PolyToday: There’s a Published Fifth-grade Author at Poly!
Aria S. ’33 has already completed her first novel, The Betrayal, is finalizing her second, and has started work on a third. Inspired by the popular Warrior Cats series and the fan fiction community that surrounds it, Aria decided to try her hand at writing her own.
Like her literary heroes, she also chose a pen name. After settling on “Emily,” she spotted a bird that made her think of “robin,” which quickly led to “Robinson.” And so, novelist Emily Robinson was born.
Writing as a cat came naturally, as Aria lives with two leash-trained tabby cats, Pickles and Brambles, who even accompany her family on hikes. “It felt cool to write from the perspective of a cat,” she explained, though she plans to add dogs and even astronomy into future books.
The process itself is serious work: Aria drafts her stories by hand, types them up, and, with her dad’s editing help, uploads them to Barnes & Noble for self-publishing. The biggest challenge? “Describing actions and making sure the point of view was clear,” she said. Her first book switches between first and third person, and she wanted readers to always know exactly which character was leading the chapter.
Her teachers and experiences at Poly helped fuel her imagination. Lower School art teacher Marissa Reece-Jackson inspired the drawings; time spent hiking and visiting Huntington Gardens provided rich details for her stories. And in the library, when Aria first shared her writing, “her class’s applause was joy singing in the library,” recalled Lower School Librarian Yvette Pompa, who watched Aria's enthusiasm for literature blossom.
Aria dreams of becoming an astronomer one day, but she plans to keep writing “a long time after I’m an adult.” Already, she mentions character arcs and cliffhangers like a seasoned pro. “Before I wrote a book, I would think, why did it take so long to publish?” she said with a laugh. Now she knows.
Meet Emily Robinson: Poly’s newest novelist, who just happens to be in fifth grade.
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Like her literary heroes, she also chose a pen name. After settling on “Emily,” she spotted a bird that made her think of “robin,” which quickly led to “Robinson.” And so, novelist Emily Robinson was born.
Writing as a cat came naturally, as Aria lives with two leash-trained tabby cats, Pickles and Brambles, who even accompany her family on hikes. “It felt cool to write from the perspective of a cat,” she explained, though she plans to add dogs and even astronomy into future books.
The process itself is serious work: Aria drafts her stories by hand, types them up, and, with her dad’s editing help, uploads them to Barnes & Noble for self-publishing. The biggest challenge? “Describing actions and making sure the point of view was clear,” she said. Her first book switches between first and third person, and she wanted readers to always know exactly which character was leading the chapter.
Her teachers and experiences at Poly helped fuel her imagination. Lower School art teacher Marissa Reece-Jackson inspired the drawings; time spent hiking and visiting Huntington Gardens provided rich details for her stories. And in the library, when Aria first shared her writing, “her class’s applause was joy singing in the library,” recalled Lower School Librarian Yvette Pompa, who watched Aria's enthusiasm for literature blossom.
Aria dreams of becoming an astronomer one day, but she plans to keep writing “a long time after I’m an adult.” Already, she mentions character arcs and cliffhangers like a seasoned pro. “Before I wrote a book, I would think, why did it take so long to publish?” she said with a laugh. Now she knows.
Meet Emily Robinson: Poly’s newest novelist, who just happens to be in fifth grade.
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