Teens with dyslexia pen sci fi novel with Dad

From the Downey Patriot in California:

DOWNEY, Calif.— West Middle School and its library have not been the same since identical twins Brittany and Brianna Winner, 13, held an assembly on Nov. 6 called, “If You Can Dream It, You Can Write It.”

The creators of “The Strand Prophecy” are the youngest award winning authors in the United States – and they are dyslexic.

“The boys and girls have been coming to the library wanting to read – I checked out 100 more books than usual last Friday,” said West Middle School Library Media teacher Julia Desalernos.

The Winner twins motivated West Middle School students to read and write by sharing their experiences battling their learning disability.

“When I found out I had dyslexia, I was defeated,” Brianna said. “I was able to spell and write, but it took me twice as long.”

Writing the award-winning book was the result of a mere challenge by the twins’ father Jeff Winner, who co-authored the book.

“They thought they were stupid,” Jeff said. “So I told them they weren’t and to do the impossible – write a novel.”

With their father’s guidance and mother’s support, the Winner twins from Fullerton began brainstorming ideas for a book and used a speech-text program to assist them with writing.

“It became the ultimate family hobby,” Brittany said. “The book started to evolve as the characters formed and seemed to write the book themselves.”

The five-book science-fiction adventure series is about a scientist superhero who tries to warn the world and protect the innocent from dangerous creatures. The books are penned under the name J.B.B. Winner – representing Jeff, Brittany and Brianna.

Released in May, the first book in the series won the Benjamin Franklin awards for Best Young Adult Fiction, Best First Book Young Adult Fiction, and Best First Book Fiction; the Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal; and Linx and TopSpot online awards.

“When the girls actually got the book in their hands, it was a turning point. They finally knew what I already knew – that they were bright kids,” Jeff said. “So then the girls wanted to change lives by going out and talking to other kids.”

The Winner twins shared their story to West Middle School students by performing songs that they wrote themselves, dancing, and talking to an onscreen 3-D robot who interviewed them onstage.

“We want to let other kids know if you have an obstacle and overcome it, you will be happier,” Brittany said. “If you have difficulty reading, listen to books. If you have difficulty writing, learn to type. If you have trouble doing math, use a calculator.”

Currently, “The Strand Prophecy” is on the accelerated readers list in 65,000 schools. The book can be found at Barnes and Noble bookstores, as well as amazon.com. In May, iTunes and Amazon.com also launched accompanying songs written and performed by the Winner twins.

Brittany and Brianna are completing school through independent study to enable them to go on book tours and appear at middle school assemblies across the country.

“The girls are so relatable and powerful because they are talking to kids their own age,” Desalernos said. “They make an impact because the kids now know that there are celebrities that are good for them – like artists and illustrators – not just music celebrities, but book authors.”