Worth is Measured in Percentages

By Maddie Bentley

Maddie Bentley is a 15 year old tenth grader, born and raised on the central coast of California. Worth is Measured in Percentages is her first published short story, but she aspires to a lifetime of creative writing and looks forward to continuing to share her gifts with the world. 

 

This book is a fun mix of fantasy, education, and heartfelt interactions between characters. Written through the lense of a 15 year old teenage girl's perspective, the reader is presented with an opportunity to read something creative, enticing, and captivating, that will transport them straight into the main character's journey of self discovery.

 

Set in Vatican City, the only country that currently uses Latin as their official language, there are many interesting cultural elements that play into the story. The most prominent feature that this book contains is its occasional use of the Latin language, including an accompanying appendix to aid the reader's understanding. Worth is Measured in Percentages follows the story of Allegra, a teenage girl finding herself faced with the joys and challenges of discovering her purpose in life. Along the way, she meets Astra, who becomes her mentor and friend. Together, they stand up against the injustices and harm caused by social media. This story is one that will inspire, bring moments of laughter, and leave the reader feeling connected to something greater than themselves. 

 

This book is approximately 39 pages and is a great read for any day or mood.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Maddie Bentley
• Release date: Mar 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224816491

Book preview

A Note From The Author:

Hi! My name is Madison Bentley, but everyone calls me Maddie. I was born in Monterey, California, and now live and go to school in Watsonville. I have many interests, including doing crafts, making cards, listening to music, writing music, singing, playing the piano, playing the timpani, playing the glockenspiel, painting, sketching, hanging out with friends, being with family, going to the beach, going to the mountains, archery, cheerleading, interior designing, flower arranging, gardening, taking care of my English Bulldog, being involved in leadership, and creative writing. I hope to learn how to play the violin and am interested in joining the theater program at my school.

I have always loved English and writing, but in middle school I really got into writing stories. I have always tried to love reading, but it was really hard to find a book that interests me. I finally found the author Lynn Austin. She inspired me to write something that could grab people’s attention, since that’s what she does when she writes historical fiction. My mom is an English teacher, so she also inspired me to use my talent of writing. There are many writers in my family, including my grandma, my grandpas on both sides, and my uncle. They have all been an inspiration to me and have contributed to the writing skills I have developed in my life.

My Grammy inspired me to connect with my love of languages. This is because she is one hundred percent Swedish. Ever since I was little, I have tried to slowly learn Swedish on my own. I have not gotten very far, but am making progress. At my elementary school, I learned Latin, which is the language that is featured in this story. I am learning Spanish in high school now and am enjoying it. Since a big part of my life has been learning languages, I have grown to love it. This is why I decided to feature the Latin language in my story. I thought that it would be interesting to include it because it is considered by many to be a Dead Language or Extinct Language.

The reality is that Latin is still very alive. It has just changed its shape into a language that helps enhance other languages, rather than standing on its own. Sometimes we need a helping hand to guide us, and that’s what Latin does. Latin is one of the Romance Languages, along with Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Romanian, and many others. This means that if you speak one of these languages, there will probably be some words that are similar to the words you use in Latin. English is technically considered a Germanic language, however it is greatly influenced by Latin and the Romance languages. One of the things that