For Immediate Release: April 18, 2011

On this date, the Mom’s Choice Awards® named Situation: Critical, a Thunderbirds™ novel by Joan Marie Verba among the Best In Family-Friendly Products.

The Mom’s Choice Awards® (MCA) is an awards program that recognizes authors, inventors,
companies, parents and others for their efforts in creating quality family-friendly media, products and
services.

Parents, educators, librarians and retailers rely on MCA evaluations when selecting quality materials for
children and families. The Mom’s Choice Awards® seal helps families and educators navigate the vast
array of products and services and make informed decisions.

An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children,
librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and
others. A sampling of our panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, ten-time Emmy-winner,
professor and founder of PBS’s Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The
Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times best-selling author, Priscilla Dunstan, creator of the
Dunstan Baby Language; Patricia Rossi, host of NBC’s Manners Minute; Dr. Letitia S. Wright, D.C., host
of the Wright Place™ TV Show; and Catherine Witcher, M.Ed., special needs expert and founder of
Precision Education, Inc.

MCA judges are bound by a strict code of ethics which ensures expert and objective analysis free from
any manufacturer association. The evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are
scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment
value, originality, appeal and cost.

To be considered for an award, each entrant submits five identical samples of a product. Entries are
matched to judges in the MCA database. Judges perform a thorough analysis and submit a detailed
assessment. Results are compiled and submitted to the MCA Executive Committee for final approval.
The end result is a list of the best in family-friendly media, products and services that parents and
educators can feel confident in using.

For more information on the awards program and the honorees, visit MomsChoiceAwards.com.

A current list of honorees is posted at: http://www.momschoiceawards.com/celebrate09.php#YA 
("Young Adult" category.)