A popular Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign aimed at empowering young readers has reached all of its funding goals and is set to launch its final product and stretch rewards thanks to its quick and overwhelming success.

The Celestina Code, a fantasy adventure book written by Nora Tollenaar-Szanto, is aimed at 10-14 year-olds and looks to educate and empower whilst simultaneously thrilling and entertaining. Tollenaar-Szanto reached her funding goal of USD 10,000 on crowdfunding site Kickstarter in just over two days, and now has 228 backers.

The Celestina Code has already reached over double its original goal, thanks in part by the preview chapters which have already been well received within the community. The book aims to inspire readers with real-life stories of inspirational figures who overcame adversity to become 'ultra-high performers'.

The campaign's success has allowed the development of related workbooks that accompany the book itself, which aim to reinforce the positive messages of The Celestina Code, and inspire conversation between children and their parents and teachers on topics such as diversity & inclusion, emotional intelligence, and leadership.

Author Nora Tollenaar-Szanto said: "I am very excited to be releasing The Celestina Code in May 2022 and our other rewards from the Kickstarter campaign. It's been so inspirational to see how many people share my belief that instilling positive, affirming lessons in young readers can have a big impact on how they tackle struggles in their lives later on.

After my Psychology Master's degree, I realised my children were fascinated by what secret sauce some people seemed to have, and how they got to be at the top of their game – no matter if that game was art, business or sport. I decided to use the inspirational stories of real people to help young teenagers realise their dreams and understand what overcoming adversity looks like to prepare them for challenges in their lives."

Some of the real-life people the characters meet during the course of the story include Karishma Sharma, an Indian actress who left an abusive household at the age of 17 and managed to follow her dream to become a movie star, and Marcel Hug, a Swiss para-athlete who was born with spina bifida and has gone on to win 6 Paralympic gold medals.

Along with the book, extra backer rewards from the campaign are ready to go, which include extra goodies such as a special letter from Celestina and related digital workbooks on topics covered in the book. These workbooks aim to use The Celestina Code as a jumping-off point to spark insightful conversations between children and their parents and teachers.

Also in the pipeline is the release of the already-funded first stretch goal, which is The Celestina Code Song, produced with the support of 16-year-old Swiss artist Rania Kretz. Kretz has dedicated her life so far to becoming a musician and the song should prove a perfect accompaniment for the book, and help to get young achievers more connected to the work.

Readers have already begun leaving positive testimonials. Helen, a mother of two boys, said of The Celestina Code: "An incredible, enchanting story packed full of powerful messages that will engage, teach and inspire kids and adults alike."

Carina, PhD, whose kids are already adults, said: "What a lot of fun!!! Loads of modern & futuristic stuff to capture the imagination, yet cleverly linked to morals and making kids think."

Nora Tollenaar-Szanto is a certified Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) practitioner, Matrix Reimprinting and Psych-K Therapist, with a master’s degree in psychology. She enjoyed a career as a high-performance strategist for business leaders and professional athletes, helping clients overcome subconscious blocks and limiting beliefs to reach their full potential. Since the breakout of COVID-19, she has turned her focus toward supporting families.

During her master’s degree, Nora did extensive research into revealing the common characteristics of some of the most successful people in the world. She interviewed CEOs, presidents, and founders of multi-billion-dollar companies. Her research revealed certain connecting patterns that resulted in elevated professional achievement. Based on her key findings, she wrote her first adventure novel, The Celestina Code. Perfect for middle graders, it aims to inspire children to believe that their dreams are attainable by empowering them with essential high-performing traits to rise from adversity, overcome obstacles, step into their truth and reach their goals with integrity.

The book is available for pre-order at https://www.thecelestinacode.com/contact

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