She is only in elementary school and already a published author, experiencing the impact her written words and work ethic can have on others.
On this episode of the Supercast, meet an Oakcrest Elementary School student who recently wrote and published her very first book. Find out her inspiration behind the book, and how the young author hopes the book can help kids who might be having a hard time at home or in school.
Audio Transcription
Anthony Godfrey:
So the book is ‘Adriana and the Cloud That Whispered.’ So can you tell us about what happens in the book? No spoilers though.
Harper:
Well, it's about a girl who embarrassed herself, and then like a cloud, negative thoughts came and started telling her negative things.
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. She is only in elementary school and is already a published author experiencing the impact her written words and work ethic can have on others. On this episode of the Supercast meet an Oakcrest Elementary School student who recently wrote and published her very first book. Find out her inspiration behind the book and how this young author hopes it can help kids who might be having a hard time at home or in school. We are at Oakcrest Elementary today to talk with a student author. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about the book.
Harper:
Hi my name is Harper Camacho and my book that I made is to help kids that are having a little like a hard time and if they have any negative thoughts, what to do about it.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's a great reason to write a book. Now tell me what inspired you to write this book? Were there personal experiences that made you want to write this?
Harper:
Yeah I was just like mad at all my sisters.
Anthony Godfrey:
That happens, listeners, if you have sisters you may have been mad at them at a time or two but you were feeling mad at your sisters a lot.
Harper:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me more about that.
Harper:
I was just mad at my sisters. I was just mad about some things that I didn't know what some things were. I just were mad so I decided . . . my mom told me to write it down, and then I decided with my mom to make a book about it.
Anthony Godfrey:
And you were more angry. Were you sometimes not even know why you were as angry as you were? Did that seem kind of out of your control a little bit?
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. What were some of the things that made you angry about your sisters or made you angry in general?
Harper:
My sister Malia she...
Anthony Godfrey:
You're naming names, okay, go on.
Harper:
Yeah, my sister Malia, she would . . . I have a little sister Olivia, she is a lot and Malia knows how to get out of helping with her.
Anthony Godfrey:
I see.
Harper:
So I kind of have to help a lot more than I want to because my sister knows how to get herself out of it.
Anthony Godfrey:
So then you end up representing both sisters the sister you have to take care of and the sister who should have taken care of Olivia. Wow this sounds complex. So being angry about that and angry about others you wrote this book. So let's jump to having the book finished. Once you wrote this book, how did it feel having put all of these thoughts and ideas into written form?
Harper:
It felt pretty good because I was just so excited to write a book. I loved how I could probably help a lot of kids like me.
Anthony Godfrey:
And who is the audience? Who do you hope will read this book?
Harper:
My friends, family, kids that feel like they would like, are emotional, and don't know what to do about it.
Anthony Godfrey:
Do you hope Malia will read this book?
Harper:
Malia has read this book, and she likes it.
Anthony Godfrey:
She likes it. Is she a better Malia because of it?
Harper:
She has been helping me more.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay so that's that's a pretty great. If nobody else read the book, but Malia is helping you more, than the book's worth writing. Absolutely. That's great. A lot of authors could not say that they've solved life's problems as effectively as you have. Are there are you a big reader? Do you love to read?
Harper:
I don't love it but I will read.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's interesting that you're such a good writer without necessarily being as passionate about reading. So what are some of the books that you have liked over the years?
Harper:
I liked "Holes".
Anthony Godfrey:
You like "Holes"?
Harper:
Yeah that is a good book.
Anthony Godfrey:
So the book is "Adriana and the Cloud That Whispered." So can you tell us about what happens in the book? No spoilers though because the people listening are going to want a copy.
Harper:
Well it's about a girl who embarrassed herself and then like a cloud, negative thoughts came and started telling her negative things, and she figured out a way to figure it out and get rid of those negative thoughts. make the cloud smaller until it was just small enough that nobody could see it. I think that's a great idea.
Anthony Godfrey:
I love the idea of the cloud representing those feelings that come from being embarrassed. Even adults I think remember embarrassing moments. Do you have embarrassing moments that you think you're going to remember for a long time?
Harper:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
Do you think that the people around you will remember them as well as you do?
Harper:
I think my mom and dad will remember them.
Anthony Godfrey:
Is there anything you want to tell the listening audience about your embarrassing moments?
Harper:
I'd rather not.
