Patterson tackles Einstein for kids’ series
NEW YORK — Already co-writing a political thriller with former U.S. president Bill Clinton, James Patterson is now set for a collaboration with the managers of Albert Einstein’s archives.
The bestselling novelist is developing a series for middle schoolers inspired by Einstein’s scientific discoveries. In a licensing deal with the Einstein archive, Little, Brown and Company will publish the first of three planned books, currently untitled, next fall. The release will come through the author’s own Jimmy Patterson children’s imprint.
“I love the idea of introducing Einstein and the ideas of science to millions of kids around the world,” Patterson said. Patterson, admittedly still learning when it comes to science, has worked in an innovation of his own. The series’ young protagonist, Max Einstein, is a girl.
“Women are definitely underrated in science and I wanted to address that,” he said. Little, Brown describes Max as “inventive, irreverent, highly imaginative,” one who “loves to solve problems in fun, unconventional ways, much like Einstein himself.”
“The high-stakes adventure series follows Max and the world’s brightest kids as they travel the globe to solve humanity’s biggest problems with the power of science,” the publisher said.
Financial terms for the books were not disclosed. According to Little, Brown, Einstein archivists will assist Patterson with research and have input in the manuscripts and artwork. Proceeds will be divided among the archive, the publisher and Patterson.
Einstein has inspired fiction before, such as Alan Lightman’s critically praised Einstein’s Dreams. He also was the subject of a bestselling biography by Walter Isaacson and of several biographies for children.
Officials of the Einstein archives, which are based at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, cite Patterson’s enormous popularity and see the new series as an ideal way to expand Einstein’s appeal among young people. Dr. Roni Grosz, curator of the archives, praised Patterson’s ability to keep readers interested.
“You don’t want readers just putting the books down because they’re not interesting enough,” he said.