Growing Up & Facts of Life
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It's Not Bragging If It's True: How to Be Awesome at Life, from a Winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
Kids will be inspired to embrace their inner weirdness and persevere through obstacles after reading this empowering collection of true stories from teenage Scripps National Spelling Bee champ and Guinness World Record holder Zaila Avant-garde! Includes 8 pages of never-before-seen photos.
After Zaila Avant-garde became the first African American student to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021, she turned into an overnight sensation. People wanted to know who she was and how she'd achieved so much while so young.
In this nonfiction book, Zaila shares the personal anecdotes that have shaped her life and extends advice to readers on living authentically. While Zaila is an exceptional and inspiring young woman, she has fears and anxieties just like everyone else; what makes her remarkable is the way she chooses to move through the obstacles in front of her.
Zaila shares about her family, her accomplishments, her experience of being homeschooled, and so much more in order to motivate and uplift other kids who have small-, medium-, and even big-sized dreams.
After Zaila Avant-garde became the first African American student to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021, she turned into an overnight sensation. People wanted to know who she was and how she'd achieved so much while so young.
In this nonfiction book, Zaila shares the personal anecdotes that have shaped her life and extends advice to readers on living authentically. While Zaila is an exceptional and inspiring young woman, she has fears and anxieties just like everyone else; what makes her remarkable is the way she chooses to move through the obstacles in front of her.
Zaila shares about her family, her accomplishments, her experience of being homeschooled, and so much more in order to motivate and uplift other kids who have small-, medium-, and even big-sized dreams.
Editorial Reviews
★ "With intelligence and insightful humor, Avant-garde delivers an inspiring how-to manual that compels readers to lean into what makes them different and to never be ashamed of acknowledging their wins." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Avant-garde's advice is solid, and her peppy, casual tone will speak to readers. An upbeat volume that encourages young people to reach for the stars." -Kirkus Reviews
"Avant-garde's advice is solid, and her peppy, casual tone will speak to readers. An upbeat volume that encourages young people to reach for the stars." -Kirkus Reviews
Readers Top Reviews
BMT
I bought this book for my 12 year old granddaughter! She likes it.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
Have Someone Else's Back
I am homeschooled. I don't have a bell schedule. There's no cafeteria for me to eat in. No hanging out in the hallway. No lockers. None of that stuff. I can pretty much organize my day the way I want, and believe me, that is awesome. But one thing you might not realize about being homeschooled is that even though I'm not sitting in a classroom with twenty-nine other kids every day, being homeschooled means that I'm almost NEVER alone.
I have my own room and everything, but my dad or my mom or one of my brothers--or ALL of my brothers (insert eye roll here)--are somewhere close by pretty much all the time. Things can feel crowded, but crowded isn't a problem for me. I love my family. I love knowing they're nearby whenever I'm working on something. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I'm sitting there thinking, Gee! It sure is great to have my family within two hundred feet while I practice dribbling! It's more like a feeling that happens quietly in the background. It might sound cheesy, but it's like being surrounded by love. And also chaos. There's plenty of chaos. Except the chaos is all mixed up in the love. And it's the number one reason that if you want to level up, I think you can't start with yourself. You have to start with having someone else's back.
Having someone else's back probably seems like a weird place to begin when you want to level yourself up, but I have something to say that you need to hear.
Ready? Here goes.
I, Zaila Avant-garde, two-time Guinness World Record holder, winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and (possible) future geneticist, am not alone. If I were alone, I would not be a two-time Guinness World Record holder, winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, or anything else, because being on a team is part of what makes me a champion.
I can almost hear you saying: "But, Zaila, what about looking out for number one?"
I'm not saying you should never take care of yourself. It's just that a lot of people think that being a champion is only about taking care of yourself and doing what you want to do. I'm here to tell you that if you only look out for yourself, you'll never be great.
Let me rephrase that: I'm sure lots of people get great at things by hurting people, stepping on people, and thinking only about themselves. Pause and ask yourself: "Do I really want to be that person? Is that what will make me happy in the end?"
For me, the answer to both of those questions is 100 percent no!
Do you know that saying "There's strength in numbers"? In my world, having other people to look out for is a strength. It means you're a part of a group. If you're looking out for the people in your group and they're looking out for you, you don't have to be strong enough to stand on your own, because other people will have your back when you need it. Just like you'll have theirs.
Try this on for size.
I'm a big sister, and in my family, that means I'm kind of a half parent to my younger brothers. I'm not in charge of my brothers all the time, but when my father is sleeping and my mother is at work, it's my job to watch over them. With my youngest brother in the mix, believe me, that is NOT AN EASY JOB. My youngest brother is . . . well . . . I'll save that story for later. For now, let's just say that he's energetic and curious. Extremely energetic and curious. And even when my youngest brother isn't getting into things, being a big sister is a lot of work. Looking out for my younger siblings, making sure they're doing what they need to be doing, and helping them out when they need it can be a bit of a challenge, even when my parents are there.
