Title: BOOK SIGNING EVENT WITH AUTHOR OF TOMGIRLZ, DANA LUIRE
Gallery Price:
$1,900.00
Year: 2009
Medium: NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
Edition: NEIGHBORS SECTION OF MIAMI HERALD
Description: Young girls are seeing themselves through the exploits of Mackey Mack
BY MICAELA HOOD
mhood@MiamiHerald.com
Unlike most girls her age, Jordynn Lurie, is not embarrassed by the stories her mom tells to others.
Instead, Jordynn, 11, who is into sports and isn't afraid to pick up a slimy bug, is flattered by the attention.
And Jordynn is famous in her own right. At least on paper.
Jordynn, a.k.a. Mackey Mack, is the central character in her mom's series of books called Tomgirlz.
Tomgirlz, written by Coral Springs author Dana Lurie, deals with such issues as overcoming shyness, childhood obesity, bullying and improving self esteem.
Recently, Lurie and her two kids, Jordynn and Elan, attended a book signing at Aventura-based Gallery Art.
Some 50 students from Aventura Waterways K-8 Center and Madie Ives Elementary showed up to meet their favorite literary star, Mackey.
While Jordynn and Elan wowed the crowd with some gymnastic and break-dancing moves, their mom signed copies of Mackey Mack, The Makings of a Tomgirl, Mackey Mack's Birthday Attack, Mackey the Medic, TomGirlz Talent Troubles and TomGirlz A B Sea.
Eight-year-old Taryn Bradley, a student at Aventura Waterways K-8 Center, said the Tomgirlz series has taught her to help others.
'I like reading them and they inspire me and they also make me laugh,' she said.
The idea to create Tomgirlz came from a conversation between Jordynn and her mom.
'When Jordynn told me that she was a tomboy, I said `No way,' ' said Lurie, whose first book was published in 2006. ``Just because a girl is good at sports, is determined and competitive, doesn't mean she is just like a boy.'
So the mom and daughter team came up with a new word to describe her, and the Tomgirlz logo was born.
So far, Lurie has designed T-shirts, bookmarks and is currenty working on another book.
The characters in the book are young girls like Jordynn.
But her 14-year-old brother, Elan, also makes the occasional cameo as his alter ego, Jeremy.
'A Tomgirlz is strong, determined, athletic, beautiful, and they know who they are and stay true to themselves,' Jordynn said.
Lurie, who also wrote a picture book for little ones called, It's Time for Bed, Sleepyhead agreed.
'The books teach you how to be yourself . . . whatever is you,' she said.
And for Lurie, proving to young women they can succeed no matter what is a motto she lives by.
Last year, the author won a two-year legal battle with clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger, for the naming rights to Tomgirlz.
Although, Lurie didn't set foot in a courtroom, she did have to hire an attorney. The trademark fight ended last June.
'Eventually when they saw I wasn't going to use their colors or logos, they backed down,' she said.
Lurie, who didn't want to disappoint her readers, never gave up -- just like Mackey Mack.
'How could I tell my readers to back down and then do it myself?' she said. ``Thankfully it's over now and I can focus on building Tomgirlz.'
That's good news for Jordynn, who doesn't mind being a celeb in the making.
'It's fun meeting new people and I love being looked at and listened to,' she said.