WHAT IS THE B1 GANG SERIES?

B1 GANG is about the adventures of four Pinoy high school teeners who desire to be investigative journalists when they grow up. The four (Gino, Kiko, Boging and Jo) travel around the Philippines solving myths and exposing mysteries which they encounter under the tutelage of their journalist idol, Mike Rodrigo.

The B1 GANG series was initially conceived to balance the numerous foreign materials currently overwhelming the Pinoy youth. American paperbacks virtually monopolize the children/young adult book section of Philippine bookstores while Japanese cartoons are lording it over the television. It does not take a genius to figure out that young Filipinos could easily loose their cultural identity in the myriad of foreign influences brought about by the easy access to world wide information.

Reading foreign young adult books is not undesirable per se but reading *only* imported books is. For example, almost all Pinoy kids know Aladdin and Princess Jasmin’s story but hardly a handful have heard the equally enchanting tale of the Star Maidens of the Ifugaos or The Adventures of Kalalagan a Wata' of the Maranaos. Not only that but constant exposure to imported young adult books propagates foreign culture and values among our youth. Without reading any local young adult book counterpart, our young people's national identity is slowly diminishing and that we are losing by default.

B1 GANG's utmost objective is to teach the kids about the Philippines, its people and values. Yes, our books will entertain, excite and even make readers laugh but that is the *easy* thing to do. The trick is how to incorporate the entertainment aspect to the educational part; that is, to make the children enjoy the reading but at the same time learn without them being aware of the teaching process. A trick not unlike what Pinoy parents do by embedding a medicine capsule inside a banana so the child can swallow it and feel better.

The books are written in easy Filipino but the dialogues reflect the actual speech of today’s youth. The books are 4-1/4" x 6-3/4" in dimension, saddle-stitched, averaging 100 pages with a glossy cover. The books have a minimal number of inside illustrations to inject visual breaks for the reader. The cover is specifically designed for the young audience.

The B1 GANG series is tailor-made for young Pinoy readers. Simply stated, B1 GANG is a celebration of the Filipino youth and an affirmation of life.

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