LEAD Cameron Student Pens Her First Novel, ‘Life as a Fifth Grader’
This spring marked a remarkable achievement for a LEAD Cameron 8th grader, Ariana Acosta Colon, when she officially became a published author. Her debut novel, “Life as a Fifth Grader,” offers readers a glimpse into middle school life through the eyes of an actual 5th grade student..
Colon first began working on her novel in 5th grade, with the support of her English Language Arts (ELA) teacher, Andre Mayberry. “During lunch and intervention periods, I worked with her consistently on the novel,” said Mayberry. “My role was just to support her by offering guidance on grammar and structure while allowing her the space to write creatively. This combined process of writing allowed her to naturally equip literacy techniques that would easily carry over into the classroom.”
“Life as a Fifth Grader” draws inspiration from Colon’s own experiences, covering everything from the first day of school to navigating friendship drama. As for Mayberry’s favorite part of the book, it was the resourcefulness Colon showed in addressing her struggle with spelling words ending in ‘le’ (like table or apple).
“She used to reverse the letters by accident, but came up with her own strategy by imagining the letter ‘e’ escaping the letter ‘l’ to help her spell the word correctly,” said Mayberry. “It gave me a window into how kids may process a language challenge, but more inspiring to see her have a solution that she created for it!”
Mayberry hopes Colon’s novel will inspire her classmates to use what they are learning at school to set and accomplish career goals for themselves. “Knowledge is truly one of the greatest gifts we can receive, and as educators, our job is to equip students with a toolkit that can transcend into many directions,” said Mayberry. “Ultimately it’s up to that student to take those same tools and build something impactful for the world. This could be a book, a business, a law firm—anything. Ariana’s accomplishment shows that with consistency and creativity, anything is possible.”
Check out our interview with Colon below!
Author Q&A: Ariana Acosta Colon
Q: What inspired you to write “Life as a Fifth Grader,” and can you tell us a bit about the story?
A: One thing that has inspired me to write “Life as a Fifth Grader” was being in my ELA class which involved reading a lot of novels. The story is about my experience in 5th grade and how I viewed my friendships at 9-10 years old.
Q: What was your writing process like, and what challenges did you face while writing your novel?
A: Some challenges that I faced were trying to find time to write. Since I started sports in 6th grade, it did make it difficult to have time to write. Additionally, writing about the challenges in the book was also a little difficult because I had to revisit those emotions, but that’s what makes the book unique!
Q: How did it feel to complete and publish your novel after working on it for several years?
A: It felt good because I finally did it! I was also happy since it was something that people would be proud of besides sports.
Q: How have your teachers and school supported your writing journey?
A: I had already developed a love for reading thanks to my English class with Mr. Mayberry in 5th grade. Our principal at the time, Dr. Ring encouraged every student to read during intervention class, and that’s when I truly started to enjoy it. All the teachers were supportive, and they encouraged me to continue writing. More recently, our 8th grade ELA teacher, Mr. Ben, also had all of the 8th graders create a book. Each student added their own creative piece. So, I added a poem which was a new style of writing for me!
Q: What advice would you give to other young students who want to write their own stories?
A: To do it! If you’re really serious about it, go for it, but you have to be disciplined and make time for it. Eventually, you’ll finish. It gives a good profile, writing a book may not seem like a big deal but it is! While writing the book it can lead to so many opportunities.
Colon’s book “Life as a Fifth Grader” is available for purchase online on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
