Nine-year-old Lashika Poneswaran, named the youngest book author in 2024 by the Malaysia Book of Records, hopes to write a series of adventure books.
THE MOST Children love sweets or desserts, but
Nine-year-old Lashika Poneswaran was inspired by her favorite desserts to write a story about an adventure that teaches courage in her newly published book The Waffle Truffle Adventure.
Lashika, who just turned nine on July 11, loves ice cream, pudding, chocolate, chocolate fountain and chocolate mousse (made by her aunt), but waffles are her favorite, especially the ones with truffles or chocolate chips, so her story revolves around this special sweet offering.
“I wanted to write my first book about something sweet. When I think of something sweet, I personally think of waffles.
“This book is about four friends who take part in a waffle competition and go on a quest to find the recipe,” said Lashika, a
Third graders at Cempaka International School.
But the story is not just about the popular dessert, it goes a little deeper.
In search of the perfect waffle recipe, the characters teach children, with the help of their imaginative character Rose, how to overcome their feelings of fear and stay calm in unexpected situations.
The children’s author, who started out writing short stories before pursuing her passion and becoming a published author, wants children to learn that life also has its setbacks and how to overcome them with Rose’s brave spirit.
“There will always be mishaps, just like with Rose. You have to be brave and get through them – you will be rewarded in the end,” explained Lashika.
She named her main character Rose after her favorite flower.
“Roses are strong and bright flowers,” she exclaimed.
Lashika was named the “youngest female book author” by the Malaysia Book of Records on April 19.
Lashika said she often asked her mother when her book would hit the shelves and her dream came true when she discovered her book at Kinokuniya in KLCC, just a day before an interview with the sun.
She proudly revealed that her classmates enjoyed reading the book. She even held a storytelling session with the first and second grade students and they can’t wait for the next book.
However, Lashika has no plans to stop there. She is planning a series and is already writing the second book in her future series.
“After something sweet, I wanted to go to a spooky place that was more like an adventure,” revealed Lashika.
According to Lashika, her favourite authors include Judy Moody, Roald Dahl and JK Rowling, while her favourite book is Bella Swift’s Puppy who needed a princess.
Lashika shared her advice to other aspiring young writers. She said they must first choose a title, characters and details of the characters before writing the content of a book.
According to her mother, Dr. Prema Poneswaran, a criminologist, Lashika was very meticulous about the details of each of the four characters and loved writing in nature.
Lashika, who wants to become a doctor because “doctors save lives,” shared another piece of youthful wisdom with us: “Believe in yourself. You can achieve anything if you believe in yourself!”
