Picadome first-grader sees superhero in print
Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Friday, February 06, 2009
Nicholas Skidmore, a first-grader at Picadome, is proud of his first self-published book, "The Fiery Fencer and the Ghost of Rainia." (Photo: Tammy L. Lane)
Six-year-old Nicholas Skidmore wants to be an author when he grows up. And he’s already got a head start with his first self-published picture book, “The Fiery Fencer and the Ghost of Rainia.”
“I had (the story) in my head, and Dad thought we could make it into a book, and we really did,” the Picadome Elementary first-grader said.
Chris Skidmore said he merely typed up the story as his son dictated.
“It’s about a young superhero that helps a half-robot, half-human opponent stop doing bad things and start doing good things,” Skidmore said. “The ghost of Rainia is the opponent, and they become teammates at the end. And they’re teammates in the next book.”
Nicholas has already finished a second book, “Spectre-Hawk and the Hidden Headquarters,” which is in the illustrator’s hands. It features a two-headed bulldog creature first seen in the ghost’s laboratory. “He becomes the villain, and the ghost helps the Fiery Fencer,” explained Nicholas, who plans to write a series revolving around the saga of the Spectre-Hawk and the Fiery Fencer. The third story might explore the hero’s diary and flash back to his earlier life.
The young author said he draws ideas from his own experiences. For instance, he tried fencing lessons for a while, and his superhero carries a magical sword. The Fiery Fencer’s name is Nicholas, too.
“I got the ghost from (the movie) ‘Ghostbusters,’” he added, and “The magic is from Harry Potter.”
Nicholas’ parents read him only the first two books in the Harry Potter series; the rest they deemed too intense for a 6-year-old.
The Fiery Fencer series is well-suited for the preschool to third-grade crowd. The superhero uses his sword only for good – in one instance casting a spell to wipe out Spectre-Hawk’s memories of her evil ways. Nicholas assures readers that in his series, “the villain’s never going to win.”
His first print-on-demand book measures 6-by-9 inches and contains full-color illustrations; the story is 16 pages long, printed in both English and Spanish. In the center of the book are instructions for a handful of magic tricks.
“The Fiery Fencer” also includes a paragraph about the ongoing atrocities in Darfur. “I thought those people really needed help,” Nicholas said, noting that half the proceeds from his sales will go to http://www.savedarfur.org/.
In his author’s bio, Nicholas says he “enjoys recess, playing chess, fencing, building robots, finding fossils, doing magic tricks, studying science, reading, math, learning about outer space, playing outside and watching television.” He also wants to launch a school newspaper at Picadome.
In the meantime, he’s basking in his success as a real-life author.
“The kids in my class really like it,” said Nicholas, who showed off a proof copy of his book this week. “Everybody was gathered around me trying to read it.”
Extras:
Go to http://www.fieryfencer.com/ to read more about Nicholas’ series.