Feature Book of the Week #11 Michael Vey:The Prisoner of Cell 25

Feature Book of the Week

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25

by 

Richard Paul Evans

My name is Michael Vey, and the story I’m about to tell you is strange. Very strange. It’s my story.

To everyone at Meridian High School, Michael Vey is an ordinary fourteen-year-old. In fact, the only thing that seems to set him apart is the fact that he has Tourette’s syndrome. But Michael is anything but ordinary. Michael has special powers. Electric powers.

Michael thinks he's unique until he discovers that a cheerleader named Taylor also has special powers. With the help of Michael’s friend, Ostin, the three of them set out to discover how Michael and Taylor ended up this way, but their investigation brings them to the attention of a powerful group who wants to control the electric children – and through them the world. Michael will have to rely on his wits, powers, and friends if he’s to survive.

A Guest Post by Richard Paul Evans

I have been an author since 1995 when I published The Christmas Box, a short novel that I wrote for my two young daughters. Since then I have written over twenty novels, but I must say that the books in the Michael Vey series have been my favorite to write! I’ve had a lot of fun creating the characters and the different scenarios they encounter.

Two things inspired Michael Vey. First, after writing literary novels for more than two decades, I wanted to write something just for the sheer joy of it. I’ve always loved superhero stories. When I was a boy I used to rake leaves for the neighbors for money to buy comic books. So writing Michael Vey was personally satisfying. Second, I felt like the Young Adult genre had been overrun by vampire- and dystopian-themed books. I just wanted to write an original good read—something unique and exciting that conveyed a positive message.

Many people have asked about my inspiration for Michael Vey, because he certainly isn’t your “typical” hero. Part of Michael’s character is based on me—I have Tourette’s Syndrome and Michael’s symptoms are based on my own. I wanted a hero that the average reader could relate to. I’ve never believed that the real heroes of this world have perfect physiques and bulging muscles. A hero’s power comes from the heart not the biceps, and I wanted Michael Vey to exemplify that.

Since the moment I began writing Michael Vey, the series has felt like a gift to me. I look forward to writing the rest of the series and hope that you enjoy reading Michael Vey 2: Rise of the Elgen.

About the Author

When Richard Paul Evans wrote the #1 best-seller, The Christmas Box, he never intended on becoming an internationally known author.

Officially, he was an advertising executive, an award-winning clay animator for the American and Japanese markets, candidate for state legislature and most importantly, husband and father. The Christmas Box was written as an expression of love for his (then) two daughters. Though he often told them how much he loved them, he wanted to express his love in a way that would be timeless. In 1993, Evans reproduced 20 copies of the final story and gave them to his closest relatives and friends as Christmas presents. In the month following, those 20 copies were passed around more than 160 times, and soon word spread so widely that bookstores began calling his home with orders for it.

His quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the #1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than eight million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. The Emmy award-winning CBS television movie based on The Christmas Box starred Maureen O'Hara and Richard Thomas. Two more of Evans's books were produced by Hallmark and starred such well-known actors as James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave, Naomi Watts, Mary McDonough and Academy award winner Ellen Burstyn. He has since written 10 consecutive New York Times bestsellers and is one of the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists. He has won three awards for his children's books including the 1998 American Mothers book award and two first place Storytelling World awards. Evans's latest book, The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth, is now available.

Of his success, Evans says: "The material achievements of The Christmas Box will never convey its true success, the lives it has changed, the families brought closer together, the mothers and fathers who suddenly understand the pricelessness of their children's fleeting childhood. I share the message of this book with you in hopes that in some way, you might be, as I was, enlightened."

During the Spring of 1997, Evans founded The Christmas Box House International, an organization devoted to building shelters and providing services for abused and neglected children. Such shelters are operational in Moab, Vernal, Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah and Lucre, Peru. To date, more than 16,000 children have been housed in Christmas Box House facilities.

As an acclaimed speaker, Evans has shared the podium with such notable personalities as President George W. Bush, President George and Barbara Bush, former British Prime Minister John Majors, Ron Howard, Elizabeth Dole, Deepak Chopra, Steve Allen, and Bob Hope. Evans has been featured on the Today show and Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Time, Newsweek, People, The New York Times, Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, TV Guide, Reader's Digest, and Family Circle. Evans lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife, Keri, and their five children. (Biography retrieved from Amazon.com)