Joey DiMarco Celebrates Book Release with Signing at Eastchester Public Library

Joey DiMarco has a knack for telling stories and the Eastchester community is starting to take notice. 

On May 26, DiMarco—a seventh-grade author at Eastchester Middle School—will hold a book signing at the Eastchester Public Library to celebrate the release of his literary debut, Evil Squirrelz. 

The book—which chronicles the exploits of protagonist Joey and his friends (The Dudes) as they tangle with the titular “Evil Squirrelz”—is not only a stunning example of DiMarco’s creativity, but also his persistence; over the course of several years, this project grew from a germ of an idea into a fully fleshed out and published story, complete with illustrations, that is sure to be a wonderful addition to any book collection. 

DiMarco said that the idea for Evil Squirrelz initially came about when the author and his friends were in second grade, born out of an inside joke and a shared love for storytelling. Over the years, he and his pals continued to tell stories—working collaboratively to pen short adventures for friends and family. Ultimately, he said, an assembly featuring Nick Katsoris from the Loukoumi Foundation inspired him to go a little further.

“He told us at the assembly that he could help us out with what we want to do when we grow up, so I emailed him and said, ‘Can you help me publish Evil Squirrelz?’” said DiMarco.”And then we got calls in to publishers, and it all started working out.”

Inspired by popular work geared towards youngsters, including Lincoln Peirce’s Big Nate and Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, DiMarco set out to get his ideas ready for publication. 

“It took quite a while, especially the illustrations. And you have to deal with writer’s block which is frustrating because you don’t want to mess it up, you know?” said DiMarco. “But we started putting the book together; we had a master plan.”

The book was officially launched in March, and DiMarco recalls getting his first published copies—a watershed moment in the middle schooler’s young life.

“I think it was a Saturday when the doorbell rang, and there was a big box. We opened it, and it was my book.” Said the author. “It was amazing to see! The first thing we knew we had to do was take pictures, post the pictures in different places, and build off that momentum."

Evil Squirrelz is getting rave reviews from DiMarco’s peers and teachers, including EMS Principal Madelin LoBue, who described the story as “ridiculous, heartfelt, and legendary”.

LoBue also noted that DiMarco’s diligence in his approach to this project should serve as a lesson to other youngsters looking to pursue their own passions. 

“I’m constantly impressed by our students at the middle school, and it’s wonderful to see Joey be such a role model and do things that put our school community on the map,” said LoBue. “We have a lot of kids with so much talent, and I hope they look at what Joey has done and get inspired by that.”