Scholastic to Publish Infinity Ring, a Multi-platform Time Travel Adventure Series

History is broken, and a long-feared Cataclysm seems imminent. The capital of the United States is Boston. Lincoln’s face is nowhere to be seen on Mount Rushmore. Everyone’s buzzing about the French royal wedding. And an international group of men and women known as the SQ is more powerful than kings, richer than nations, and more fearsome than armies. When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the key to time travel – a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring – they’re swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone completely, and disastrously, off-course. Now it’s up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the “Great Breaks”… and to save Dak’s missing parents while they’re at it. First stop: Spain, 1492, where a sailor named Christopher Columbus is about to be thrown overboard in a deadly mutiny.

Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, and the pioneering force behind the groundbreaking and international bestselling The 39 Clues  book series, expands its innovative multi-platform publishing program with the worldwide launch of Infinity Ring ™ , an alternate-history time travel series for readers ages 8-12. To be written by a team of six authors, this exciting new adventure combines books, an interactive “Hystorian’s Guide” map feature (named for a centuries-old secret society featured in the books), and a fully-immersive online game experience where readers travel back in time to fix history. Infinity Ring will launch simultaneously in September 2012 in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, with “Book 1: A Mutiny in Time,” written by New York Times bestselling author James Dashner (The Maze Runner), who also outlined the program’s overall story arc. Dashner will be followed by a team of bestselling and acclaimed authors including Carrie Ryan (Book 2; November 2012), Lisa McMann (Book 3; February 2013), Matt de la Pena (Book 4; June 2013), Matthew J. Kirby (Book 5; September 2013), and Jennifer A. Nielsen (Book 6; December 2013). The last book in the Infinity Ring series also will be written by James Dashner (Book 7; March 2014).

Each book in the series will be packaged with a unique “Hystorian’s Guide,” a collectible map that includes a special code to unlock exclusive content on the Infinity Ring online game. The multi-dimensional game experience on www.infinityring.com (site currently under construction) will allow kids to play as the main characters from the books as they travel back in history to fix the “Great Breaks,” key events that have gone wrong, altering history as we know it. The online game — available on the web, smartphones, iOS and Android tablets — features a fully realized virtual world, where players can interact with other characters, and explore key events in history alongside Christopher Columbus, Abraham Lincoln, and other figures featured in the books.

“As an innovator and publisher of breakthrough multi-media properties including The 39 Clues, Skeleton Creek, and Trackers, we are excited to launch Infinity Ring — a thrilling new series with relatable characters, fast-paced adventure with fun and educational content, and an online game developed with the latest in gaming technology, giving kids a wholly interactive reading experience,” said Ellie Berger, President, Scholastic Trade.

“People like to think that reading and gaming are two very separate experiences for kids, but with Infinity Ring, we’re crashing them together into something that’s deeply satisfying for both their reader and gamer sensibilities. The web experience is going to be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, creating a fully immersive reading and history experience,” said David Levithan, Publisher and Editorial Director, Scholastic Press.

“Scholastic has been a part of my reading life for over thirty years, and it’s both surreal and exciting to now be working on this project together,” said James Dashner. “I’m so honored and looking forward to launching Infinity Ring. I know readers and gamers of all ages are in for a unique and unforgettable experience.”