Jordan Kaempf is one of Canada’s newest fiction writers. Her short story, The Titanic Tragedy, was one of 10 finalists in the Scholastic Inspiring Writers Contest. There were 300 entries from contestants in Grades 4 to 8 and Jordan was the only winner in B.C.
The Hillview school Grade 4 student has always liked reading and writing; her mother read to her from the day she was born and she learned to read in kindergarten. Her mother, Tanya Kaempf, got a call at home in early March that Jordan had won and she decorated the dining room with balloons and made a book announcing the win.
“I got home from karate and there were all these balloons everywhere and I asked why and they said I had to wait for dinner,” said Jordan, whose brother, Keefer, 11, played along in keeping the secret and making up some stories about the celebrations.
“When I opened the book that said I won, I just didn’t think it could be true. I was so happy. I got the idea for the story when I got a book of information about the Titanic from the school library. Then I thought about what it might have been like for children whose family was on the ship when it sank.”
Her story tells about how a family who believed that the Titanic was unsinkable had their lives changed forever when their father died when the ship sank.
Jordan, nine, entered the contest last fall through her school and is pleased with the prize, a collection of 21 books by Gordon Korman. Two of the books were autographed and they didn’t notice the autographs at first and e-mailed Korman’s website to ask about them. Korman called them, congratulated Jordan and asked to have a copy of her story sent to him.
Jordan’s parent’s Tanya and Frank Kaempf, gave her a new journal and pens so that she can continue with her writing. She likes reading, especially at night before she goes to sleep and hanging out with her best friend, Savan Dewitt, listening to music and making up games.
She is doing some creative writing at school and thinks she will enter other writing contests in the future.
