By Cecilia Mencia

A newly released middle-grade children’s illustrated book series written by Brandt Ricca and illustrated by Matt Miller transports readers from New Orleans to dream worlds. Book one of the series, Barris and the Prince of Rappa launched early this month. The series includes seven books and is written in the vein of beloved classics such as Harry Potter, Eragon, and Artemis Fowl.

Barris and the Prince of Rappa takes place in New Orleans in 1952 and is centered around the main character, Barris Hart, a nine-year-old transplant from Washington, DC. The book series emphasizes a love for and appreciation for diversity, as well as offering valuable lessons in adversity. Many of the issues Barris faces are drawn from universal childhood experiences given voice through an exciting historical backdrop. 

Ricca, a DC entrepreneur and LGBTQ advocate, is excited to introduce audiences to the world of Barris Hart — a reflection of his own upbringing in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. 

“I love the Southern culture and creative atmosphere of New Orleans, which inspired the setting for the life of Barris Hart,” Ricca said.

How did you come up with your book series concept? I based a lot of the book on real things that had happened or were happening in my life. Some characters are based on real people and a lot of the storylines and characters are taken from my life. Barris has three sisters, just like I have three sisters and all of our names also start with "B." My collaborator and illustrator on the series, Matt Miller, and I will sit in conference rooms for hours and break down chapters and plot lines and recall stories from when we were kids. And sometimes we hit the hard subjects that aren't often discussed in children's books.

Who or what inspired you to start writing this series? I had gone through a tough time about five years ago and was looking to brush my creative writing skills off. I have a background in writing and had written for newspapers and had a blog. At that time, my sisters were having kids and I thought it would be a great genre to explore. I took a Judy Blume masterclass online (back when the platform first started) and then was reading anything and everything I could get my hands on to dive into the children's literature world.

What will young readers come away with in reading your book series? We all dream about what we stress about. And the beginning of the book, Barris has a problem and falls asleep in a dream world. He wakes up at the end of the book series not knowing how to solve his problem because not all problems can be solved. Young readers will learn that sometimes just navigating a problem rather than stressing about is the solution.

What is the topical breakdown and progression of your books series? There will be three books in the Barris Book series, then a spin-off series consisting of three books called the Bernice Books (Barris' sister). Then we will tie up the series with a holiday Barris and Bernice Book. The second book in the Barris Books series, Barris and the Clown of Trell will be out on January 18th, 2022.

In addition to being an author, Ricca is also a proud LGBTQ+ small business advocate who is running 100 miles over two days to raise funds for LGBTQ+ small local businesses that were adversely affected by the pandemic.

Barris and the Prince of Rappa is available for pre-order on Amazon, Kindle, Target, and Barnes & Noble.

To learn more about the book series, its author and illustrator, visit https://www.thebarrisbooks.com/.