11-Year-Old Glendora Resident Publishes Her First Book

Glendora resident Sofia Trujillo may be only eleven years old, but she already can call herself a children’s author.

The Stanton Elementary School fifth grader published her first book, “My Pet Teacher,” a story about Matt Jones, a fourth grader who mistakenly believes his teacher is his pet after being constantly teased by his peers for being a “teacher’s pet.”

It was a story that came to Trujillo during a science lesson about animals.  

“I just started thinking about this teacher I had and how she would always talk about her pets,” said Trujillo. After browsing through books in a Scholastic magazine, Trujillo said she knew she wanted to publish her own book.

But she wasn’t going to wait.

Trujillo said it took her only two months to write the book. Her grandfather Keith Malinksy, who had written and self-published several books of his own, helped Trujillo edit her book. The family found illustrator Roel Cancio after putting an ad on Craigslist. After a few short months since Trujillo first dreamed up her story idea in class, her first book was published through Createspace.com.

The self-publishing site allows authors to submit their work by uploading it to the site. Authors will determine the book’s format and size, while a team at Create Space will review the book for any errors. While authors will pay for printing and distribution, self-publishing offers authors a greater return on royalties.

Trujillo dedicated her book to her favorite teacher at Stanton Elementary, Mrs. Beechler.

A copy of the book can be purchased online on Amazon and Create Space. Readers can also borrow a copy at the Glendora Public Library and at Stanton Elementary School’s library.

“It’s not hard to write and publish a book,” said Trujillo. “A lot of people think it’s too hard, but it’s not really. If you think you have a really good idea, you just have to be willing to make it happen.”

Trujillo said she would like to become a writer and a zoologist when she grows up. But Trujillo has already launched her writing career. She is working on her second book, a sequel called “My Pet Baby Brother.”