Roar for Reading

By Julie Duffin
December 2023 View more Books

Rory Andrlik used to pretend she knew how to read; now she’s an author. A junior at Naperville North High School, Andrlik published her first book in September on Amazon. The Reading Roar: A Magical Learning Journey is a children’s tale about a young dragon named Ember who has a hard time reading and writing. It’s geared toward children ages 6 to 10, which was about how old Andrlik was when she was diagnosed with dyslexia.

“Elementary school wasn’t easy,” she says. “I remember how embarrassing it was in second and third grade. I couldn’t spell well and would pretend to read books around my classmates.” Andrlik worked with a literacy tutor to overcome her challenges and even incorporated some of these learning styles into the book.

Now Andrlik earns mostly A’s in school and has participated in District 203’s Dual Language program since kindergarten. She hopes her story can be a source of encouragement. “I want young students to know they’re not alone if they struggle with spelling and reading, and that there are different ways to learn and become a great reader and writer,” she explains.

And if that wasn’t inspiring enough, she used her bilingual skills to translate the book into Spanish as well.

Photo: Todd Andrlik