About the Authors
Lila Adams is in fifth grade in Mr. Beilke’s distance learning classroom. She enjoys writing, reading, playing the piano and all things Harry Potter.
Anden Brandt is a fun loving, energetic kid who loves to play baseball and football. He enjoys hanging out with his friends and doing activities with his family such as camping, mini vacations and even simple things like bike riding around the lake. Anden’s favorite subjects in school are math and recess. He likes to read fiction books and was inspired to write his story ”The Travelers” because he wanted to be unique and different from the rest of his class. Anden has a crazy imagination and definitely put it to good use writing his story!
Kameron Brink likes to read fiction books and really enjoys books about hockey. He likes to play hockey, and baseball and also likes to hunt with his dad. Kameron’s favorite parts of school are gym, art and music. He also likes math and reading. Kameron wants to be a farmer when he grows up.
Aidric Calderon enjoys reading books based on history and stories about animals. One of the main characters in his story, Cali, is actually his Doberman! Aidric has a creative imagination and his favorite subject is math. He loves spending time outdoors and his favorite sport is football. Aidric also enjoys cooking and is known for his perfectly fried eggs!
Zariah DeBerry loves to read and write.
Jordyn Earl is a very athletic and competitive girl. She loves soccer, softball and dance. Jordyn loves the book series “The Babysitters Club” and is also currently reading “Inkheart.” She loves reading and math – division and multiplication are her favorites. Jordyn wants to be a full-time marine biologist and a part-time soccer coach.
Claire Elness likes to read and watch movies. She also likes to bake and loves spending time with her friends and family, as well as her pets. Claire likes going outside, too. Her favorite book is “The Martian” by Andy Weir (she loves lots of other books, too, though!). Her favorite movies are O Brother Where Art Thou and The Princess Bride (but there are many, many more); her favorite food is tacos; her favorite class is either math or science; and her favorite color is blue or maybe pink. Claire also loves to talk – she talks to herself, she talks to other people (even when they don’t listen).
Elyzah Erickson is 12 years old and attends Dakota Meadows Middle School. She loves animals – between her grandparents’ house and her house, they have seven dogs, nine cats, three horses, two birds, a bunny and a fish. When Elyzah is not riding her horse Blaze, she enjoy Greek mythology, archery, hanging out with friends, swimming, skiing and watching TV shows. Her favorite books are Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Divergent and the Hunger Games. Elyzah’s favorite TV show is Heartland. She is looking forward to summer and hanging out with her friends and cousins and swimming at Spring Lake Park pool.
Emmett Gaalswyk is homeschooling this year due to the pandemic. His story is a peek into the dilemma of loving the outdoors but hating the buzzing in his ears. Emmett is 11 years old and enjoys reading, biking, playing piano and being a fun guy.
Elliott Garry is a fourth-grader at Hoover Elementary. She enjoys dancing, playing soccer, and playing Minecraft and Roblox.
Emerson Garry is a sixth-grader at Dakota Meadows Middle School. She enjoys dancing, playing softball and swimming.
Taryn Hecksel is very enthusiastic and passionate about writing. She loves to make the words come to life on the page.
Madeline Heuss has always loved to write and she uses it as a way to express herself. She hopes to give someone a way to escape and, hopefully, a smile in the process. Maddie has a love for art and hopes to pursue this passion.
Andree Jakovich is a third-grader at Hoover Elementary in North Mankato. She loves to read chapter books.
Marco Jakovich is a seventh-grader at Dakota Meadows Middle School in North Mankato. He loves to read books about Greek mythology.
Sasha Jakovich is a freshman at West High School in Mankato. She loves to read in her free time.
Kaedyn Judd is an eighth-grade student attending WEM Middle School in Morristown.
Helen Kliewer is a senior at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. She is a native of northern Minnesota and has spent many summers in a canoe exploring the Northwoods.
Randi Krueger attends Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Schools. She loves playing soccer and drawing.
Grace LaFrance is an eighth grade student at Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Schools.
Gracie Larson is 10 years old and in fourth grade. Her favorite color is yellow and she loves writing and playing soccer. Math is Gracie’s favorite part of school, but she also enjoys dance, all things art and vacations with her family. When she grows up she wants to be a writer for National Geographic and travel all over the world.
Greta Luskey is a seventh-grade student. Her passion for life is devoted to her love of dancing.
Joy MacPherson was thrilled to finally be old enough to submit her work for a contest, like all her older siblings do! She enjoys ballet and playing on the computer in her free time.
Rose MacPherson loves music and owns more than five instruments! She also loves being outside.
Price MacPherson loves to draw in his spare time. He is a yellow-belt in taekwondo.
Grace MacPherson is an award-winning author of non-fiction and fantasy. She enjoys music and socializing in her free time.
Zoe Middleton is a nine-year-old girl who loves to read and write stories. She has also published an article in a Spanish magazine. Zoe enjoys nature and playing with her dog.
Elijah Mons is a 13-year-old at Cleveland Public School with an ambition for music and creative writing. He, along with his brothers, Jack (10) and Charles (8), and his parents live on a hobby farm caring for chickens, ducks, turtles, a dog and bunny. Elijah enjoys running and the outdoors.
Charlie Nelson was inspired to write his story because of the events that happened when he got a puppy. He likes to play hockey and has played since he was four years old. Charlie also plays baseball in the summer. He also loves to do water sports including water skiing, wakeboarding, surfing and kneeboarding. Charlie loves to read and always gets distracted in his room when he’s supposed to be doing something else. His mom often finds him in his room reading a book in his bean bag chair. Charlie likes to read Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Harry Potter and Dog Man books.