Anthony Godfrey:
See, that's a true embarrassing moment because you don't want to share it. In a few decades you can share it, you know, in the year 2040, 2050 you will revisit it. Tell us about how you created the pictures for the book. This is, it has it looks really good visually.
Harper:
Took some of the words from the story and tried to make it into a picture. Some of them worked immediately and some of them took a lot of tries to redo it.
Anthony Godfrey:
So was this using artificial intelligence?
Harper:
Yeah. So using AI to make these pictures, how did some of the pictures turn out initially? That some of the outtakes that you're not including in the book?
Harper:
Well like one of them where she knocks over her water bottle, it was her dumping her water bottle onto the paper, and we wanted it to look like an accident.
Anthony Godfrey:
So AI didn't get the point?
Harper:
No. We had to keep redoing it until it worked.
Anthony Godfrey:
AI should be embarrassed that it missed the mark so much. AI doesn't know shame yet but it will eventually; they'll develop that. Well, it looks very professional and I have to say the drawings look like they were made just for the book. They really are; they really are impressive. I like it. So obviously you worked closely with AI to make this work. Having written this book does it make you want to write another one?
Harper:
Yeah it does.
Anthony Godfrey:
Have you ever thought about writing a series about the adventures of a superintendent?
Harper:
No.
Anthony Godfrey:
You haven't? Well, if you decide that you want to do that, I would be glad to help you. I think it really has some potential. The people want to hear more about the lives of superintendents, and you could be the person to write it. Okay, the pitch isn't really working.
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back. More with Harper Camacho.
Male Voice:
Never miss an episode of the Supercast by liking and subscribing on your favorite podcasting platform. Find transcripts for this episode and others at supercast.jordandistrict.org.
Female Voice:
Does your student want to become a veterinarian, commercial pilot, programmer? Maybe they want to make a difference as a dental assistant. These are just some of the programs offered as part of Career and Technical Education, CTE in Jordan School District. CTE provides the technical skills needed to prepare students for future employment or for a successful transition to post-secondary education. Career and Technical Education provides work-based learning opportunities. We partner with industry experts to offer apprenticeships and internships with students working in the real world at real jobs while going to school. The CTE experience starts in our elementary schools with the Kids Marketplace and grows through middle and high school. To explore all CTE has to offer in Jordan School District, visit cte.jordandistrict.org today and let's get your child started on the pathway to a profession.
Anthony Godfrey:
What other books have you thought about writing?
Harper:
Some things like similar to it, like this book, but I haven't figured it out yet but I want to do something similar.
Anthony Godfrey:
Similar as in something that can help other kids and deal with difficulties or issues that they have?
Harper:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
It really is amazing how fiction can help put us in someone else's mindset and help us think about our own problems from another perspective. So, I think it's really extremely impressive that you've been able to write this. So, there's a picture of you and your mom on the back. How much did your parents help with this idea and help support you through this process?
Harper:
A lot.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's really, that's really awesome, and did that make you feel closer with your parents to be able to do this together?
Harper:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
Did it bring you closer to Malia as well because you were able to explore the difficulties that you'd had though when you think about your relationship?
Harper:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Good. So closer to your parents, closer to Malia, and I have no doubt that you're going to be able to provide the same support to anyone who reads this book. This is really going to help them. It helps to know that you're not alone in dealing with a problem. Let's talk with your mom. Introduce yourself and tell us about what this has been like.
Elisa June:
Hi, my name is Elisa June and it's been interesting. I mean, Harper, it's no surprise. We've had a crazy last few years and so emotions in our house and especially being the oldest child she's just taken on a lot. Yeah it's just really cool to be able to do something with her and to see her do something that she's proud of.
Anthony Godfrey:
And I see here on the back of the book that she missed most of second grade. Tell us about that.
Elisa June:
Yeah, we actually moved to Florida and going from you know, this . . .
Anthony Godfrey:
Does Florida offer second grade.
Elisa June:
They do but we just went from first grade here and then we went to second grade there and I just didn't it was just stressful. I was not sure about the school. I was like, nope we'll try the homeschooling thing tried that for like a month or two it did not work out and so she kind of we just kind of had like a long summer vacation, honestly, which wasn't the greatest. We tried to teach them here and there all the kids something but just yeah it just didn't work out. When we moved back and we're like yeah, we'll put her back at Oakcrest and we did that and her teachers have been amazing helping catch her up.
