BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Finding a story in the mud

By Andrew Yu, age 10 | October 27, 2024

Click the Buzz Me button to receive email notifications when this writer publishes a new article or a new article in this column is published.

A WORTHWHILE PURR-SUIT Andrew Yu, a fifth grader at St. Mark’s Episcopal School, was inspired by a real-life incident at school to write his own book, The Muddy Kitties.

One day in fourth grade, an author named John David Anderson came to our school to talk about his new book and how he became a writer. He told us that he would write every day. He rewarded himself with a piece of chocolate every time he wrote 2,000 words. And, just like that, it hit me that I could write a book.

I started making books just for fun and my own entertainment, not to publish. I would create small books out of stapled paper, drawing characters and writing stories by hand. But soon I got bored. I didn’t have a good story. I figured that it was far too hard for an ordinary kid to publish a book. And so I quit.

A few weeks later, something unfortunate happened at school. My club with my friends, called the Muddy Buddies, got in trouble for playing in mud behind the school. Our teacher banned us from playing in mud. It was an outrage! I wanted our club back. I tried to think of ways, but none of them would work. Finally, I realized: This was my story. I could write a book about this! I started writing my story by hand in a notebook I got from a book fair (it was a fluffy journal with a cute cat and milkshake on the cover).

It took months…and months…and months… just to complete the first step of writing the story. There was still a ton more to go. I expected the rest to be easy, but little did I know that a nine-month-long project had just begun. I typed my second draft on Google Docs during my free time and even on vacations. I drew the pictures and let my older brother Jason edit it along the way. He’s in seventh grade, and he was my first fan.

My goal was to finish before the start of the school year. A week before school started, my book was approved by the publisher and released on Amazon! My book, The Muddy Kitties, is a story based on real life about friendship and resolving problems. The Muddy Kitties is available on Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to [email protected]. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.