Kids & Family
Wish Come True: Plainfield Teen Publishes Children's Book
Ravina Thakkar, who battles cystic fibrosis, is publishing her first book next month and is planning a book signing event.
Just days before her 14th birthday, Plainfield eighth-grader Ravina Thakkar will become a published author.
Recently, Make-A-Wish Illinois helped make one of Ravina's wishes come true by lending a hand getting her first book published. The Heritage Grove Middle School student battles cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening condition affecting the lungs and digestive system, but that hasn't stopped her from pursuing her dreams.
Prior to getting published, the teen was already an accomplished writer: She won the Plainfield Public Library short story competition three years in a row, in addition to winning the 2011 "Great Read" writing contest.
Ravina said she wrote the book, "The Adventure of a Lifetime," when she was just 8 years old. The book, aimed at readers ages 9 to 12, is being published by Sourcebooks and will be released on Dec. 3.
"I've been writing since I was 6," the Heritage Grove student said.
"I'm feeling really good," Ravina said of learning she'll soon be a published author — although she admitted she's a bit nervous about a planned Dec. 8 book-signing at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville.
"The Adventure of a Lifetime" tells the story of Betty, a 9-year-old who thinks her life is boring and longs for adventure — but learns being an action hero isn't all it's cracked up to be.
"When she actually does get a chance to go on a magical journey ... she realizes it isn't all she thought it would be," Ravina said.
The soon-to-be-14-year-old said she's already working on new fiction, and said she sees getting published as just the start of things for her.
"It's like the kickoff of my writing career," she said.
A book-signing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Dec. 8 at Anderson's, 123 W. Jefferson Ave. "The Adventure of a Lifetime" will be available for purchase at the event, as well as on amazon.com.
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