‘Twas a few weeks before Christmas when all through Morongo Valley, an imaginative teen was causing a stir in the local literary world.
On a recent Sunday, stockings and festive lights were hung up in a desert home with care in hopes that many friends would soon be there for Zoe Garrett’s book signing. And sure enough, the community turned out for this emerging teen author.
Zoe, 14, has stood apart from her peers in many ways, especially when it comes to reading and writing. She started reading chapter books by herself around kindergarten, and when she ran through all the children’s stories she could, she picked up her father’s criminal law textbooks “for fun.”
“She would get in trouble because she would be under a blanket reading these books with a flashlight,” her father, Nathan, said.
But it didn’t matter what the youngster was reading because she “loved” getting her hands on books and going on adventures with characters, she said. Eventually, that sparked a passion to become an author, which she has already accomplished at her young age.
Just in time for the holidays, Zoe’s book, “The Night Before Christmas: Retold by a Kid!” is available for purchase on her website and Amazon. Putting a fresh spin on Clement-Clarke Moore’s classic “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” Zoe wrote the book based on a personal experience. Over the next few weeks, the teen will host book signings and readings across Southern California.
Move over, Charles Dickens and Clement-Clarke Moore
Zoe’s love of reading has gotten her in trouble in the past. Once, when her classmates were just learning the alphabet and instructed to say one letter at a time, she told her teacher that the task was “nonsensical” as she already was writing on her own, her father shared. He later received a call from her teacher saying his daughter was “being insubordinate.”
“And I’m like, ‘I know what that word means,'” Zoe said with delight. She is now homeschooled by her mother, Audrey.
Today, while many of her peers prefer to scroll through social media for hours on end, Zoe isn’t quite as enthralled. Instead, she finds the worlds written in the pages of “The Heroes of Olympus” and “Wings of Fire” far more interesting than any TikTok trend. And so far, the teen hasn’t come across a book that she hasn’t enjoyed in some way.
Over time, Zoe started writing her own stories for fun, including a travel guide for children and a toy factory manual. That eventually led to “The Night Before Christmas: Retold by a Kid!” which she wrote when she was 11. Moore’s classic poem features a man, awakened by noises on Christmas Eve, who spots St. Nicholas delivering presents. In Zoe’s version, she explores what a child would do if they were in that same situation, which was largely inspired by an event in her own life.
“I was lying in bed and I was not really trying to catch Santa, but at the same time curious,” Zoe recalled. “Then I heard the reindeer land on the roof. It was actually quite loud, I don’t know how people can not hear him.”
Though she didn’t spot the jolly old man, it did get her literary brain working and the words just spilled out of her. Most recently, she was tasked with selling an item for an entrepreneurship class, so the family decided to make “The Night Before Christmas: Retold by a Kid!” into a hardcover book. Her mother even helped illustrate it.
‘She’s my favorite author’
Writing the book was the easy part for Zoe, but the sales aspect has been a whole other beast to tackle. Putting herself out there and speaking to people about her work is a bit intimidating, she admitted, but once she gets into her element, her passion comes through instantly.
Her father has helped with getting her name out there and setting up a few book signings, interviews and sales. In November, Zoe and her family held a book launch party in Morongo Valley, which included a reading, ornament decorating and a holiday toy drive with a raffle.
Her next goal is to write a series on a magical dog named Churro, who has yet to discover his powers. She’s written a number of prototypes over the years, but Zoe now wants to focus on his origin story.
“He’s a little mischievous,” Zoe said of Churro, which is inspired by other humorous books, such as “The Heroes of Olympus” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series. One day she’d love to see a Churro animated series as well.
“She’s my favorite author,” Audrey said.
“She has always been an inspiration when it comes to writing,” Nathan added. “To be able to see her grow like this is really amazing because we can see it, we’ve been there forever. It’s good to get her out there and let the world see her and let her be an inspiration. … The people that I talk to say, ‘You just don’t see this kind of talent in somebody so young.'”
When she’s not lost in a literary world somewhere, she’s a part of a few clubs through her homeschool program, including newspaper (she recently drew a Churro cartoon strip for it), creative writing and Dungeons & Dragons. She also enjoys playing video games and hanging out with her younger brother and Girl Scouts troop.
Upcoming book events
Those hoping to get a copy of Zoe’s book can stop by these upcoming events:
Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Morongo Valley teen recasts ‘Night Before Christmas’ from kid’s POV
Reporting by Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun / Palm Springs Desert Sun
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