Nia Mya Reese hasn’t even made it past the second grade, but she’s already achieved a goal that most only dream of. At the young age of eight, she’s already authored a best-selling book.
As a first grade student at Deer Valley Elementary in Hoover, Reese was asked to write about something she is an expert at. Her topic: caring for an “annoying” little brother, five year-old Ronald Michael.
Nia Mya’s mother found the assignment in her daughter’s back pack, and encouraged her to refine it over the summer break.
“Work on your sentences. Work on the spelling, work on the way that it’s worded,” her mother Cherinita told her, according to CBSNews. “And that will be your summer project.”
After Nia Mya completed her book, she received illustration help from her 11th grade cousin, Faith Martin. Chernita then reached out to Yorkshire Publishing, and to her surprise, they were interested in publishing the book.
Now, “How to Deal with and Care for your Annoying Little Brother” is an Amazon best seller.
The story included inspiration from Nia Mya’s first-hand experiences. She provides help on how to guard time for yourself, how to teach younger siblings, and how to have fun together. Mostly, the book promotes overall themes of love and kindness.
Her teacher, Beth Hankins, said the new book has “spread the excitement across our school for other young writers.”
“And Nia Mya shared that she was a great big sister to an annoying little brother,” Hankins added.
Ultimately, the lesson Nia Maya learned from her experience will last her a lifetime.
“I learned to follow my own dreams,” she said.
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