11-year-old East Bay girl inspired by COVID-19 publishes book to help kids her age
LIVERMORE, Calif. (KGO) -- An 11-year-old girl from the East Bay has achieved an extraordinary accomplishment amid the COVID-19 pandemic - she became a published author.
Sarina Summers' school has pivoted to distance learning since March of last year. Like many children, she has missed seeing her friends the most. Summers is a big fan of books and has written a few short stories in the past, but it wasn't until the pandemic that she decided to write a book of her own.
"I've read all of these books but none of them were about a pandemic," said Sarina Summers, author of "Fedora's Secret."
"I really needed something to get into that would help me stay sane," she said.
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Summers was encouraged to write her own book after receiving a letter from her favorite author, Alan Gratz, but she was put to the challenge when discovered that there wasn't a book about children experiencing life during a pandemic.
"I thought it would be one of those projects that you never finished," said Summers. "When you start writing the words, (they) just spill out on to the page and you can't stop. That is when I knew that it would become so much bigger than just one chapter."
Summers created her own children's book, "Fedora's Secret," to help other children navigate through the pandemic.
"It is about the main character, Sara, going through life in a pandemic," said Summers. "She goes through home troubles and school troubles. All the troubles that maybe a girl my age would deal with, but just with a little bit of magic."
In two months, Summers has sold 150 books on Amazon and is currently working on a sequel.
"Some people have said that "Fedora's Secret" ends on a cliffhanger and I am finishing that up," said Summers. "I am also writing a few other books and whenever I get an idea I just start writing it."
Summers hopes her books will inspire other children to write their own book and pursue their dreams.
"Before, I was just writing to keep myself sane," said Summers. "Now, I am sharing that book with the world and that feels so awesome."
For more information on the author and her book, "Fedora's Secret," you can visit her website here.
