Arden Pala is like most kids his age. The 11-year-old attends hybrid learning and wants to be a movie director when he grows up.
As a Turkish-American, he’s also experienced bullying. Deciding to turn his experience into a positive, he set out to write a book to help kids learn about other cultures and celebrate them––and three years later he’s on the third book of his series.
Red Tricycle sat down with Pala to talk about his new book, The Adventures of Noah’s Flying Car: Through Mexico ($7.85), and give us all the deets on his extraordinary vision for helping kids learn about the world and cultures around them.
When asked about the main reason Pala decided to write his books he explained that he wanted to make a fun way to learn about countries, to “show diversity and that it’s ok to be different.”
In the newest book of the Adventures of Noah series, our main character is off to discover the bejeweled country of Mexico. Together, Noah and his friends Scotty and Kaden experience dolphins in Baja California, a butterfly biosphere and much more.
photo: Amazon
Pala admits his favorite part about his newest book is the butterflies, due to the amazing job of illustrator Pavel Goldaev. When asked about what he enjoys most about writing, he shares that putting his thoughts into a document and finding a place to write about really motivates him to put together a great story.
And he’s not done yet. Most likely, the young writer will take the summer to formulate a new tale as he’s done in years past.
When it comes to encouraging other young writers, Pala has this advice: don’t rush, put together a good story board, have a good theme and make sure your story is something you want to write about.
All proceeds from The Adventures of Noah’s Flying Car: Through Mexico go to the San Diego Community Covid-19 Response Fund, which supports low-income workers, families and those deeply affected by the pandemic.
You can catch up on all of Noah’s adventures by picking up the first two books in the series, The Adventures of Noah’s Flying Car: Through China ($7.85) and The Adventures of Noah’s Flying Car: Through Turkey ($8.99) in which proceeds were donated to the scholarship fund of Francis Parker, San Diego
––Karly Wood
RELATED STORIES
15 Incredible Kids Who Stepped Up in 2020
32 Ballerinas From Around the World Danced Together for COVID-19 Relief
Doing Good at Any Age: 4 Inspiring Kids Changing the World
