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Orange junior authors self-published book
(by Sali McSherry - October 13, 2011)
Orange junior authors self-published book
By SALI McSHERRY
Hallie Israel, a junior at Orange High School, has been working on a novel since the fourth grade. "Dear Mr. President," which she self-published in July, is a 360-page book about a girl pursuing political aspirations.
She will discuss her book from 2 to 3 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Orange branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library. Along with a book signing, refreshments will be served. Registration is encouraged but not required.
The main character, Cara, is a seventh-grader who finds herself in a variety of crazy situations -- from meeting a rather large and frightening dog, to run-ins with flight attendants and airport tourists to a garden party at a hospital. Her life takes some funny twists and turns, Hallie said.
"In trying to be heard, she ends up learning about herself," Hallie said, and finds that one simple idea can take control of a life.
The target audience is for fourth- through ninth-graders, she said.
It's a project Hallie said she never let go of and it's finally come to fruition.
Hallie published the book through Carlisle Press in Sugarcreek, with a printing of 500 books. She said working with a smaller, local company afforded her the opportunity to develop a relationship with the publisher and learn about the process. She said she spent a lot of time researching agents and publishing companies.
The young author has a few other interests besides writing.
An active club member, athlete and volunteer, Hallie is a member of the varsity field hockey team, debate team, Model United Nations, Mock Trial Team, and the Academic Challenge club. On top of that, she interned at the local "Your Teen" magazine, and a couple of years ago founded an organization to collect books in Russian and Hebrew for a library in a bomb shelter in Sderot, Israel.
She also started a writing mentorship club at Brady Middle School called "Write On," where sixth-graders meet with high school mentors each month and work on poems, stories, or whatever they like, she said. The kids become close to the mentors and between meetings, they share their work with them through emails and phone calls.
The mentors help them revise their work and give them writing tips, she said. At the end of the year, she will collect the sixth-graders' work and put together an anthology. She started the club last year and said it was a lot of fun for both the students and the mentors.
The straight-A student, who is immersed in Advanced Placement classes, said she loves writing but has no idea what her future will hold. She especially likes psychology and law, and might combine the two.
For more information about the book discussion and signing, call the Orange branch at 216-831-4282. The library is at 31300 Chagrin Blvd. in Pepper Pike.
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