WELLINGTON, Fla. — Emiliana Fuger's love for sea turtles began after her parents took her to a sea turtle nest excavation site.
The fourth grader at Western Academy Charter School in Wellington has now used that curiosity to become a published author and sea turtle advocate.
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The idea for a book began while she was working on her science fair project; she wanted to study the internal anatomy of sea turtles, but during her research, she quickly learned there weren't any children's books to help.
"I didn't think I was going to be able to do my project — all I could find was college textbooks," Emiliana said.
Using college textbooks and partnering with local marine biologists, Emiliana gathered the information she needed to complete her project and was inspired to write her own children's book about what she learned.
The book, titled Anatomy Under the Sea: The Adventures of Luna the Loggerhead, helps young readers learn anatomy, conservation, and scientific curiosity. Emiliana even built a loggerhead sea turtle model to showcase the internal anatomy sea turtles.
Emiliana's book will live on forever in the Library of Congress, where generations of kids can continue to learn the inner workings of a sea turtle.
"We are just so so proud of her and can't wait to see what's next," Emiliana's mom, Stefany Allongo, said.
The 9-year-old now gives "Turtle Talks" at local schools and nonprofit organizations to continue sharing her love of marine science with other kids all across the state.
Emiliana won the 2025 Wavemakers Science Competition, was a 2025 Go Blue Award Nominee, and will represent the state of Florida on a PBS Kids feature.
Her work doesn't stop here— Emiliana is currently working on a Spanish version of her book, and she has also become snorkel certified.
