Jordyn Rose Thomas, age 9, was the guest speaker who opened this year’s Summer Reading Program at the Oneida County Library.  Jordyn’s first book, “The Cosmo Cats: Arizona Adventure” was released this year and featured at the L.A. Times Festival of Books 2023.  As far as can be determined, Jordyn is the youngest published author in the county’s history!

 The book is the first written by Jordyn, though she announced that she already has a sequel in the works.  While she claimed that writing it “wasn’t that hard,” her dedication to the craft comes across in the charming story and entertaining characters.  “Cosmo Cats” is the story of Spotty, Fluffy, Whiskers, and Whimsy who solve mysteries and crimes with the aid of their magical collars and capes.  The book has been a big hit so far, and is available at Thomas Market, and through online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.

The Summer Reading Program used her status as a published author to encourage other kids to pursue potentially writing their own books.  This summer’s activities will involve the shaping and composition of their own books for each participant.  The summer will culminate in the recognition of the “best book” to come out of the process, and a “story walk” will help to feature the winner and their book’s content.

At Tuesday’s event, attendees were given the task of identifying the characters they wanted to feature in their stories, as well as the setting in which the story would take place.  A packet was given out to each kid signed up for the program to get them started on their way toward authorship. 

This year’s Summer Reading Program will feature a number of events, which can be found at oneidacountylibrary.org or by calling 208-766-2229.