The Green Gang: Enchanted and Demonized

Maya's mom is far away on a mission to save the ocean from environmental destruction and Maya desperately wants to bring her back home. Maya believes she can bring her mom back - all she has to do is figure out how to save the ocean. She enlists the help of her best friends - Luna, Alex, and little Ela - to figure out a solution. They form the "Green Gang" and set out on a mission to teach people not to pollute. And of course, her dog Ruffles is part of the gang. When their first plan doesn't work, Maya has a heart-to-heart with her wise old Grandpa, who tells her a puzzling prophecy: "You will find secret doors to enter two magical lands. There are many unusual creatures in those lands, but you must be brave. The creatures will not hurt you, but bad decisions will. In these lands, you will find many pathways. Sometimes the path that looks like the most fun, the prettiest, and the easiest is the path to destruction. Sometimes the uphill path that is covered with obstacles can lead to the most satisfaction. Whatever your big problem is, you must find the right path to lead you to your answer." She doesn't know exactly what Grandpa means, but she is determined to figure it out. The Green Gang regroups at a local park, and just when they are out of ideas and snacks, Ruffles sniffs out a secret doorway that transports the kids and Ruffles to Enchanted Land and Demon Land. What the Gang finds in these lands are strange and funny creatures that show the kids the causes and consequences of environmental pollution and clues for how to clean up the ocean and bring Maya's mom back home. Their ultimate and successful plan is a tech-savvy solution to stop people from polluting.

This story - and how it was created virtually while Leslie and Dennis Fellner and their 8-year-old granddaughter Maya Slobe lived in two separate countries during the COVID-19 pandemic - is a true work of love and connection that comes at a time when so many people are separated and feeling isolated. It is our hope that it brings readers a bit of joy and light during these difficult times, and helps them think about creative ways they can reach out to those in their lives who matter most.

About the authors:
Maya Slobe (co-creator and illustrator) is an artist and third-grader at El Jardín elementary school in Chacala, Nayarit, Mexico. She loves drawing, painting, engraving, printmaking, exploring nature, and spending time with her family and friends, including the real-life members of the Green Gang: Luna, Ela and Alex. She and her grandparents, Leslie and Dennis Fellner, met online once-a-week over six months during the COVID-19 pandemic to create the characters and storyline for this book. The Green Gang their first book created together as a grandparent-granddaughter team.

Leslie and Dennis Fellner (authors and co-creators) are Maya's grandparents. They live in Green Valley, Arizona. Writing this story, using Maya's ideas for characters and settings, has been a joy for everyone involved. The process created a connection that helped the family get through the separation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proceeds from the sale of this book will help to support El Jardín, a non-profit elementary school that serves 60+ children in Chacala, Nayarit - a small, fishing village on the Pacific Coast of Mexico.