Amanda is a lonely little girl. Her mother means well, but doesn't have a lot of time for a 9-year-old and, after plenty of begging from Amanda, agrees to let her have a pet. Amanda chooses a ferret (and names her Peach) because ferrets aren't ordinary and, darn it, neither is she! But her mom sets up Two Big Rules: 1) Amanda has to care for Peach, and 2) Peach can't ever bite Amanda. It seems like Amanda finally has the friend she's needed ... but Peach sees Amanda's hands as five-serpent monsters -- and bites in what she thinks of as self-defense! What will little, lonely Amanda do now if her mom finds out her new best pet is actually a biter?!

Amanda Keller
She's an enthusiastic but insecure fourth grader in need of some attention. She is learning how to care for a pet responsibly.

Kim Chang
She's Amanda's best friend. With her cute compactness and fashion magazine sense of style, she's very popular—unlike Amanda.

Peach
She's a a Ferret Princess of the Ferret Kingdom—at least in her head. She's been transported from her comfortable life at the pet shop into the oft-perilous Keller household.

Pavaratty
Kim's new ferret, who is arrogant and conceited—far more so than Peach. His need to take center stage has made him incapable of getting along with almost any ferret or other animal.

Megan Keller
Amanda's workaholic, divorced mom. She feels bad about the effect her failed marriage has had on Amanda and agrees to buy Peach.

Phil and Tim
They're the class bullies. They pick on Amanda every chance they get.

Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges:
Comic artists and illustrating team Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges have worked many days and nights to bring the chaotic world of nine-year-old Amanda and a prissy ferret named Peach to life.

Both artists conceptualize and write the story. Lindsay creates the layouts and pencils the pages, and Jared handles the inking and toning. The idea to make the book first came about when Peach Fuzz won the grand prize in TOKYOPOP's second Rising Stars of Manga competition.

Their past works include the Anime CG Tutorial CD (a how-to handbook on anime style CG artwork), hundreds of private commissions for various clients, and illustrations for Guardians of Order's BESM D20 Edition book.

Both artists reside in Florida and share a studio with two pet ferrets (Momoko and Elf) just outside of Orlando.

If you wanna learn more about the artists, or peek at some of the other excellent art they make, please drop by their Web site at http://www.jaredandlindsay.com.

All friends can be hard to understand...especially furry friends with sharp teeth!

Peach Fuzz is one of the few manga series that can truly be termed "all ages." I mean, it is about a nine-year-old girl getting her very first pet...but almost anyone can relate to what Amanda goes through, whether big, small or medium-sized. And Lindsay and Jared's humorous take on the pain and politics of being a fourth grader works so well, on so many levels, that adults will enjoy reading it just much as kids do.

Don't underestimate the world Peach Fuzz creates on the ferret side of things, either...a grand and perilous world, full of beastly no-furs and coveted kibble crowns. Princess Peach may be good at freeing herself from the monstrous hands that bind her, but this is one book that won't leave your hands until it's over.

Oh, and did I mention it smells like peaches?

~Carol Fox, Editor