Local book out of this world
WHEN nine-year-old Aahil Hassim was asked to write a creative essay for a school assignment, never did he think it would result in him becoming an author.
Aahil, now 13 years old, has – with the aid of his mother Jeenah – turned an essay, which he wrote back in 2014, into a fictional children’s book.
The Strange Alien Planet follows the story of a family abducted by aliens and are forced to win a race in outer space to get back to Earth.
While Aahil admitted he’s always had a passion for creative writing, he does have other interests too.
‘One of my favourite subjects at school is physics, but in my spare time I like to play video games and soccer,’ he said.
Aahil published his book independently by bringing on board Boutique Books, a Pietermaritzburg-based company that facilitates self-publishing of books and helps with editing, graphic design, layout and printing.
The 20 page story has been written in both English and Afrikaans and can also be used as a colouring book, as the illustrations on each page have been left blank.
Aahil said there might be more books in the near future.
‘I have written other short stories for school, but perhaps later on in life I may look at writing more,’ he said.
The book retails at R90 and can be found on the African Narratives website. For more information, contact Jeenah on 083 7862965.