Young Nipissing First Nation author has a story to tell

By Kelly Anne Smith

NIPISSING FIRST NATION—It is a lesson that should be taught in classrooms and heard before bedtime – people can overcome differences to work together for a better life for all.

Kiley M. George, a 14-year-old student, has created the story Lacie and Leroy for impressionable young children. Kiley has used magic to tell the tale.

It was written for a Grade Eight project when Kiley was a student at Our Lady of Sorrows School. Now a St. Joseph Scollard Hall student, her father is encouraging her to offer her story for publishing.

A member of Nipissing First Nation (NFN), Kiley has a personal connection to the title she would like to see on her published work. “Leroy is my little cousin’s name. He was just born when I made the book.”

Kiley is the artist as well as the author of Lacie and Leroy. The story is targeted to children aged six to 10 years old.  “It’s about two kids. Lacie, she lives in a colourless world, and Leroy lives in a colourful world.”

The characters teach a life lesson as they face challenges accepting each other’s differences. “They come together to make a beautiful world.”