We all love to read books. But have you ever thought of writing one yourself – action, adventure, self-help, philosophy… These kids have! They wanted to tell the world their stories and so they did, and in the process becoming young published authors.
Read up on these few young authors. May be they will inspire you to tell your own stories.
Mattie Stepanek (1990 – 2004): Imagine living up to the age of 14 and in that short span having seven books published all of which feature in The New York Times bestsellers list. Suffering from a rare muscular condition, Mattie published six books of "Heartsongs" poetry and one book of "Just Peace" essays, advocating peace in his works and otherwise. He also won several awards during his lifetime.
Anne Frank (1929 – 1945): How tough is it spending two years hiding in an attic? How difficult is it coming to terms with adolescence? The Diary of Anne Frank will tell you . While still a teenager, Anne Frank’s family had to hide in the attic of a warehouse in Amsterdam to escape persecuting by the Nazis. During those two years she kept a diary jotting down observations of life in hiding during World War II and light-hearted notes about being a teenager.
Her family was eventually discovered by the Nazis and sent to a concentration camp where only her father survived. Her diary was discovered years later and published in 1947, making Anne Frank a household name across the world and a symbol of the children lost in the holocaust. Diary of Anne Frank has been translated into more than 50 languages.
Guptara Twins (1988 - ): When Jyoti and Suresh Guptara wrote the first draft of their fantasy novel at the age of 11, little did they realise that they would become published authors by the age of 17. Their Insanity Saga is a fantasy tale set in Calaspia, an alternate universe, replete with adventure, action and drama.
Born to an Indian father and a British mother, the Swiss-based twins are now full-time writers. “Shortly after becoming probably the youngest-ever writer in The Wall Street Journal, Jyoti dropped out of school to become the world’s youngest full-time writer at the age of 15, while Suresh completed his A-levels at Bradfield College before joining him,” reads a description in their Facebook page.
Christopher Beale: How much can you accomplish over lunch? Finishing our lunch in the given time is an accomplishment in itself, you say? Six-year-old Christopher Beale finished writing his first book during lunch time – how about that! This and Last Season’s Excursions – 1,500-word, five-chapter book published in 2006 – is the story of a boy and his stuffed animals on an adventure. He holds the Guinness World Record for youngest child author.
Alec Greven: This one’s for the boys. Need help on talking to girls? Then Alec Greven’s How to Talk to Girls written when he was just nine-years-old offer you some insights. Wikipaedia calls Alex “New York Times bestselling child self-help author.” He apparently wrote the book when he saw his elementary school mates being turned down by girls. So he offers advice like “Comb your hair” and “Don’t act desperate”! He followed up his first book with several others — How to Talk to Moms , How to Talk to Dads , How to Talk to Santa , and Rules for School .
Dorothy Straight (1958 - ): What would you call an achievement at the age of four? Dorothy Straight became the youngest published female in the world at the age of four! She wrote How the World Began for her grandmother but her parents loved what she had written that they sent it to a publisher who published it the same year. In her book she tries to answer her mother’s question – who made the world? In response, she narrated the story of earth and illustrated it — all in her own kindergarten-esque way.
