Meet Aditya Baniwal: Portola High School Student & Author

Aditya Baniwal is a junior at Portola High School, who has been experimenting with new technologies since he was a young child — building his own PC, programming Lego EV3 robots, designing apps for the App Store, and creating talking toys that act as buddies for kids.

While volunteering at the local library, Aditya noticed that younger kids loved colorful, illustration-heavy stories; teenagers were glued to their phones; and several parents — often from diverse backgrounds — were looking for simple, accessible resources to understand the fast-moving world of AI, ChatGPT, and OpenAI. He took those observations and began writing books.

His first publication, Getting Bored, was inspired by his parents’ reminder that being bored often leads to creative thinking. The book urges teens to take a break from social media to allow their boredom to spur creativity.

Aditya’s next set of books — Curious Sandy, Guardians of the Emerald Magic, and Sally’s Adventure with Animal Friends — are playful, picture-rich stories targeted to a younger audience. Aditya turned to his younger sister Reya — who is a middle school student at Cadence Park School and a talented artist — to illustrate the books.

Raising AI-Ready Kids was inspired by direct conversations Aditya heard at the library. It’s an approachable guide to help parents understand AI, regardless of their educational background.

For a list of Aditya’s books, click here.

Beyond books, Aditya continues to explore how technology can be both fun and useful. He recently finished coding an iOS app for kids ages 3–12 and for adults 55+ to practice mental math in an engaging way — helping young kids build confidence while offering older adults a fun tool to keep their brains sharp. The app will launch in late November.

We applaud Aditya’s innovative ways to solve real problems, spark imagination, and make learning more accessible for everyone!