The adventures of two Jamaican brothers Marcus Mohalland and co-author inspire reading in US schools with Silly Nomads series...“These stories are based on my life growing up in Jamaica and they incorporate some of the native language, Patois.

BY ANIKA RICHARDS Sunday Observer staff reporter richardsa@jamaicaobserver.com  Sunday, November 23, 2014  

THOUGH Marcus Mohalland left Jamaica for the United States of America when he was only 15 years old, his memories of growing up on the island are some of the things he holds most dear.

Marcus Mohalland and his co-author Janet Lewis are
 all smiles inside one of their home offices.

So much so that he has co-authored a series of books, which target children eight to 12 years old, on his adventures while growing up in Portmore, St Catherine, and is now on a mission to get the books into US schools.

“Our first book, Silly Nomads From Palmerston Close, was published on September 16, 2013 and volume two, Silly Nomads Go Ninja Crazy, was published on July 1, 2014,” Mohalland told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

“Our books tell the tale of two mischievous Jamaican brothers who use their imaginations to create their own adventures,” Mohalland shared.

“These stories are based on my life growing up in Jamaica and they incorporate some of the native language, Patois. “They are funny and fast-paced, and are designed to encourage children to use their imagination and enjoy their childhood,” he continued. According to Mohalland, the final book in the trilogy is to be published in 2015.

His co-author, Janet Lewis, an American, said that although both their childhood were worlds apart geographically, after they met they found out they had two things in common: “We grew up learning how to have fun making something out of whatever we had, and we wanted to write.” So they did.

Marcus Mohalland and his co-author Janet Lewis
 are all smiles inside one of their home offices.

And in that process, the two founded Mohalland Lewis, LLC in March 2013 so that they could also self-publish their culturally inspired books.

“We do interactive book readings at schools and libraries in upstate New York and in New York City,” Lewis shared. “We encourage reading and show that reading can be fun. We also want them to hear the powerful message that whatever they want to accomplish in life, they can do it. more