Sam Wolf is no ordinary child. He possesses strange powers, is the proper heir to a fantastical kingdom, and finds himself traveling the world to a magical, far-off land called Rasha-sharan. Oh, and he has golden eyes.

Well, at least his doppelganger in the book series, "The Boy with Golden Eyes" (www.theboywithgoldeneyes.com), can do all that. And he will continue to do all that in the second book in the series, "The Boy with the Golden Eyes, Book 2: The Prophetic Journey," which is set to come out soon.

The real-life Wolf -- who is the cover art subject and the inspiration for the books' protagonist, Rupert -- is a fairly normal kid for his age. He doesn't have any strange powers or golden eyes (sorry to disappoint), but he likes math, has met Bill Clinton, and has a self-proclaimed psychic/healer for an aunt -- Ballardite Marjorie Young, author of the book series. (Full Disclosure: Young also pens Ballard News-Tribune's monthly column, "Psychic View.")

While some might be bummed that Wolf might never be the hero depicted in Young's "non-fantasy fantasy" novel, there is still a lot of potential in his future.

"He's going to be a mad scientist," Young joked. "Take over the world."

"I think that's more accurate," Wolf responded, laughing.

Wolf's sister, Lucie, who is 8, also appears in the book as the character Lira.

The second book in the series will have its official launch this Sunday, Aug. 26, at the Ballard Farmers Market. Young and Wolf will both be setup at her usual psychic reading spot with copies of the book. It will be one of the last days before Wolf returns to New York City, so it will be the last chance to get a signature from the protagonist Rupert himself. The book will also soon be available on Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and Kindle.

More than just their likeness, Wolf and Rupert share many of the same characteristics, Young said.

"Both of them happen to be extremely intelligent, very curious about the world," Young said. "Very restless energy. Sometimes very headstrong … Very confident and charismatic."

However, Wolf noted that he and Rupert were not completely identical. He said Rupert could be more instinctive, more sure of himself at times and of course more likely to put himself in harm's way.

"Sometimes I place myself in Rupert's shoes and think if I were in this situation, what would I do?" Wolf said. "(Rupert) can do things different sometimes. We can be different."

One more thing that the two do have in common, though, is that both can learn through their experiences. Wolf said that one of his favorite lines in the book was, "There are no mistakes only opportunities to learn."

And indeed, Young said that she used the book as an opportunity to teach lessons to her nephew.

While chatting with the Ballard News-Tribune, Wolf was very enthusiastic about the book and his part in it.

"I love the whole thing, I love giving her inspiration," he said. "It's fantastic -- it's almost like seeing myself in a book. I'm really proud to be able to inspire such a great thing"

While he doesn't often bring up the subject with his friends, because he doesn't want to seem like a bragger, he did spark jealousy once while presenting the first book in a show and tell. One kid rose his hand in response, snottily saying: Well, his aunt also wrote a book about him and that his was longer than Wolf's. Wolf laughed when he told the story, shrugging it off as no big deal.

"The Prophetic Journey" picks up where the first book left off, with Wolf leaving his kingdom for the first time and going on a journey to the India-like kingdom of Rasha-sharan, which to his people is little more than a myth. The book is a spiritual and mental as well as a physical journey, Young said, with Rupert being challenged more than ever. Along the way he encounters many different people and cultures, opening up his world much beyond his mostly Scandinavian-type populated homeland.

The first book has seen much unexpected success, winning several awards: Best Young Adult Novel at the 2010 Los Angeles Festival, runner-up in the Best Young Adult category in the Paris Book Festival, and honorable mention at both the New York Book Festival and the London Book Festival.

In addition, people of all ages and persuasions have been reading the first book since it came out, Young said. "It's thrilling that anyone's reading it," Young exclaimed. "I can't imagine anyone's reading it!"

She said that it was in part because it presented a world that was appealing to everyone, one which that anyone could partake in. "It's wonderful to create something that people can enter," she said.

Wolf agreed, drawing upon his own reading experience.

"I don't think of them as fake made up countries in a book, I think of them as their own real places with cultures," he said. "I think of it as a real world."

Now, with the second book, "The Prophetic Journey," readers will be able to reenter that world once more.