Diverse Literary Adventures
Our Mission
At Kurth Books, we are dedicated to creating inclusive literature for children. Our stories celebrate diversity by seamlessly integrating characters with disabilities in engaging narratives. By adding their differences as a natural part of the story, we aim to promote acceptance and understanding among young readers, while increasing the self-esteem and self-worth of children with disabilities by seeing themselves as main characters in books.
Andrea Kurth
Andrea Kurth, a Behavior Interventionist and former Special Education Teacher, has made it her mission to create inclusive children's literature. Andrea noticed that her students with disabilities were not well-represented in books. Determined to make a difference, she set out to create a fun series of books where the story was the focus, not the disability, and where adventure could be found on every page. Her chapter books are designed to engage younger children, while also being exciting enough for older readers who struggle with reading. Andrea's passion for inclusivity also led her to write a picture book with the same mission of creating stories where everyone is included. When Andrea isn't teaching or writing, she enjoys traveling with her husband and co-author sons.
Owen Kurth
Owen was a creative seventh grader when he helped write Zac's Mighty Wheels and the Giant Problem and is now a dedicated high school student active in his school’s theatre troupe. He loves spending time with friends, performing and directing on stage, and participating in various clubs while staying focused on academics. He dreams of pursuing a career in either the film industry or the legal field.
Braden Kurth
Braden co-authored Zac's Mighty Wheels and the Case of the Missing Grannies as a high school junior and is now a freshman at Michigan State University. He loves spending time with friends and family, engaging in campus clubs, and discussing life's big questions. With aspirations of becoming an entrepreneur, he hopes to make a meaningful impact on the world.
Linda Mischley
Linda, co-author of It's Your Turn, is a mother of three children, one being Andrea Kurth, and the youngest, Bobby, who has 5P/Cri-Du-Chat Syndrome. She is also a proud grandmother of three, including Braden and Owen mentioned above. She has held this story in her heart for over 20 years, waiting for the day to show it to the world. She is ready to inspire the next family by showing that no matter the ability, we can all celebrate each other.
How I Became an Author (Andrea Kurth)
Around 2007, I started teaching Zac—a hilarious kid who left a lasting impression on everyone he met. While teaching him, I felt God telling me to write a book that truly represented him. Zac used a wheelchair and had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative condition. Sadly, he passed away five months before the book became a reality, but I know he’d be thrilled that kids with disabilities are finally seeing themselves in stories—especially with him as the superhero.
I also wanted to highlight other disabilities and chose two former students, Anna and Cody. Anna, who has cerebral palsy, uses leg braces and a crutch, while Cody has Down syndrome. Both are spunky kids I loved teaching. I wish I could include all my students—after 25 years, too many have left an impact on my heart—so I decided to stop using real life names, except for one last person.
My brother Bobby inspired me to become a special education teacher. He has a severe intellectual disability called Cri-du-chat syndrome and is featured in our second book. Now 45, he continues to bring joy to those around him. While Cody’s character doesn’t show an intellectual disability, I wanted Bobby’s to, and I believe we found the right balance without making the book about the disability. He also is the main character in It's Your Turn! where we put subtle hints of his syndrome like striped socks and his using sign language.
Every child is important and should be represented in books. That is our mission. So let's get reading!