Anthony Godfrey:
Fantastic and have your other kids been inspired by the book?
Elisa June:
Yeah, Malia wants to write her own.
Anthony Godfrey:
I wondered whether Malia is an aspiring author now as well.
Elisa June:
She's working on it. She's working on it.
Anthony Godfrey:
And is she what is she going to write about? Any previews there?
Elisa June:
Yeah she wanted to write about a tornado because obviously she loves you know learning from her sister and stuff like that, so I'm not a hundred percent sure, but that's kind of where her mind's at right now is just the chaos in her life.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, well that's that's really exciting. What changes have you seen in your children because of this book?
Elisa June:
I think that I will say the tools more so in the book like the what they're doing. It's fascinating to see when they're having a rough moment or a rough day to be able to do something like what the tool that the book teaches; it completely shifts it. I mean, they can go from being mad at each other and yelling and into, " Okay, we can be friends again” very quickly because of it and so I think the tool itself is actually my favorite thing. Seeing her write the book and seeing her get excited and having friends like it and having her sisters like it and family members being supportive, it's definitely made everybody kind of see the work that she puts in behind the scenes to help and also manage her emotions.
Anthony Godfrey:
It is really impressive that you've learned at this young age that there's something you can do about it, you aren't just subject to your emotions, you can you can figure things out, and you can work things out. If if anyone wants to get a copy of the book how do they do that?
Harper:
It's on Amazon. So ‘Adriana and The Cloud That Whispered’ it's on Amazon.
Anthony Godfrey:
‘Adriana and The Cloud That Whispered.’ A-D-R-I-A-N-A. Check it out and pick it up on Amazon. This is really cool. Now we want to talk with your teacher as well. Introduce yourself and talk a little bit about what it's like to be the teacher of an author.
Megan:
So my name is Megan Blake and I'm Harper's fifth grade teacher and I have always had students say when they grow up, they're gonna be an author. I've never had a student who's become an author as a fifth grader. So it's really impressive to me to have a student who was able to chase their dreams and see the success and rewards of that while still in fifth grade.
Harper
How has the class reacted to it?
Megan:
So we actually read the book as a class before it was published officially and they loved it. They gave her a standing ovation. They asked if they could buy copies of it. They have been really supportive and kind of rallied around her. They told kids in other fifth grade classes that their teacher needed to read it to their class and it's kind of, it's kind of been a positive spread through our grade as they've explored how they can use these tools as well. I've actually seen other kids in my class be inspired to maybe want to write their own stories as well, though none of them have gotten as far in that process as Harper has.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, putting the work in behind the inspiration that's what really sets you apart but hopefully some others decide to do that as well, and it's exciting to hear that it's gone so viral in fifth grade here at Oakcrest. That's a really good start, and it doesn't surprise me, looking at it it's just it's it's really cool and I I don't know I think you have big things ahead of you. In fact I'm sure of it, and this is this is really exciting to get to talk with you about this. Have you seen an impact on Harper specifically after she wrote this and how she manages herself?
Megan:
I feel like it's given her a lot more of a boost of confidence where she knows that that she can do hard things and I feel like she's been really happy to see that she's affecting the lives of the kids around her, her peers, in a positive way where maybe she felt she didn't have that reach before having this as a tool she's been really very quick to share it with someone “you should read my book it'll help you with this” and it's been really great to see. I've used it with my own kids too I bought a copy for them and we we've sat down and I'm like remember the storm cloud. What can we do about that? So it's it's helped my own children at home. It's helped kids in our class; we kind of turned it into some common language that we use in our classroom and I think that she takes some pride in being a part of that.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, so it's positively impacted your family; it's impacting other students in class positively. I think one day there'll be an amusement park ride “Adriana and the Cloud That Whispered” where you're riding the car away from the cloud you know and you finally escape. I don't know, one day, one day. we'll get it at Lagoon. This is super impressive amazing that you just followed through on this inspiration and this idea and that you're helping so many people as a result, so congratulations. I'm gonna get on Amazon and get my two-day delivery of the book so that I can get you to sign up for me and inscribe it, maybe you know “to the superintendent that inspired my story.” Okay, never mind; we won't, we won't add that fiction to the fiction you've already written but thank you very much. It's so exciting to talk with you and I look forward to hearing about your future projects.
Harper:
Thanks
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, “Education is the most important thing you'll do today!” We'll see you out there.