"Zaila, what's this?"
"Zaila, open that!"
"Zaila, what does this mean?"
Being a big sister can be exhausting. In some ways, it might be easier to say, "Mom? Dad? I think you should hire a babysitter. I want to be great, so I need to spend all my time focusing on me."
Except I would never do that. Being an older sister is a really big, important part of my life, and don't tell my brothers but . . . I wouldn't trade it for anything. Yes, I'm helping them, but every time I help them, it feels good for me. It reminds me that I'm powerful enough to help someone else. Maybe not superhero-level powerful, but somewhere on the superhero spectrum.
One of my brothers is really into science. He's the kind of kid who always checks out books about dinosaurs and space and weather patterns from the library. And he does not try to keep whatever he is reading to himself. He talks about things like climate change a lot. Sometimes he's annoying about it. ...
Have Someone Else's Back
I am homeschooled. I don't have a bell schedule. There's no cafeteria for me to eat in. No hanging out in the hallway. No lockers. None of that stuff. I can pretty much organize my day the way I want, and believe me, that is awesome. But one thing you might not realize about being homeschooled is that even though I'm not sitting in a classroom with twenty-nine other kids every day, being homeschooled means that I'm almost NEVER alone.
I have my own room and everything, but my dad or my mom or one of my brothers--or ALL of my brothers (insert eye roll here)--are somewhere close by pretty much all the time. Things can feel crowded, but crowded isn't a problem for me. I love my family. I love knowing they're nearby whenever I'm working on something. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I'm sitting there thinking, Gee! It sure is great to have my family within two hundred feet while I practice dribbling! It's more like a feeling that happens quietly in the background. It might sound cheesy, but it's like being surrounded by love. And also chaos. There's plenty of chaos. Except the chaos is all mixed up in the love. And it's the number one reason that if you want to level up, I think you can't start with yourself. You have to start with having someone else's back.
Having someone else's back probably seems like a weird place to begin when you want to level yourself up, but I have something to say that you need to hear.
Ready? Here goes.
I, Zaila Avant-garde, two-time Guinness World Record holder, winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and (possible) future geneticist, am not alone. If I were alone, I would not be a two-time Guinness World Record holder, winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, or anything else, because being on a team is part of what makes me a champion.
I can almost hear you saying: "But, Zaila, what about looking out for number one?"
I'm not saying you should never take care of yourself. It's just that a lot of people think that being a champion is only about taking care of yourself and doing what you want to do. I'm here to tell you that if you only look out for yourself, you'll never be great.
Let me rephrase that: I'm sure lots of people get great at things by hurting people, stepping on people, and thinking only about themselves. Pause and ask yourself: "Do I really want to be that person? Is that what will make me happy in the end?"
For me, the answer to both of those questions is 100 percent no!
Do you know that saying "There's strength in numbers"? In my world, having other people to look out for is a strength. It means you're a part of a group. If you're looking out for the people in your group and they're looking out for you, you don't have to be strong enough to stand on your own, because other people will have your back when you need it. Just like you'll have theirs.
Try this on for size.
I'm a big sister, and in my family, that means I'm kind of a half parent to my younger brothers. I'm not in charge of my brothers all the time, but when my father is sleeping and my mother is at work, it's my job to watch over them. With my youngest brother in the mix, believe me, that is NOT AN EASY JOB. My youngest brother is . . . well . . . I'll save that story for later. For now, let's just say that he's energetic and curious. Extremely energetic and curious. And even when my youngest brother isn't getting into things, being a big sister is a lot of work. Looking out for my younger siblings, making sure they're doing what they need to be doing, and helping them out when they need it can be a bit of a challenge, even when my parents are there.
"Zaila, what's this?"
"Zaila, open that!"
"Zaila, what does this mean?"
Being a big sister can be exhausting. In some ways, it might be easier to say, "Mom? Dad? I think you should hire a babysitter. I want to be great, so I need to spend all my time focusing on me."
Except I would never do that. Being an older sister is a really big, important part of my life, and don't tell my brothers but . . . I wouldn't trade it for anything. Yes, I'm helping them, but every time I help them, it feels good for me. It reminds me that I'm powerful enough to help someone else. Maybe not superhero-level powerful, but somewhere on the superhero spectrum.
One of my brothers is really into science. He's the kind of kid who always checks out books about dinosaurs and space and weather patterns from the library. And he does not try to keep whatever he is reading to himself. He talks about things like climate change a lot. Sometimes he's annoying about it. ...
