Gary Karton is the author of
The Last Akaway, the first book in the fantastical
Brody Boondoggle adventure series for kids. If you're asking yourself, "What is an Akaway?" here's an explanation from the book:
An Akaway is a rare and magical creature that connects you to your spirit animal. Once you've connected, you have all the special powers that your spirit animal possesses.
But those powers are in serious jeopardy when the diabolical Uncle Skeeta tricks 11-year-old Brody Boondoggle into helping him steal the Akaway's spirit.
Now, aided by his skeptical big brother, Jake, and guided by his quirky Grammy, Brody must lead the way on an adventure to defeat Uncle Skeeta, save the last Akaway, and protect the special powers of kids everywhere.
In addition to having a wild imagination, Gary also has dyslexia. In this candid video, Gary speaks to kids who are currently struggling with a learning disability and shares how he grew into the realization that "different is good."
The Last Akaway was recently narrated and produced by Learning Ally's volunteers in Washington, DC, and will soon be available in our accessible audiobook library. Last month, Gary visted the DC studio to thank the volunteers for their dedication, share insights about his dyslexia, and describe his fascinating career path -- which began at
The Washington Post and has led him to all kinds of advocacy work on behalf of children around the world.