Next month Random House imprint Candlewick is publishing Vermonia #1: Quest for the Silver Tiger, the first book in a ten volume series edited by former Kodansha editor Akihuro Miyata.  The all ages (9+) series features shonen style art by Saki Uchidi, who leads a group of young artists who work as Studio YoYo.  Produced in the typical right-to-left manga format, Quest for the Silver Tiger has the potential to appeal to kids of both genders thanks to the inclusion of strong female as well as male characters.

In Quest for the Silver Tiger a group of four kids who have formed a garage band become involved in a fast-paced science fiction/fantasy adventures.  When one of the band members is kidnapped, the other three follow her to planet of Vermonia with the help of their cute, magical mascot Satorin.

Although the Vermonia series was produced in Japan, Miyata has crafted the Vermonia series for a global appeal, by combining manga narrative techniques and art work with a story that is rich in the conventions of western science fiction and fantasy storytelling.  The first volume in the series has already been published in the U.K. and Italy.  Candlewick is releasing Volume 1 here in the States on August 11th.