Tottenham children's author donating book proceeds to literacy charity

Money raised from Amaya’s Race to Victory will go to the National Literacy Trust, which works with schools and communities to improve literacy skills, reports Anna-Louise Adepegba

A Tottenham-based teacher is donating proceeds from her new children’s book to the National Literacy Trust.

Ellie Rusu published her first children’s book, Amaya’s Race to Victory in December last year. The story follows a young girl and her supportive cat, Zac, as they try to raise enough money to build a library for her school.

In the story, Amaya organises a fundraising race after her cat grows frustrated with hearing the same book repeatedly, prompting her to explain the school’s lack of reading options.

Money raised from the book will go to the National Literacy Trust, an independent charity which works with schools and communities to improve literacy skills and encourage reading among children and young people.

Inspired by The Gruffalo, the rhyming story was a challenging but rewarding first project for Ellie, who hopes it will encourage more children to read.

Ellie said: “I started writing during lockdown and developed a passion for writing and reading. I was inspired by Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo for my poetic writing style. It was definitely frustrating at times, but the end result was worth it and I was very proud of myself.”

As a teacher and mother, Ellie said she felt strongly about the idea of children not having access to libraries and a variety of books. After watching an interview with Cressida Cowell, author of How to Train Your Dragon, she was inspired to make a difference.

She said: “I became really passionate about reading and writing after watching an interview with Cressida Cowell. She highlighted a worrying statistic that one in eight English schools have no designated library space – I was upset.”

After lockdown, Ellie joined Fiction Feedback Workshop, a writers’ group in Barbican, where she refined the book and discovered the literacy charity.

She said: “The writers’ group helped me a lot and I got valuable feedback on my writing. After years of working on the book, I finally felt it was ready to publish. I also found out about the National Literacy Trust through the group leader.”

Ellie initially tried to publish the book through traditional publishing routes, but found the industry too competitive and independent publishing too expensive. After her father, who had always supported her writing , died, she used part of her inheritance to self-publish the book.

She said: “My dad was very supportive of my writing, so I’m sure he would be happy with how I used the money. It also made publishing the book even more special.”

Ellie hopes to publish more books in the future and plans to support additional charities, including animal welfare and children’s organisations.

She is currently working on young teen fiction, including fantasy and mystery stories, in the hope of encouraging older children to read.

Amaya’s Race to Victory is available on Amazon and in Waterstones shops for £12.99.

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.