Posted May 1, 2023

8-Year-Old Hides Self-Made Book in Local Library

In the winter of 2021, he slipped a self-made book into his local library. Almost a year later, it has a years-long waitlist and he’s an award-winning writer offering advice for aspiring authors.

The unlikely subject of this story is an 8-year-old boy in Boise, Idaho, who’s been creating his own tales since he was five. “The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis,” by Dillon His Self, is an 81-page illustrated novel about time travel, giant turkeys, and exploding tree-tops, among other fantastical events.

As NPR informs, after confessing his transgression, Dillon’s parents called the library in hopes of retrieving the book before it was discarded. Little did they know that those in charge had not only found it, but also read it and decided to catalog it. They found it so exceptional, they even recognized him with their 2021 Whoodini Award for Best Young Novelist and posted the book on Facebook. It didn’t take long for the news to spread and hundreds are now lined up to check out this exciting graphic novel.

Although his family couldn’t have anticipated the book’s success, Dillon’s action was not something that surprised them—he’s known to make things happen when he sets his mind to it. In his own words: “I always be sneaky, like how I get my chocolate.”

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