A 13-year-old from Coquitlam is travelling through the Interior meeting his real-life super heroes as he shares the latest book he has written about first responders.
First responders have always been Nathan McTaggart’s superheroes, and he and his father, Keven, have written books about superheroes such as firefighters. Nathan’s latest book, Brandy and Her Super Hero, is inspired by the wildfires that ravaged the Cariboo in 2017 and 2018 and is set in the Williams Lake area.
“Natural disasters such as forest fires are devastating,” says the book’s description. “Imagine if you were a pet and you were separated from your family during such a natural disaster. In this book, you will meet Brandy and follow her adventures as, with the help of her Super Heroes from around the world, she is reunited with her family.”
Part proceeds of the sale of this book will be donated to the Pacific Assistance Dogs Society and Firefighters Without Borders Canada.
Nathan and his family were in Quesnel Monday (July 8) as part of a summer book tour to promote Brandy and Her Super Hero and help raise more money.
Keven says they decided to write the book about Williams Lake after meeting a young goalie at Nathan’s hockey camp who was from Williams Lake. He was supposed to go to hockey camp in Williams Lake but had been evacuated and ended up being part of this hockey camp in the Lower Mainland while visiting family.
Nathan launched Brandy and Her Super Hero June 2, and he and his family are travelling from Hope to Prince George then down to Princeton, hoping to meet as many city councillors, fire chiefs, mayors, MLAs, MPs and firefighters as possible.
Nathan says it has meant a lot for him to be able to bring the book to people and places that have been so affected.
“It’s really good because I got to learn what some people have gone through,” he said. “I knew how people feel, and now I really know they got traumatized. I don’t wish that on anybody. It hurts me thinking about it.”
Speaking to Acting Mayor Scott Elliott in the Quesnel council chambers, Nathan expressed gratitude for getting to meet the super heroes who helped other people and animals during the wildfires.
“Some people think I am a helper and supporter, but you guys are the helpers, you tried to help out, and you had to rebuild,” he said. “You guys are superheroes. Some superheroes don’t need to save people’s lives — they can help out their communities, and they are superheroes.”
“It’s quite humbling when you see the devastation, and you think of everyone who helped everyone else,” added Nathan’s mother, Lucie.
Brandy and Her Super Hero is Nathan’s third book.
His first book, Santa and His Super Hero, began as a bedtime story. One night around Christmas when Nathan was three and a half years old, he asked what would happen if Santa got stuck in a chimney? He and his father started making up different scenarios about what could happen, and before they knew it, he had come up with the story of Santa and His Super Hero.
When Nathan was eight, he asked if we could turn their story about firefighters saving Santa into a book. After a long search for an illustrator, his Grade 4 teacher, Mrs. Shinkewski, asked if her class could illustrate their book.
As the students illustrated the book, she had them write their own Christmas stories. This is when Nathan wrote the story of Zippy and His Super Hero.
When they first started the publishing process, Nathan asked if they could use some of the money they made on the book to help others. The net proceeds of the sale of their books will be donated to different charities.
Since Santa and His Super Hero features a firefighter, they are donating the net proceeds of book sales to the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Association Burn Fund. They have donated $2,500 to the Burn Fund and $2,000 to different charities. so far.
Zippy and His Super Hero doesn’t actually feature a first responder, so the McTaggarts are donating the proceeds from that book to the Canucks for Kids Fund.
To learn more or order a book, visit NathansSuperHeroes.com or email info@NathansSuperHeroes.com.
READ MORE: Cariboo Fire Centre managers prepare for 2019 wildfire season
Lindsay ChungEditor
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