Mackenzie Blue Book Breaks 'Mean Girl' Mold

Author Tina Wells Joins Circle of Respect Book Club To Help Teens With Cyberbullying and other Hot Issues Today

ARLINGTON, Va., May 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) announced that author Tina Wells (Mackenzie Blue) has joined its Circle of Respect book club to help teens navigate tough issues such as cyberbullying.  Ms. Wells is also in the May issue of Marie Claire Magazine to talk about her popular character and the franchise built around Mackenzie – a young girl who tries to survive the trials and tribulations of an average teen and break away from the "mean girl" syndrome in middle school.

Mackenzie Blue is the featured selection this month in the Circle of Respect Book Club – part of an NCPC initiative to raise awareness about bullying and reduce the conflicts that can lead to teen suicide, violent fights, and other forms of school violence.  You can download NCPC's podcast with Ms. Wells at www.circleofrespect.org or find it on iTunes.  Ms. Wells joins other award-winning authors Deborah Norville, Rosalind Wiseman, Rachel Simmons, and Sharon Flake to help NCPC, home of McGruff the Crime Dog, promote respect as a way to manage conflict and prevent criminal behavior.

The recent devastating news of Phoebe Prince and Alexis Pilkington – two girls who have become tragically part of an unfortunate group of teens who felt the only way out was to commit suicide – have underscored NCPC's need to reach out to teens and help them create a circle of respect within their environment where behaviors like bullying are not tolerated.

About Mackenzie Blue and Tina Wells

Mackenzie's diary is stolen, and the fallout is more than anyone expected – it even threatens Zee's chances in the Teen Sing contest. Did Kathi's crew snag the diary? Or maybe it was her nosy brother. Or even worse, did one of Mackenzie's friends have a hand in this?

Biography - Tina Wells founded Buzz Marketing Group at the tender age of 16. Prior to becoming America's youth expert, she earned a B.A. in Communication Arts from Hood College, and she's currently a student at Wharton School of Business.  Her many honors include Essence Magazine's 40 Under 40 Award, Billboard's 30 Under 30 Award, AOL's Black Voices Top Black Female Entrepreneur's Award, and the 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. She was also named one of Inc.com's Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30 and one of Cosmopolitan's "Fun Fearless Phenoms."

For more information about the authors, book club, or Circle of Respect initiative, visit the website.

About the National Crime Prevention Council

The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is the nonprofit leader in crime prevention. For 29 years, our safety expert McGruff the Crime Dog has delivered easy-to-use crime prevention tips that protect what matters most -- you, your family, and your community. Law enforcement agencies nationwide rely on our expertise to make an impact on personal safety and crime every day. For more information on how NCPC can help you "Take a Bite Out of Crime", visit www.ncpc.org.

SOURCE National Crime Prevention Council