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"Girl of Fire" by Hannah Yang

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Learn more about the PBS SoCal KIDS Writers Contest here.


Hannah Yang is an imaginative third-grader from Porter Ranch. Her mother, Lisa Guo, believes Hannah's exposure to a variety of books and creative materials fired up her daughter's creative powers to write "Girl of Fire," a First Place winner of the 2019 PBS SoCal KIDS Writers Contest. Watch an animated version of her story and learn more about Hannah's favorite books, candy and aspirations below.

Hannah's story was selected to be converted into an animation by PBS SoCal staff. All animations were created by Henry Cram.

Learn more about Hannah in a Q&A with our winning author below:

Q: Where did you get the idea about a Girl of Fire?

A: Well, I have read many stories about fairy godmothers and such. So, I decided, why don’t I make an elemental fairy, one with fire powers? Boom! The idea was made. Either way, I had actually aspired to write a short story based off of fairies and monsters.

Q: "Girl of Fire" features special candy - Which is your favorite?

A: Twix and peppermints. Peppermints because that have that minty taste, and Twix because of the crunchy mix of cookies, chocolate and caramel.

Q: What’s your all-time favorite book and what's the best book you've read lately?

A: My favorite book is "Out of My Mind," by Sharon M. Draper. It is about a girl named Melody, who can’t move or talk since she has cerebral palsy. However, she has a photographic memory. Using this extraordinary ability, she remembers every single detail in everything she has experienced. This book teaches me to not judge by appearances.

[The best book I've read lately,] "Girl in Reverse," is about a Chinese adopted girl, named Lillian "Lily" Firestone, who stands out. Her classmates hate her, best friends blackmail her, and no one really cares about her except for her brother, Ralphie and her parents. Lily and Ralphie are on a mission to find out what happened to her birth mother, Lien Loo. Although Ralphie is the favorite in the family, when Lily and him confront their parents about their findings, their parents suddenly both turn their backs on them, while Ralphie starts ignoring Lily. This book teaches me that race doesn't change who you are.

Read Hannah Yang's original story "Girl of Fire"