A Hornchurch pupil with a big imagination has written and published a fantasy book at the young age of ten.
Shirley Che-Mujih, now aged 11, dreamed up a world of giants and magic powers in her book, The Last Surviving Giant and the Inhabitants of Cree.
She told the Recorder: “My dad and mum worked very hard to get it published.
“I was very happy when I found out it was going to be published because I didn’t believe it would happen.
“It showed me that when you put your mind to it, you can do anything.”
Two girls from different backgrounds embark on a thrilling adventure to defeat a giant who regularly terrorises their village.
Fraschia, the giant hates the fact he is the last surviving giant after earth was struck by a devastating meteorite.
“When the giant wakes up after the meteorite, he finds out that there are humans everywhere,” said Shirley.
“On the last and first day of the month at midnight he comes and kidnaps people and uses them in his own army.
“Every person in the land is given three powers. [Patricia and Lihla] make friends in the forest and they set off on a quest to rescue their people.”
The story began as a project at Shirley’s school, St Albans Catholic Primary School in Heron Flight Avenue.
The Year 6 pupil enjoys reading books by her favourite authors, Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo.
“I’d probably say my favourite book is Katie, by Jacqueline Wilson because it’s quite motivating,” she said.
“Katie ends up in a wheelchair but it shows that you can do anything no matter what state you’re in.”
Just as Shirley relates to Wilson’s character, Katie, she believes that people will also relate to her main characters, Patricia and Lihla.
“Both of the girls lose their mums for about two years, so some people will be able to relate to that, and the difficulty of making friends.
“Because at the beginning of the story, the girls are quite lonely.”
The Last Surviving Giant and the Inhabitants of Cree is available on amazon.co.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here