Anna Nielsen has grown up in the outdoors. Since she could walk, she has been in the field with her father and grandfather. Anna hopes to follow in her father’s career path training dogs professionally.
Ella J Olson is 14 years old, non-binary, and a fan of reading and writing (mainly fantasy). They live in the country with their mother, father, sister and brother. Ella’s love of writing started in fifth grade and has grown as years passed. They have pride in their work and writing is a way they can truly express themself.
Lauren Oswald is a young writer that enjoys swimming, playing guitar, reading and crafting in her free time. She loves frogs, mushrooms and rainy days, especially ones where she has time to think and come up with new ideas.
Brynn Payne is a third grader with a wonderful imagination who loves ballet, writing stories and creating art. She is kind and caring and enjoys camping with her family, spending time at the beach and going on adventures!
Freya Peterson is nine years old. She is a third-grader at St. Peter North Elementary School. Freya speaks two languages, English and Chinese. She loves reading and writing, art, skiing and baby harp seals. Freya has two pets, a lovely cat (who she is writing a chapter book about) and a hamster. She dreams of being a famous doctor someday.
Leila Pratt is in sixth grade at Dakota Meadows Middle School. In addition to reading and writing, she enjoys playing soccer, playing piano and oboe, and rollerblading. Leila is excited to have her first story published!
Martha Price is a freshman at Maple River High School. She enjoys writing, painting, taking long walks and spending time with her dog, Daisy. She is involved in cross country, Serteen, FFA, 4-H, speech, Knowledge Bowl, track and field, and dog training.
Leah Proehl is a sophomore at Maple River High School in Mapleton. She has been writing since middle school. Alongside writing, Leah partakes in many other activities including band, speech and tennis. In her free time she likes to draw and play with her cat.
Addie Ricke Young is a 10-year-old music and book lover living in Belle Plaine. She enjoys animals, playing at the beach, and spending time with her friends and family.
Delaney Rosera is a 12-year-old who lives with her mom, dad, sister, bunny and two dogs. She enjoys figure skating and acting when not hanging out with friends.
Andie Sanderson is 14 years old and is an eighth-grader at Dakota Meadows Middle School. She loves to read and spend time with her cat, Rizzo. Andie likes running on track and cross country teams, camping, swimming, and eating anything sweet.
Cami Schuh is in sixth grade at Prairie Winds Middle School. She enjoys reading mysteries and detective stories. Cami is involved with many activities such as student council, Peppers softball and Mankato YMCA Marlins swim team. She has an older sister, Avery, who attends Mankato East High School and a one-year-old Shih Tzu puppy named Fizzy.
Randi Selbrade is in eighth grade at Waterville-Elysian-Morristown Schools.
Angela Shwe likes to read fantasy, mystery and horror books. “Best Babysitters” and “The Promised Neverland” books inspired her to write because they both have very interesting dialogue and dramatic scenes. When she grows up Angela would like to own her own small business that people like. She might also like to be a baker too. One part of school that Angela likes is science because it’s a big adventure – you can learn about the Earth and space, gravity, germs, viruses, and medicine, etc. Angela also likes recess because she doesn’t have to wear a mask and she can get fresh air, exercise, and run around and play. She wants to keep writing in high school and college.
Nityan Sharma is a little bundle of activity, always running, jumping, rolling, always up to something. He loves being outdoors playing soccer or doing yard work and getting all muddy. Nityan is a very sensitive and helpful child who has explanations for everything in his interesting tall tales!
Rohan Sharma loves to play soccer outdoors and loves to read indoors. He always has a list of books he’d like to read and a book he is currently reading. Rohan always looks forward to going to the library and the bookstore!
Annabelle Skurkay just turned 14. She enjoys writing about random topics and letting her imagination flow. Annabelle’s favorite subject is English!
Thomas J. Straka is 17 years old and a junior in high school. He enjoys writing poems and short stories as well as doing things with his hands like building with LEGOs and doing puzzles.
Amna Syeda is originally from Toronto, Canada. She is in third grade and loves reading fiction and nonfiction books and writing on different topics. Amna’s activities and interests include swimming, karate, exploring nature and baking. She wants to become a pediatrician and help sick children when she grows up.
Fatima Syeda is an articulate, hardworking student with a kind heart which everyone adores being loved by.
Devin Vanryswyk likes to read comics and fiction. His favorite book is Spider-Man. Devin likes to play football, play video games, go for bike rides and go swimming. He also likes to spend time with his family. In school, Devin likes reading books, art class and gym. He would like to become a professional football player when he gets older.
Amara Vanthavong loves graphic novels and fiction chapter books. Her favorite book series is the Baby Sitters Club. Amara’s favorite things to do in her free time are dance, art, reading, watching movies, and playing with her sisters and neighbors. Her favorite subjects in school are science, math, art, reading and recess. Amara’s favorite activities at school are field trips, Mrs. Seeger’s media lessons, Ms. R’s social emotional lessons, recess and going outside to read.
Carly Wenninger absolutely loves most kinds of art. She loves to act, paint, write, etc. Carly adores nature and being in it, especially on a sunny day, or a rainy one. Her favorite subjects in school are global studies and English and her favorite color is sage green. Carly loves baking, thrift shopping and listening to music. Mother Mother is her favorite band and Mitski is her favorite artist.
Sophia Williams is finishing her sixth grade year at NRHEG Middle School. She loves to read, write, sing, dance and create art of every kind. Sophia is excited to have her stories chosen for the anthology and hopes that others enjoy her characters.