For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeannie Dunn, Publicist
Phone: 402.532.7285
Fax: 1.866.634.8415
jeanniedunn@windstream.net
Kylie "Cheeks" Acosta Will Fill Your Heart With Hope
Young readers will be abuzz as Kylie “Cheeks” Acosta takes control and valiantly stands up for her views regarding important world issues such as war, peace, and child abuse in the new book Fashion Fighter: Cheeks-A-Saurus-Rex-A-Maxamus by Deborah O’Dowd. A work of juvenile fiction, O’Dowd approaches current world issues through the eyes of seven-year-old Kylie “Cheeks” Acosta, with the hope of providing a tool to open communication between parents and children.
Compelled to write Cheek’s story, O’Dowd remarked, “My goal is to teach people that peace and community involvement can – and needs to be – taught to our children. Fashion Fighter is simply a tool with which to teach our children to think for themselves and know that it is okay to fight for what you believe in your heart.”
Seven-year-old Kylie “Cheeks” Acosta is the youngest of three girls, and there is another baby on the way. Cheeks gave herself another nickname when, at four years old, she dressed up in as many clothes as she could fit and announced she was “Fashion Fighter”, a sort of clothing superhero. But Cheeks doesn’t want to be called Fashion Fighter anymore; she has more important issues on her mind. A smart and curious second-grader, Cheeks meets her biological father, whom she calls R-Daddy, for the first time. She discovers that he lost his legs in the war in Iraq. When she hears about soldiers and innocent children dying, Cheeks feels sad, frustrated, and anxious to do something about it. Rallying her fellow students, Cheeks starts a campaign to educate people about the war. She discovers that not everyone agrees with her, which helps Cheeks make sense of her own growing beliefs about the world around her. But the war is only one of Cheeks’ concerns—she has to fight another battle of her own close to home. Readers will be rooting for Cheeks as she valiantly stands up for what she knows in her heart to be right.
“Fashion Fighter is a fascinating read, not only because it is apropos in today’s world of terror politics and occupation, but also because of the timeless family element,” commented Persian Gulf and Iraq Occupation III veteran and elementary school teacher Leonard Clark. “Once picked up, it is hard to put down. A great tool to begin teaching out kids some civics, history, poetic language and even the importance of current events.”
While it is geared for ages 9-12, as the main character is in second grade, there are older characters and issues with which high school kids can identify.
About the Author
Deborah O’Dowd is a third generation Tucson High School graduate and has her Bachelors degree in Extended English Education from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, and her Masters Degree in Social Work from Arizona State University, Tempe. O’Dowd participated in the Southern Arizona Writing Project (SAWP, 2003) and was the 2006 winner of the Arizona English Teachers Association poetry contest. She is also the author of Poetry Made Easy and The Pack (by Nikki O'Neill). She currently works as a public school teacher in Phoenix, AZ where she makes her home with her three sons.
ISBN 0-595-44267-6• iUniverse • Feb 2008
Paperback 9 X 6 • US $11.95
www.fashionfighter.net
Tear sheets are always appreciated.
Please send to: Jeannie Dunn, PO Box 133, Beaver Crossing, NE 68313 |
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