18 | JUNE 6 • 2024
J
N
S
unny Shanker’s goal
was to publish their
first book while still
a kid. They (Sunny uses this
pronoun) were 9 years old
when the idea sparked, back
when 12-year-olds seemed
so big.
They got to work, taking
time out each day to pursue
creative writing. Whether
in their room on a beanbag,
at school during creative
writing time or even in
the car, they crafted, and
eventually the story of Julia
Nickson, 12-Year-Old Spy
emerged. When it was nice
outside, they used to even sit
under a tree in the front yard
to write, they add.
“I’ve always been creative
and loved to write,” says
Sunny, whose mother,
Wendy Shanker, is also an
author. “I feel like it was a
pretty big monumental point
I achieved by publishing a
book.”
Julia Nickson, 12-Year-
Old Spy has a diverse set of
characters and empowerment
as one of its themes, Sunny
says. Along that vein, they
say they hope it can serve
as an inspiration for other
kids, too. “If I can write a
book, you can, too,” they
say, adding that the key
is putting your mind to it
and not thinking about the
limitations.
Their writing style contin-
ues to evolve, and they
say they’ve learned much
from the experience. “A lot
of people, my family, my
school, my mom included,
have been big inspirations.”
The bulk of the tale was
written in 2022 and 2023,
they say. It follows the
adventures of a
seventh-grader
named Julia as
she goes to the
Spy Training
Academy (STA) in
her quest to find
her father.
“I knew that I
wanted something
big to happen with
Julia; I originally
just wrote her
waking up and
going to school, but
what’s cooler than
going to a school? A
spy school,” Shanker says.
Their influences as a writer
came from reading mystery
series like Nancy Drew and
the mischief-making tales
of Carmen Sandiego, Sunny
says, adding that they loved
The Mysterious Benedict
Society as well. “I’ll like that
idea and decide I’m going to
try and do something with
that idea,” they say.
Outside of writing, the
Roeper seventh-grader takes
part in school plays and
theater, is active with Temple
Israel and recently celebrated
coming-of-age at their bet
mitzvah. They like to crochet
and also compete as part of
the school’s forensics team.
The book was self-publish-
ed on Feb. 14, Sunny’s 13th
birthday, and is available
through Amazon and Kindle.
They’ve been spreading the
word with the help of friends
and family and even already
received their first royalty
check.
Shanker says they dream
of seeing the book on the
shelves at the local West
Bloomfield Township Public
Library — other libraries,
too.
“I hope people like the
book,” they say.
Wendy Shanker says
she is impressed with the
professional quality of the
writing, and the way Sunny
so maturely entered into
the editing process with a
willingness to write, rewrite
and take ideas. “I give Sunny
a lot of credit for the talent
and the patience, and for
seeing it through,” Wendy
Shanker says.
Meanwhile, Sunny says
the process has all been
worthwhile. “First it was
first-person, then there was
a narrator — there have been
a whole lot of little changes,
and I’m pretty happy with
how it landed,” they say.
As for what’s next, they say
they’re working on a fantasy
story and continuing to
read a lot of books. Favorite
recent reads include The
Ones We Burn by Michigan-
based fantasy author Rebecca
Mix and A Magic Steeped in
Poison by Judy I. Lin.
“I hopefully will make
other books,” Sunny says.
“But I don’t know if a sequel
is on its way.”
Roeper seventh-grader
publishes YA spy novel.
A
Young
Author
KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
OUR COMMUNITY