"I'm extremely excited to have my first books published, and I'm especially happy that they are for kids," Zaila, now 16, tells PEOPLE Abigail Adams is a Human Interest Writer and Reporter for PEOPLE.

Since she started reading chapter books, 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion Zaila Avant-garde's father has kept a running list of the hundreds of books she's read. But by summer’s end, the ...

Zaila Avant-garde‘s Scripps National Spelling Bee win gave us an awesome story on Thursday night, with a great sports angle. On top of being one of the world’s best spellers, she is an incredible ...

Zaila Avant-Garde is a multitalented 16-year-old from New Orleans. She won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021, becoming the first African American to win the competition in almost 100 years.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) - This year's National Spelling Bee champion Zaila Avant-garde has earned even more recognition for her athletic prowess than her achievements in spelling. She is a ...

This teen connected her talents from spelling to writing. Zaila Avant-garde, the teen champion of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, announced her newest accomplishment: becoming a children’s ...

Zaila Avant-garde walks onto the basketball court with the kind of confidence an NBA player might exude, but the Whitney Houston shirt she sports alludes to the light-hearted nature that follows this ...

Zaila Avant-garde competes in the first round of the the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals in Orlando, Florida on July 8, 2021. (Photo by JIM WATSON / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/POOL/AFP via ...

Zaila Avant-garde is now adding "author" to her outstanding résumé! The 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee winner, now 16, of Louisiana, will make her debut as a children's book author this year with ...