Westminster Christian Academy Students Have Family Stories Published

Two students from Westminster Christian Academy are among the thirty-five young authors nationwide who have been honored by The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration with publication of their historical family stories. Participating students write a story from their family history, based upon information they gather by interviewing an older relative. Authors are also invited to submit illustrations with their stories.  After stories have been selected for publication, additional illustrations are solicited from students in the St. Louis area. 

Authors from Westminster Christian Academy whose stories have been published in Grannie Annie, Vol. 9, are Neeve McMillin and Raphaella Zavaglia. Neeve McMillin’s family story “A Purple Mess" describes her father’s less-than-perfect Cub Scout project, and his turn toward optimism. Raphaella Zavaglia’s story, entitled “Bricks vs. Chickens,” presents a summer day with her great-uncle, a nine-year-old family prankster, who causes trouble for his unsuspecting cousin.

“While some stories published by The Grannie Annie are joyful and lighthearted family memories,” said Executive Director Connie McIntyre, “others deal with challenges—of war, poverty, prejudice, or daily life. These are important stories for students to discover and write, and they are important stories for all of us, of every age, to read.”

These published Westminster authors have been invited to read and sign their stories at The Grannie Annie Book Signing Celebration on Sunday, June 1, at the Missouri History Museum, Forest Park, at 2 p.m. Paperback copies of Grannie Annie, Vol. 9, and all illustrations will be available for purchase. During the week leading up to the Book Signing Celebration, illustrations and excerpts from Grannie Annie, Vol. 9, will be showcased in the store window of Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid, in the Central West End. Additionally, the art and excerpts will be exhibited at the Samuel C. Sachs Branch of the St. Louis County Library in Chesterfield from June 16 to August 15, and at the Schlafly Branch of the St. Louis Public Library from November 1–30.

The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in St. Louis, Missouri. Grannie Annie, Vol. 9, published in a paperback edition and a PDF edition, includes thirty-five stories written by fourth through eighth graders from across the United States and from India. The stories, which are also published on the Grannie Annie website, take place on five continents over a span of five centuries.

Details about The Grannie Annie can be found at www.TheGrannieAnnie.org. Stories to be considered for publication in Grannie Annie, Vol. 10,  must be submitted by February 1, 2015.