A Silver seal in the Nautilus Book Awards, a national competition to recognize books that can change the world, has been awarded to "Angel Park," a novel about the forces stifling public education.

Local author Patricia Kokinos will be one of the award-winners featured in the Nautilus booth at the premiere book event in the country, Book Expo America, to be held May 30-June 1 st at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Just this week, the novel was also named a finalist in the inaugural National Indie Excellence Awards for Best New Fiction.

This contest recognizes the contribution of independent presses and self-published books in bringing new ideas to the marketplace, similar to the way that independent filmmakers have reshaped the film industry, according to Ellen Reid, the publisher and book marketing expert who originated the contest.

"Angel Park" was published by iUniverse, where it won Editor's Choice, Publisher's Choice, and Reader's Choice awards.

The Nautilus award for "Angel Park" was in the category of Adult Fiction/Visionary Fiction. Other Silver Award winners in this category included Deepak Chopra, for his book "Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment," published by Harper San Francisco.

The Nautilus Award is an ongoing national competition in 24 categories celebrating literary contributions to positive social change, spiritual growth, conscious living, wellness and responsible leadership.

A veteran educator, Kokinos wrote "Angel Park" as a "wake-up call" in fictional form about the crisis facing our schools.

"The school system is paralyzed by bureaucracy, structural racism, power politics, blind tradition, and self-serving agendas," she said. "While thousands of non-fiction books have been written about the dire school situation, I hope the philosophical mystery that 'Angel Park' provides will engage readers in an emotional way and help them understand the need not merely for school reform but for reinvention of the entire system."

The author offers a free report, "Exploding the Paradigm: Five Ways Schools Must Change to Rescue the American Dream," on her new Web site, www.changetheschools.com.

"Readers with a passion for doing something about the situation portrayed in my novel have motivated me to develop this site," Kokinos said.

The site offers new perspectives on school reform and links to Schools of the Future as well as to numerous experts on creating positive changes for kids, teachers, and parents.

A mystery surrounding the suicide of a school official initiates the plot of "AngelPark." The question the characters face is clear: "When did school become a matter of life and death?"

Investigating that question through her struggles with the system, the main character, Constance Demetrios, uncovers a startling realization that transforms her life and points the way to the changes that schools and the country need to make as well.

A reviewer for Writer's Digest said, "...what distinguishes the book is Kokinos's ability to put forth all of these (noble) intentions without ever sounding preachy or didactic. The story is always the most important thing for her, and that's quite a skill...."

Previous awards for the novel include National Finalist for Book of the Year in Literary Fiction (2007) from ForeWord Magazine and an IRWIN award in the Best Fiction category from Book Publicists of Southern California.

"Angel Park" is available at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and other online sources and is a featured selection at the Ventura Barnes and Noble store and at Bank of Books in downtown Ventura.