In this Publishers Weekly article, Rachel Deahl looks at HarperCollins' The Amanda Project. Lately, multimedia delivery to children has become a norm and perhaps a necessity for survival. The Amanda Project is an ambitious effort to press that idea forward:

And, whether the Amanda Project fails or succeeds, its existence speaks to the fast-changing face of children's publishing. Kids, more so than adults, are ready for books delivered on a multitude of platforms, willing to follow stories that begin in print and wend their way onto computer screens and various handheld devices. This makes for both an exciting and anxious moment in children's publishing, as longtime progenitors of print and ink tales are trying to figure out how to present content, and a reading experience, in a wholly different way.

The article gives some insight to the production model used. It is encouraging that they still believe that a project must begin with a proper story.