No: Book One of 8th Day Series

Kids Mystery Novel With a Purpose! What if teenagers everywhere could put their brains together to organize their own fast food revolution? Imagine if kids across the nation all stood up at once and just said “NO” to unhealthy cafeteria meals, takeout dinner, and vending machine snack food? They might just have the power to make this a healthy nation. Now, authors Douglas Dwyer and Jane Pentz serve up an entertaining, educational tale of four teens on supersize mission in their debut young adult novel, No: Book One of the 8th Day Series. Written for young people between the ages of nine and twelve, this empowering adventure will inspire any kid to use his or her skills and wits to create a healthier country for us all. It all starts on a normal Friday at Blalock Middle School in Tennessee. When the bell rings for lunch, the entire student body comes together in a one-word protest of the food that about to be served to them in the cafeteria. And that one word, emblazoned on white paper that each student holds up, is a simple and bold “NO.” We soon find out that this same plan has been launched in middle schools across the country. The four seventh- and eighth-grade teens who have joined forces with 8th Day, an underground radical group of professors, students, and health professionals committed to exposing the corporate greed and government deception that is resulting in the high-fat, high-sugar diets that are turning their classmates into “balloon kids”—and leading them on a sure road to life-shortening diseases like diabetes. And each of these four formidable kids has something special to bring to the cafeteria table—even in the face of considerable adult interference. RJ, the leader who lives in Tennessee, discovers communications outlining the shocking statistics that clearly indicate higher rates of obesity in children who eat school lunches. In wealthy Westport, Connecticut, Karstan learns that his mother is a partner in a law firm which represents the companies and organizations who put profit before health, and it’s up him to expose classified information about the corrupt American school lunch program. Graciela, a first generation Hispanic-American in California who has diabetes-like symptoms, bravely leads a massive cyberspace march. Lamar, the group geek from Detroit, uses his technological know-how to leak the classified information to 8th Day. They combine their talents toward a nationwide boycott, quickly transforming themselves into trained “agents” on a mission to save the country from its own bad eating habits, with the guidance of their 8th Day mentors. As 8th Day gains ground in revealing the selfishness of the food industry, they are met with increasing resistance from their powerful adversaries. Can the kids overcome junk food foes who are more interested in lining their pockets than promoting health? Fast-paced, fact-packed, and empowering, No: Book One of the 8th Day Series will enthrall and inspire students, health professionals, educators, and anyone who wants to open their mouths, and just say “NO” to the poor nutritional options available for children everywhere.