Zoe Frank, 9, is the co-author of an inspiring children’s book about a young girl with dyslexia titled “Zoe’s Magical Mind.” 

The book captures her personal experience discovering she has dyslexia and, “Through imagination, creativity, and a little bit of magic, Zoe learns to embrace her strengths and find new ways to learn,” the book description reads. 

When writing the book with her mother, Jennifer Frank, Zoe Frank, during an interview at Edgerton Elementary School in Kalispell, said she wanted to help people better understand dyslexia.  

In the book, the character Zoe notices she’s different from her classmates and learns from her mother that she has dyslexia, which is why reading and writing are more challenging. Whenever she feels down, family, friends and teachers remind her of the abilities she excels in and encourage her to share her talents of drawing and storytelling with the class. 

“That is Zoe’s story all the way down to Miss Baker, who works at Edgerton [Elementary]. She works in special education, and she's been with Zoe since second grade and she has made a world of difference in our school life for Zoe, along with a community of other people,” Jennifer Frank said. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Dyslexia is a learning disorder that involves difficulty reading due to problems identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding).” 

“Dyslexia is not due to problems with intelligence, hearing or vision. Most children with dyslexia can succeed in school with tutoring or a specialized education program. Emotional support also plays an important role.” 

Zoe Frank started noticing she was different from her peers around second grade when she saw her classmates could read and write and she couldn’t yet. She was tested for and diagnosed with dyslexia. 

"I used to feel left out whenever I wondered if another kid had dyslexia," Zoe Frank said, hugging her stuffed sloth, Lottie. “Not a lot of people used to talk about it, but I like to talk about it, but the thing is, I didn’t know who I could talk to." 

Dyslexia is the most common learning disability and approximately 5 to 10% of the population has some sort of dyslexia, according to a Harvard Health article. 

One of the book series Zoe Frank said she enjoys includes the “Dog Man” graphic novels by author Dave Pilkey (creator of the award-winning “Captain Underpants” series), who also has dyslexia. 

When she learned that other people have dyslexia, she felt a bit better and hoped her book could help other children and start conversations. At the end of "Zoe’s Magical Mind,” there is a discussion guide to help start those conversations, along with tips and creative activities for parents and teachers. 

Zoe Frank shared one of her favorite pages in the book and pointed out a recurring detail. 

“And the thing that not a lot of people notice, every single girl in the book has a heart on her shirt,” she said. 

“Because Zoe has the biggest heart of any child I know,” her mother said with a smile.  

Proceeds from book sales will go to Edgerton’s resource room. She has already made one donation. 

“They decided to get a swing for the resource room, a new Lego table that you didn’t have to sit on your knees for and a new thing of gel pens,” she said. 

When the book was published and shared with her school, Zoe Frank felt differently for another reason. 

“People I never even knew [knew me] when they saw me because on the back of the book, it shows my name and face ... whenever they see me, they say, did you write the book?” Zoe Frank said and smiled shyly, giving her stuffed sloth a squeeze. 

The young author, who loves gymnastics, already has her next book in mind.  

“Zoe’s Magical Mind, gymnastics edition,” she said, planning to tell the story of how the main character works hard to learn routines. 

By encouraging her daughter to continue writing and providing support like tutoring, Jennifer Frank hoped to impart to her daughter that anything she wants to achieve is possible. 

“If she wants to write a book, even though she’s dyslexic ... we can write a book,” she said. 

"I just want her to believe in, as the book says, the magic within her... this doesn’t set her back. She can do anything,” she added. 

“It just takes a little more time,” Zoe Frank added with a nod. 

The book costs $12 and may be purchased at zoesmagicalmind.com. 

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or [email protected].