Quvenzhane Wallis has had an amazing acting career to say that she is a mere 14-years-old. Her movies have spanned blockbusters such as Tweleve Years A Slave, Annie, The Prophet, Father’s & Daughters, Trolls, and more. At the age of 9, Wallis received an Oscar nomination for her role as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild. However, there is more to this talented teen than acting. Wallis is also a published author.
Wallis has recently published two books, “Shai & Emmie Star in Break and Egg” and “A Night Out with Mama,” through noted publishers Simon and Schuster, drawing from her experience as an actress.
“Shai & Emmie Star in Break and Egg” recants the tale of two best friends at a performing arts school, while “A Night Out with Mama” is a picture book based on her big night at the Oscars.
Wallis admitted in an interview at the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance in New Orleans that, “reading is one of my favorite things to do. It’s something I would want everyone to do, especially teenagers my age. I don’t think we read as much as we should.”
Although she is an avid reader, Wallis admits that she doesn’t have a favorite author and enjoys reading all types of genres. The young star admitted that she enjoyed the concepting phase of being an author and working through them with co-author Nancy Ohlin.
“The stories have a few things that I like and enjoy. For instance there’s a part in the first one where a character is talking about her book bag and it’s turquoise, my favorite color. So there are small details in there that come specifically from me,” Wallis said. “I definitely see myself doing more of this in the future. I really hope that people my age enjoy reading these books. I’m excited about experiencing new things and sometimes it gets to the point where I might get a little obsessed with it. But I really enjoy writing and I can’t wait to do more.”
