The Story of Their Lives
Aldie Fifth-Graders Write, Illustrate And Publish 'Underground' Adventures

Thursday, March 13, 2008

It all started with a single sentence: "I'm Danny and I'm a regular boy."

Sean Pickering was in second grade when he wrote that. His mom wanted him to practice writing. Little did either of them think that those seven words would one day become the opening line of a 78-page book, "The Adventures of Danny and Spike Underground."

How did Sean go from one sentence to a published book?

A year ago he enlisted two friends and classmates, Scott Morrill and Dylan Peacock, to help him. The three fourth-graders sat in the back of the bus on their way to Pinebrook Elementary School in Aldie, discussing the book's characters: Danny, Sean, Dylan, Rachel and two talking dogs, Spike and Scotty.

At lunchtime they would talk some more and put their thoughts on paper.

"We just started writing," Sean says. "We'd think about stuff and think about ideas."

Sean was the main writer; Dylan was the illustrator; and Scott, the boys agreed, was the "idea man." One of Scott's ideas was to name a dog after himself. "I like being a dog," he says.

Sometimes the three would disagree. For example, Sean thought the main character's full name should be Danny Fitzgerald Robinson. Dylan and Scott said that sounded weird. They still haven't resolved the name problem; Danny has no last name in the book.

Classmates asked if they could be characters in the book.

And although the story is based in part on people they know -- the boys wouldn't say who -- mostly it's a fantasy about kids (and talking dogs) who ride a magic subway and meet good and bad dwarves, mean pythons, goblins, fairies and the Dark Wizard.

Writing and illustrating the book took about a year. The boys' parents and teachers helped edit it.

"I knew I wanted to try to get it published," says Sean. So they pooled their money and came up with $500 to have five copies printed. Their parents helped pay for more.

The book came out in October and has sold more than 500 copies. One day in November it was Number 43 on the top-100 list of Barnes and Noble -- higher than any Harry Potter book that day!

The boys have had newspaper interviews and book signings. Sean says he gets "kind of nervous talking to strangers."

He better get used to it. The boys are working on a sequel about Danny, Spike and their friends -- a longer story that has aliens and a faraway place called Puppy Planet.

Sean thinks the series will end up with 14 books in all -- twice as many as Harry Potter.

-- Moira E. McLaughlin