Thompkins Sixth Grader Schedules Book Signing

It’s not every day that a sixth grade student’s work gets published by a national publishing group, but that is exactly what happened to Laine Kennedy, a sixth grader at Thompkins Middle School.

Last winter, Kennedy entered a national writing contest sponsored by Read3Zero, an organization that challenges students to read at least 30 minutes a day. Out of all the submissions, Kennedy’s work was selected as a finalist and officials with Read3Zero gave suggestions for rewrites.  Finalists were then asked to rewrite and resubmit their submissions. After making some edits, publishers selected two of Kennedy’s submissions for publication.  Kennedy’s short story “Untamed” and her poem, “My Room,” both were published in the book. Kennedy is just one of 55 young authors from across the United State to have her work published in the book.

“This is a dream come true for me,” Kennedy said. “Writing allows you to be creative and there are no limits. I feel like I can have new experiences and discover things through my writing.”

As part of the process, winners were invited to Houston, Texas to take part in a special awards ceremony followed by a book signing. However, a snow storm derailed their plans and Kennedy and her family were unable to make it to Houston. Instead, thanks to family and friends, Barnes and Noble offered a special book signing just for Kennedy at the Evansville location.

Kennedy will be at Barnes and Noble for the book signing on Saturday, February 15, at 1 p.m. The book, “I Write Short Stories for Kids by Kids,” also will be available for purchase.

For now, Kennedy says that she hopes to continue to have more stories published and inspire other young authors. In the future, she hopes to attend Purdue University and become a veterinarian.

For more information on the book, or to purchase online, visit www.barnesandnoble.com and search for “I Write Short Stories for Kids by Kids.”