Raleigh, NC., 04 August 2015 – As we enter the beginning of the school year, frustration with Rolling Stone Magazine’s celebration of the most controversial kids movie of all time is causing parents of pre-teens to seek better alternatives for their kids.

The movie KIDS follows a group of young teens in New York City, whose lives include casual sex, violence, drug and alcohol abuse.

According to Rolling Stone Magazine, “this Grimm fairy tale for the doom generation came with a great story, the one about the legendary photographer who met a 19 year-old skateboarder and told the unvarnished truth of what it’s like to be a teenager in the city.”

The movie didn’t just cause a huge backlash – it has a real impact on some of the cast as well.  According to Yahoo News, one of the kids was arrested during shooting. Justin Pierce, who played the despicable rapist Casper, reportedly got into a drunken fight and was arrested right before the film wrapped. Sadly, Pierce struggled with substance abuse throughout his life and committed suicide in 2000.

Bolaji O, Founder of Brave Little Heroes, thinks we can help our kids tell a better story about themselves.

Children’s book HERO ACADEMY, authored by Bolaji O, is about kids with powers. But it also delves into the identity problems typical kids experience, without being preachy. The book takes a closer look at what it is like to be bullied, and what it is like to be the bully. Unlike the Kids movie, Hero Academy’s meticulous mix of mystery, action, suspense, and humor, are designed with both pre-teens and their parents in mind.

HERO Academy was written to counter Hollywood’s insistence that it is okay for kids to grow up fast. Parents want coming-of-age stories they can enjoy with their pre-teen kids. Ones that draw parents back to the bygone days of their youth, and engross even the most reluctant child readers in vivid, engrossing, adventurous worlds.

“The rise of a the Internet, social media, smart phones, and hundreds of TV channels on cable TV, means our kids have more access to all kinds of content. And not all content directed at kids, is appropriate for kids”, says Bolaji O, President of Brave Little Heroes. “Parents should not have to trade their children’s innocence for entertainment and engagement. Hero Academy also features prodigy children who wrestle with issues of power and prejudice… but does so within age appropriate context that parents of pre-teens will appreciate.”

Brave Little Heroes

Brave Little Heroes is a publishing company dedicated to affirming the self-worth of ALL of our kids. Featuring pre-teen heroes in stories ranging from superheroes to fantasy fiction to middle school madness, these loving tributes to comic books make the most reluctant readers feel like they’re right there in the story, and draw parents back to the bygone days of their youth.