At the age of 16, Zaila Avant-Garde has already built up a pretty outstanding resume. The 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee winner and two-time Guinness World Records holder teenager is now ready to add the title of author to her incredible achievements. The Louisiana-based teen wonder is making her debut this year as a children’s book author with two back-to-back publications in line.
The Release
Random House Children’s Books will publish the pair of books, conceptualized and penned by Zaila Avant-Garde. It’s Not Bragging if It’s True: How to Be Awesome at Life, a non-fiction book, is slated to release on May 2nd. The second one, a children’s picture book named Words of Wonder From Z to A will hit shelves on June 27th.
The Objective
The Spelling Bee winner teen author expressed her excitement and stated that she absolutely loved her experience as a first-time author. Zaila remarked in a press release that she was especially happy that her books are for young kids. During her childhood, she knew all her favorite books by heart, and so had a firsthand experience of feeling the joy brought by a good book. The young author also shared that her books are mainly dedicated to all those kids who get nervous about picking up a new book to read.
The Books
Meant for readers aged 8-12, It’s Not Bragging if It’s True is an empowering collection of real-life stories with various personal anecdotes illustrating Zaila’s successful journey. Co-written with author Marti Dumas, the book highlights how Spelling Bee winner Zaila has accomplished so much at such a young age. Through this uplifting book, Zaila hopes to motivate other kids to pursue their dreams. Words of Wonder From Z to A features colorful illustrations by Keisha Morris. In this book, Zaila has used her favorite motivational words like ‘resilience,’ ‘hope,’ etc. to create inspiring pieces of work.