Youth Week: Secrets, Sci-Fi & 80s Vibes w/13yr old Author Maya Ahmed

Think being a teen is tough? Imagine discovering a secret that changes your life forever…

Celebrate Youth Week with 13-year-old Maya Ahmed, author of the sci-fi adventure Operation R.A.D., as she talks about writing her debut novel, her love for retro ‘80s vibes, and the wild world of Ravenwood High. She will appear in conversation with her publisher Jessica Mudditt, founder of Hembury Books, a local hybrid publisher.

Take part in a hands-on writing workshop and learn how to create your own science fiction story.

Then stick around for the Q&A and book signing, the perfect chance to meet a young author and get inspired to write your very own stories.

Perfect Youth Week event for those aged 10 years and older!

In partnership with Australian hybrid publisher Hembury Books.

When: Thursday 16 April

Where: Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centre

80 Rickard Road, Bankstown 2200

Time: 3pm– 4.30pm

Cost: Free

For more information or to book, visit:

cb.city/YouthweekAuthorTalk or call 9707 9704

About the book:

Is a normal teenage life too much to ask for?

For the kids at Ravenwood High, it is.

The year is 1984. In the small town of Ravenwood, everything feels off. People brush it off until one day six teens find something that changes their lives forever.

Addison, a hot-headed misfit. Julianna, a sweetheart too sweet for her own good. Ivory, the invisible shadow of the group. Avery, the calm artist, who just wants to keep himself and his sister out of trouble. Mateo, the loyal one who would do anything for his friends. Randy, the nerdy jerk who never knows when to shut his mouth or when to open it. When fate brings these six oddballs together, a dark secret puts them in extraordinary danger and makes them become extraordinary too.

They all swear they will protect each other, but will they have each other’s backs every time they end up in danger? Will they sacrifice themselves for their group? And most importantly, will they get out of this alive?

Will they survive the changes that happen to them in their world?

About the Author:

Maya Ahmed is a thirteen-year-old published author from Sydney, Australia.

She is fascinated by the generations before her, especially the 1980s and 1990s. She is an enthusiastic reader of science fiction and mystery novels and often borrows books from her school library.

Maya took her passion for science fiction and wrote her first novella, The Purple Demon, when she was just twelve and its sequel, The Purple Demon II

Inspired by her love for the genre, Maya went on to write Operation R.A.D., her first full-length novel.

Maya is published by hybrid publisher, Hembury Books.

In-Conversation Host:

Jessica Mudditt is the founder and publisher at Hembury Books, a hybrid publisher in Sydney.

Jessica is the author of two memoirs, Once Around the Sun and Our Home in Myanmar, which she self-published. She learned a lot along the way and loves helping other authors to publish their books.

Before establishing Hembury Books, Jessica was a freelance journalist and spent seven years reporting in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Accessibility Information:

Canterbury-Bankstown Library is committed to providing inclusive library services and programs. Please email [email protected].

Our venue is accessible with ramp, accessible bathrooms, and limited parking available.

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Host or Publisher Canterbury Bankstown Library and Knowledge Centres