21 October 2021

Hey there! Let me introduce you to Sev Emanuel Pretila—the awesome author who wrote Noah’s Quest! Sev is a Fil-Aussie who lives with his family in South Australia. His name comes from his grandfather, Severino, but even though the name means “stern,” Sev is anything but! He’s super fun and friendly, but he knows how to get serious when it counts.

Sev was only 11 (yep, same age as me now!) when he first started writing his debut book, which he originally called Nandi’s Quest. One of Sev’s funniest memories is how his parents were getting all worried because it was taking him ages to finish his homework. Turns out, he wasn’t just writing some short essay—he was actually creating an entire novel! His mum was his biggest fan and cheered him on the whole way.

It took a while for his family to publish the book, but things changed when Sev’s youngest brother, Noah Emanuel, was born in 2020. Even though that year was pretty tough, it brought lots of blessings too, and that’s when Noah’s Quest finally came to life.

Like me, Sev has always loved reading, and he’s got a Premier’s Reading Challenge Hall of Fame Medal to prove it! Some of his favourite authors are J.K. Rowling and Roald Dahl.

Sev’s also an all-around legend! Back in primary school, he was the STEM student leader and even won his class’ Principal’s Award. He’s one of the few kids in the Ignite Program, which is a super-hard-to-get-into high school program for gifted students.

But Sev doesn’t just stick to books. He’s got heaps of cool hobbies too! He plays both the bass and lead guitar, has been in school and state bands, and was even MVP of his basketball team two years in a row! Oh, and he’s a karate black belt and once won the state championship by taking on adults because no kids were in his division—how cool is that?

Recently, Sev’s been smashing it in the State Ethics Olympiad, where his team won Gold, and they also grabbed Silver in the Australasian round. He’s also been a top debater and even represented his school at the United Nations Youth Conference.

Sev’s dream has always been to become a doctor, but who knows? He’s thinking about exploring other careers now, but whatever he chooses, he’ll definitely find a way to help others.

And that’s the amazing Sev for you! He’s the one behind all the magic in the award-winning book Noah’s Quest, and I bet he’s just getting started!