Locust Grove author releases new book, coloring book on bullying

Gail Morin, of Locust Grove, who goes by her pen name, witnessed bullying first-hand during her time as a teacher in Stafford County.

The experience inspired her to create, “The Magical Adventures of Detective Sam,” about a cape-wearing Great Dane with the superpowers of hearing, speed and inventiveness. The book is aimed at ages 6-11 and the coloring book for ages 3 and up, Morin said in a recent phone interview.

“Sadly, you really start to see the bullying in the upper grades, starting around fifth grade level, it gets pretty dicey,” she said.

Social media use by middle and high school students contributes to bullying, virtually, even after the school day ends, Morin said.

“I feel that kids learn at a young age what bullying is and they may be doing some actions they may not realize that it’s mean,” she said.

Bullying effects kids physically and mentally, the former teacher said.

Writing a children’s book on the topic hopefully will open up the conversation and lead to less mistreatment, she continued.

Detective Sam is a fun K9 who can teach that lesson, Morin added.

“He wants to teach morals and he just magically appears from his portal if there is bullying, or a child in need, or in some type of trouble,” Morin said.

“He’s a super hero for bullying prevention, and has a sophisticated monitoring system.”

In the book, Diego, a child in Flagstone Elementary, is bullied by another kid, Barry. Sam teleports himself to the school and comes to the aid of Diego, who is left without his lunch money, according to book publicity.

“Instead of using his superpowers, Sam prepares Diego to take care of himself with a four-part course that every child should know: using strong body language to fend off bullish advances; defending against violent behavior and preventing yourself from getting hurt; breaking the cycle of violence to never retaliate and control anger; and informing a teacher or adult,” according to publicity.

The Locust Grove author hopes to bring her concept into local classrooms and is working on developing a Detective Sam plush doll and other merchandise.

Morin is working on several more books in the series, including one about pressure for kids to use substances.

Available through Amazon and other online outlets, “The Magical Adventures of Detective Sam” is being received well, said the author, noting she sold over 2,000 books to an Arizona foundation.

“We want to stop bullying and we want to do it in a fun way,” Morin said.

It’s a serious topic, she added, that can lead to suicide attempts, especially for the most vulnerable, including teen girls.

“I want kids to learn about being kind to one another,” Morin said. “To know the definition of bullying and how to make this world a better place.”

A Pakistani graphic designer, Bella Maher, did the illustrations.