Mascot Books announces the release of The Young Federalists, written by Abigail Readlinger, with illustrations by Stephanie Fliss Dumas.
Join the three Kennedy siblings as they travel through the portal of American history to discover the importance behind the first Federalist Paper and its connection to the Constitution of the United States! Look out for ways that the first Federalist Paper might apply to our world today. Who knows, maybe it could help just as much now as it did back then!
Readlinger wrote The Young Federalists after reading The Federalist Papers during her freshman year of high school. While learning about this important time in history, she realized the text was presented in a way that was difficult for students to understand and engage with, and she sought to change that.
“The Federalist Papers are considered one of the most important sources for interpreting and understanding the original intent of the Constitution,” said Readlinger. “My idea was to turn this hard-to-understand writing into something exciting and interesting for young audiences.”
Homebound during the pandemic, Readlinger had the time to create The Young Federalists, which is presented as a fantasy novel. She hopes the book will spark interest in The Federalist Papers for kids before they enter high school.
“If I can encourage a younger generation to read The Federalist Papers, it can help us better in understanding why we have the Constitution and why things matter to us as Americans,” said Readlinger, who hopes to continue The Young Federalists series and turn other founding documents into children’s books and middle grade fantasy novels.
Readlinger is a current high school senior at The Wilberforce School, located in Princeton, New Jersey, where she enjoys participating year-round on both the sport and debating teams. In her free time, Abigail enjoys horseback riding, creative writing, and rereading all of her favorite Agatha Christie novels. She has two younger siblings named Sarah and Doc, as well as an honorary third sibling―her yellow lab, Daisy.
Connect with Readlinger on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. To set up an interview, reading, signing, or for information regarding The Young Federalists, please contact info@forewordpublicity.com.
The Young Federalists (ISBN: 978-1637551714) is on sale now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Amplify Publishing Group (APG). It is distributed by APG, Ingram, the American Wholesale Book Company, Baker & Taylor, and Follett Library Resources.