I am so excited to share the review that Katherine at TheNerdyGirlExpress gave to my novel, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters. I encourage you to hop over to their site and check out all of their wonderful contact. The text of Katherine’s review is below along with links to all of her other online content hubs.
“Christa Avampato creates a world fueled by imagination and wonder in her first novel Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters. This story focuses on title character Emerson, who is a strong and caring thirteen year old with powers beyond even her wildest imagining. After the tragic death of her mother five years before, she has begun to learn that she is not just a book lover, but someone who holds a powerful light that will change everything she has ever known.
Emerson has been coping with her mother’s death, but knows very little about what truly happened. After a terrifying woman enters her favorite book shop she begins to learn that her mother was part of a centuries old order connected to the Muses of ancient times. Emerson’s own connection to this ancient power begins to grow as she finds herself and those she loves being thrust into dangerous situations that all relate back to the terrifying woman, Cassandra. Over the course of the novel Emerson will have to accept her own power and learn how to control it. While she is trying to understand everything around her, Emerson’s inner strength shines through and is what will ultimately decide the fate of all imagination as we know it.
Avampato crafts a story that many young adult readers will enjoy, especially those with vivid imaginations and a love of books. Emerson’s character is tremendously relatable and I wish that someone like her had existed when I was younger. Avampato echoes this same sentiment in her Author’s Note where she says to the young adult reader who has picked up this book that “I wrote this book for you for many reasons. One of the biggest is that we don’t have enough women and girls in the center of young adult literature. So few books feature female protagonists, and there are almost no books in which a female protagonist takes control of her own life and destiny.” Not only is Emerson a strong female character, but Avampato includes strong women who assist Emerson along her journey of discovery. I highly recommend Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters for not only young adult readers, but those who want to indulge their imagination with a positive story full of wonderful characters.
You can find Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters for sale now.
Share your thoughts with us in the comments or on Twitter, @thenerdygirlexp. You can find me on Twitter, @kleffnotes, on my blog, kleffnotes.wordpress.com, on my kleffnotes YouTube channel, and I run The Nerdy Girl Express Snapchat, thenerdygirlexp.”
Published by Christa Avampato
IN BRIEF
Author, journalist, digital product manager, and licensed New York City tour guide. Creator and host of NYC's Secrets and Lies. Alumna of the University of Pennsylvania (BA), the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA), Arizona State University (Biomimicry), and the University of Cambridge (MSt in Sustainability Leadership).
I build digital media platforms, report on urban climate resilience and biodiversity, and produce live narrative experiences that connect communities to history, nature, and place.
THE DEEP DIVE
My work centers on a single thread: building systems and stories that foster deep connection to our shared world. Across digital streaming, environmental reporting, and live civic storytelling, I design experiences that help people understand complex ideas and the environments around them.
DIGITAL PRODUCT STRATEGY & MEDIA LEADERSHIP
At Carnegie Hall, I serve as Digital Product Manager, leading product strategy, operations, and technical delivery for the video streaming platform Carnegie Hall+. I translate artistic mission into scalable, high-performance streaming architecture that reaches audiences globally. Previously, I led agile product and delivery teams across operations and compliance at American Express, managed Broadway theatrical productions and national tours, and guided strategic initiatives across cultural institutions.
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM & AUTHORSHIP
As a freelance journalist, I investigate how living systems, urban infrastructure, and human culture intersect. My reported features on urban decarbonization, biodiversity, coastal resilience, and biomimicry appear in publications including Smithsonian Magazine, The Washington Post, Mongabay, Natural History Magazine, and Foreign Policy Magazine. In fiction, I write the Emerson Page young adult novel series, alongside upcoming historical fiction and nonfiction works on New York history, mythology, and human resilience. I also write Togetherhood, a LinkedIn newsletter focused on urban ecology and community restoration, and co-host the podcast Frameworks in the Wild.
LIVE EXPERIENCE & CIVIC STORYTELLING
As a licensed New York City tour guide and live event producer, I transform urban landscapes into shared narrative encounters. I created, produce, and host NYC's Secrets and Lies, an interactive live storytelling series staged across cultural landmarks including the New York Transit Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, and the historic tall ship Wavertree. I also design and lead site-specific walking tours exploring coastal ecology, food history, and neighborhood evolution, often with partners at Climate Week NYC and the Natural Areas Conservancy.
DOUBLE OR NOTHING MEDIA
Through my independent production studio, Double or Nothing Media, I develop ventures across media, ecology, and public history:
Digital Products & Strategy: Architecting scalable digital platforms, streaming experiences, and operational models for mission-driven institutions.
Environmental Reporting & Publications: Delivering long-form reporting, books, and newsletters grounded in climate resilience and regenerative design.
Site-Specific Live Storytelling: Producing immersive live shows and educational walking tours that engage public audiences in community history.
CONNECT
Website & Production Hub: doubleornothingmedia.com and christaavampato.com
Newsletter: Togetherhood on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/newsletters/togetherhood-7273771832221089792/
Instagram & Threads: @christarosenyc
Emerson Page Novels: emersonpagebook.wordpress.com/
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