Her name is Sophia N.R. Marullo, but you can call her just Sophia. She is a nine-year-old girl who lives in Bethpage, attends Charles Campagne Elementary School and just happens to be a published author.
She started the process of writing her first chapter book when she was seven years old. Inspired by Barbara Park, and her Junie B. Jones children’s series, she wrote her own stories called Sophia N.R. Marullo and the Crazy Days. Filled with hyperbolic stories about her life, including villains like Sneaky James, and her friends, Carolina, Sarah and Sophia B, the book is Sophia’s proudest accomplishment to date.
“I was playing this game once and I pretended I wrote a book and then I decided I wanted to make it a real book,” Sophia said.
Along with writing, Sophia enjoys reading, dancing, playing with her dolls and practicing the piano. Her family is a creative force—her father Matthew Marullo is also an author and a music teacher and her mother Victoria Marullo writes poetry.
When seven-year-old Sophia began writing her story, her parents never expected it to be as long as it turned out to be—a full 62 pages.
“We watched her write, and we realized that she’s got something here, this is going to be a book,” Matthew said.
When Matthew and Victoria realized that this project was going to be more than just a hobby, they decided that they should get the book published. Matthew reached out to a graphic artist, Adam Hess, who helped create the layout for Sophia’s book, and then used Amazon’s publishing service CreateSpace, and added it to the website to be sold.
“My favorite thing that has happened since writing this book was getting to read it to my first grade teacher’s class. It was very fun and they loved the twist at the end,” Sophia said.
Sophia is also excited about inspiring other children to write their own stories.
“When I showed my friends the book, they went home and tried to write their own! It was really cool,” she said.
Sophia’s “Auntie” Linda Selesnick, a former schoolteacher, has also heard stories of kids who heard about Sophia and started writing.
“She would read me new chapters every time I saw her, and I realized this was a real thing. I was astounded that she completed the project, whether it was good or not. The fact that it is so good just makes it that much better,” Selesnick said. “The best part about her book is that it is good for all ages, there are adults that love it just as much as kids.”
Victoria said that she never needed to provide Sophia with any direction in her writing.
“She would just sit down and start writing all on her own,” her mother said. “Even if she left the project for a week, she would come back when she was ready and pick up right where she left off.”
Her favorite part about writing her book was writing the surprise ending, and she is excited to do the same with her second book which she is currently working on with the proposed title of Sophia N.R. Marullo and the TV Adventures. Sophia has plans to continue writing and wants to be a writer and teacher when she grows up.
The book is currently available in multiple libraries around Long Island, and the family is working on putting together a meet the author and reading at a local school. The book can also be purchased at Amazon.com.
