The Christian Science Monitor

When your first-grade homework becomes a bestseller

Nia Mya Reese, (r.), signs copies of her book, 'How to Deal with and Care for Your Annoying Little Brother,' April 21 at Homewood Public Library in Birmingham, Ala. Her mother, Cherinita Ladd-Reese, (l.), helped her find a publisher. Nia Mya, now nine years old, was seven when the book was published.

Ronald Reese slips quietly into the library, unnoticed by the kindergartners scattered around the floor. His eyes scan their upturned faces, searching for his daughter. He grins broadly — there’s Nia Mya at the center of it all, wearing a pink unicorn shirt and twisting her feet nervously around the rungs of a purple stool as she speaks, occasionally looking to her mother for encouragement. Mr. Reese takes out his smartphone and begins recording his nine-year-old, the bestselling author. 

Nia Mya’s route

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