amazonshopping BOOKS

"It's finally official," reads a news release by Chris Skidmore. "Nicholas Alexander Skidmore is, at long last, a published author."

The irony here is that Nicholas Skidmore only learned to read and write about a year ago. He's a first-grader at Picadome Elementary School in Lexington. At 6 years old, he hasn't been alive as long as some authors spend tweaking and perfecting their manuscripts.

Yet, on a Monday trip to Joseph-Beth Booksellers with his father, Chris Skidmore, the evidence is in Nicholas' hand. He drags his finished book around by the cover, rarely letting it out of his sight, like a kid guarding a cherished comic book.

Make no mistake, this isn't a kid's school project held together with yarn or brads. This is a glossy, glue-bound kids' book that retails for $6.50 on Amazon.com, Target.com and CreateSpace.com. (The book isn't available at Joseph-Beth, though Chris and Nicholas have filled out a local author form and hope it will be soon.)

The spandex-hero similarities are abundant. Nicholas' book is called The Fiery Fencer and the Ghost of Rainia, a title that wouldn't sound misplaced on a Marvel or DC comic book. And the characters in the full-page illustrations, drawn by video game artist Jamie Bamborough, burst off the pages with color and detail.

The Fiery Fencer is a hero with powers granted by his magical fencing gear. These powers allow him to fly, wield a flaming sword and cast a special light that makes him able to see anything that moves. He uses this light to track the Ghost of Rainia, also known as Spectrehawk, a villain who can turn invisible and wears her own sinister suit of armor.

meditation forum