South Africa's seven-year-old book star At only 7 years, Michelle managed to convince her parents to publish her first book, "Waiting for the Waves". She could be the youngest African author, a performance that earned her the status of inspirational speaker in some schools in South Africa. Her mother played a key rold by spending close to 100 000 rands (6.600 euros) to self-publish the book. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES