Ishaal Salim may only be eight-years-old but already she has fulfilled her ambition of becoming a published author.
The Jesmond youngster made Chronicle headlines last year after raising awareness of the plight of homeless people with Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah in a moving letter. And now, she has put pen to paper once again to co-write a children's book with author Robin Price and other young writers from across the UK.
The novel called Dunicorns tells the story of two characters on a mission to save unicorns from an evil cactus called Lord Drysis after he invades their desert planet. The tale adventure is now on sale in the bookshop Newcastle's Seven Stories in the hope it will inspire other children.
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Mum Kiran Ahmad said: "I wanted to find something fun that would help Ishaal with her writing and English during lockdown. I researched creative writing groups and came across Robin Price who was holding creative writing zoom sessions for children up and down the country. "
Ishaal spent a year writing the book as part of a programme called Zoomwriters, led by author Robin Price, which saw children aged from eight to 11 attend online sessions to write sections of the story.
Mum Kiran, who is also writing her debut novel, said her daughter "can't believe" her book is now on bookshop shelves and has now set her sights on a career as a screenwriter.
She added: "I think kids will love it. I found the humor in the book just hilarious so I can imagine that kids will enjoy it even more."
Author Robin Price said he was impressed by the imagination and commitment of the children during the project.
"Finishing your first novel can be daunting, but Ishaal and her fellow Zoomwriters turned it into a weekly adventure you share with your friends," he said.
"I'm thrilled by their imagination and the cool worlds they have created together!"
Caleb Carter, bookshop coordinator at Seven Stories, said he was delighted to support Ishaal by stocking the book.
"Encouraging children to tell their own stories in their own ways is why we exist and so we are very pleased to be able to support Ishaal and to stock such a fun and imaginative book as Dunicorns in our independent bookshop," he said.
"We hope that it will show other children that they too can make their dreams come true."
Zoomwriters is on the lookout for new writers for 2023. To sign up: www.zoomwriters.co.uk
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