The Help star has struggled with the reading disorder since she was a child but discovered she was able to stay engaged after reading stories about a boy detective.

She tells U.S. chat show The View, "When I was six I got to pick books for myself (and) that's when I found out I wasn't a great reader... (I) did not really like reading and then I was introduced to Encyclopedia Brown... a boy detective, so I wanted to write about a girl detective that had a bunch of boy friends that helped her solve mysteries..."

"I know that it takes me a lot longer to read than most people..., but I just stayed engaged through reading mysteries. It just opened my world."