About the Book
MADNESS IN THE MAGIC MAZE, part two of the Magic Maze Trilogy, is about eleven-year old fraternal twins, Tyler and Tess Porter, who accidentally get sucked up into the bizarre world of the Magic Maze. Geared to appeal to children from seven to thirteen and older fantasy fans as well, the story propels the twins into an "Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz" world. In order to return home, they must get through twelve separate parts of the maze. Each is its own world with strange rules, riddles and puzzles that the twins must solve using their wits, knowledge and athletic prowess. Tyler and Tess learn how much they mean to each other as they evade the evil QUEEN ZEBRA and her ZENTAURIAN GUARD of two-faced POLINERDS, and a duplicitous wizard, SIMON PERCIVAL. They form alliances with the rebel TRIDGETS (tiny trolls with Mohawk hairdos) led by the feisty BELKIN, and an assortment of other bizarre and funny characters. At the end, they must track down and put back together three parts of a MAGIC AMULET before they can be finally transported home, safe and sound.
About the Author :
Samuel Warren Joseph's credits include animation episodes for such shows as Duck Tales, Dennis the Menace, Batman, Beast Wars and The Paw Paw Bears. He also co-wrote the movie Off Your Rocker, a comedy-drama about a revolution in an old folks' home starring Milton Berle, Red Buttons, Dorothy Malone and Lou Jacobi. Sam's stage play, Window of Opportunity, a suspenseful dark comedy about corporate corruption, premiered at the Met Theatre in Los Angeles in the spring of 2006 to rave reviews. It has recently been turned into a feature film, which he wrote and directed and was released on VOD in 2015. The film was produced and co-scored by John Densmore, the drummer of The Doors. Sam wrote the book and co-wrote the songs for the stage musical, Campaign, which had its premiere in October, 2010, also to excellent reviews. His couple's comedy, Two Times Two, also had its world premiere in 2010 in New Orleans to great reviews. 2016 saw the world premiere of his play, Moral Imperative in Los Angeles to sensational reviews. With his partner, Phil Proctor, Sam co-wrote God Help Us! starring ED ASNER, which is currently touring around the country. In addition, Sam is the co-author of ED ASNER'S autobiography, Son of a Junkman. Sam has also been a special education teacher in inner city Los Angeles and currently is a college Adjunct Assistant Professor of English. Phil Proctor was born of Amish/Irish ancestry in Goshen, Indiana, and is a founding member of the thrice-Grammy-nominated Firesign Theatre, (one of the Thirty Greatest Acts of All Time) whose archives were purchased last year by the Library of Congress. He's appeared on-and-off Broadway, toured the USSR with the Yale Russian Chorus, and also toured the US and Canada with the L.A. Guitar Quartet as Don Quixote. He has appeared in scores of commercials, audiobooks, video games, radio and TV shows and films including Window of Opportunity, written and directed by his partner, Samuel Joseph. Phil received Theatre World, LA Weekly, LA Free Press and Drama Critics' awards over his long career. His voice credits include memorable characters in Academy Award-winning films for Pixar and Disney, the Drunken French Monkey in Dr. Dolittle, Dr. Vidic in Assassin's Creed, Simon Stagg in Batman: Arkham Knight, and Howard in the multi-Emmy-winning Rugrats, which has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He recently appeared in the world premiere of Dan Castellanata's For Piano and Harpo at the Gary Marshall Theatre, is a 15-year member of The Antaeus Theater company, and has written several new books including his autobiography, Where's My Fortune Cookie? co-authored by Brad Schreiber, and What to Say to Your Crazy Right-Wing Uncle: Talking Points for Liberals, with Samuel Joseph, while their political comedy, God Help Us! starring Ed Asner, has toured to rave reviews.
Review :
"What a whirlwind adventure it was to travel with Tess and Tyler on their creative and incredible journey. As a teacher and a member of a school board for many years, I truly know that my students will not be able to put this trilogy down. In addition to the exciting travelogue, these books are filled with so many teachable moments."
Ann Rhines
Morristown, NJ
"I rank this book a 10 because it is a thrilling and interesting story about twins that discover a new world of imaginary creatures. I love the way they recognize that they need each other no matter what crazy thing happens. When you make the movie remember, I would love to be Tess!"
Briani Perez
(Age 12 )
"Sam and I have been friends for many years and his many writing talents always amaze me. So, I'm thrilled that he's now writing children's books with his partner, Phil Proctor. I was an educator for over 35 years and I wish I had had this trilogy to read to my students. The wonderland created is spellbinding. I love the way they have even included concepts like prime numbers, homonyms, and mythology into the many riddles that must be solved by the heroes. I am so looking forward to reading these books with my grandson."
Roxanne Pallack
Los Angeles, CA
"I liked that Tyler and Tess had to work as a team to get out of the maze. I have a little sister and I like to think we would have done the same."
Bowen Campbell
(Age 11)
Tyler & Tess In The Magic Maze is an exhilarating adventure that transports you to another land. I was able to escape in the story and join the characters as they made their way through the maze. It was a-mazing!"
Dario Blandón-Davila
(Age 11)
"As you begin to read the book, it instantly catches you and makes you want to read the book more. It was very interesting and I liked how there are different games in the different parts of the mazeOne of the best I have read this year!"
Tiffany Contreras
(Age 11)
