Patterson series for kids rooted in Einstein’s ideas
NEW YORK — Already co-writing a political thriller with former President Bill Clinton, author James Patterson is now set for a collaboration with the managers of Albert Einstein’s archives.
The best-selling and prolific novelist is developing a series for middle-schoolers inspired by Einstein’s scientific discoveries.
In a licensing deal with the Einstein archive, Little, Brown will publish the first of three planned books, as yet untitled, next fall. The release will come through the author’s JIMMY Patterson children’s imprint.
“I love the idea of introducing Einstein and the ideas of science to millions of kids around the world,” the author said.
Patterson, admittedly still learning when it comes to science, has worked in an innovation of his own: The series’ protagonist, Max Einstein, is a girl.
“Women are definitely underrated in science, and I wanted to address that,” he said recently by phone.
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 announced.
Officials for the Einstein archives, based at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, see the series as a way to expand Einstein’s appeal among young people.
Dr. Roni Grosz, the archives curator, praised Patterson’s ability to keep young readers engaged.
“You don’t want readers just putting the books down because they’re not interesting enough,” Grosz said. “There’s tremendous interest in Einstein, but it’s not easy to convey his lessons and his knowledge. These books are one way to package this rather complex information and present it to young readers.”