Tomball 11-year-old becomes published author with book about Hurricane Harvey

Charly Edsitty Image
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
11-year-old publishes book about Hurricane Harvey experience
With the help of his mom, Landon Hayek kept notes about his feelings after Hurricane Harvey's destruction. He then turned that into the basis of his book.

TOMBALL, Texas (KTRK) -- At just 11 years old, Landon Hayek can already add book publisher under his list of accomplishments.

The Creekview Elementary School fifth grader can find his own book at the school's library, and says the entire project was a collaborative effort that came about in the weeks after Hurricane Harvey.

"Our main purpose of writing this book was to help people, like I said, to help kids speak out," he said.

Landon's home flooded during Hurricane Harvey, forcing his family to move in with his grandmother.

"We had to tear out all of the floor," he said. "We had to tear out two feet high or three feet high of the walls. It was a mess when we got back."

Much like his fellow Houstonians, the recovery process was long and difficult. With help from his mother, Landon kept notes about how he was feeling in the days and weeks after Harvey's destruction, and turned that into the basis of his book.

Since publishing the book, Landon has held book readings at several local libraries, and is donating a portion of the proceeds from book sales to help other local families that are still trying to recover from Harvey.

The book is available on Amazon for $9.99.

"(My mom and I) both put in effort into every page, every word, every phrase," he said.

Want to see more from the heart of your community? Check out your town's stories through ABC13's HTX+ Facebook page.

Follow Charly Edsitty on Facebook and Twitter.