Meet the young writer who published her own library book

Have you ever gone to the library and struggled to find a book that you wanted to read?

For bookworm Hephzibah from Cambridgeshire, her solution was to write her own novel.

When she was 10, she published her first book called Chronicles of The Time Keepers: Whisked Away.

Now aged 12, she can not only celebrate other children being able to check her books out of the library - but also being a finalist in the BBC's Make a Difference Awards 2025.

Why did Hephzibah decide to write Chronicles of The Time Keepers?

Hephzibah felt there weren't enough books with lead characters from minority backgrounds, and got the idea to write her own book from her mum.

Her mum told her "instead of complaining, I should make a change".

Luckily, she had always loved to write, scribbling ideas in notebooks, so she had a starting point for her first book.

Hephzibah added: "I decided that the [lead] should be a black girl, just to show others that anyone can be the main character, and I decided to name her Hephzibah because it's not a very common name."

Would you like to see your story in a library?

The 12-year-old plans out her books in advance and types them up before her mum, and then a professional editor, get involved.

Hephzibah's first book tells the story of a girl who travels to a futuristic world where she attends the Wild Intelligence Academy, but she's soon got a mission: to stop robots from taking over.

Hephzibah's second novel continues the adventures where they left off and she's hopeful that one day the books can inspire a TV series or film.

She's also happy that there are a lot more books with minority representation in her local library now, adding: "It's amazing how much it has progressed from 2020 to now - but more can still be done."