magical talking bird with a baaad attitude… a Gnome named Gnorm… and Gwen, the most beautiful girl in school, are on his side.
Marvin’s gonna need all the help he can get. Harry Potter had seven years at Hogwarts to master magic. Marvin’s only got three weeks before he must face Morgan La Fay in an earth-shaking battle for power that will decide the fate of the universe!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Geoff Fairbanks and Katherine Huston have co-authored sixteen screenplays. Television animation writing for MGM-UA and Universal Family Entertainment, and animated series development for Amblin and Universal Family Entertainment reflect their appreciation for young audiences.
Geoff has two decades of major studio production experience. His feature film, CHAOS OF THE HEART was a Nichols and Chesterfield Semi-Finalist. Geoff holds a Masters Degree in Professional Writing from USC with Department Honors.
Katherine has written for non-profit organizations for over a decade. An artist and illustrator, she served as Art Director on Women in Film and American Film Institute projects. As a theatre director, her productions include one World and three West Coast Premiers.