By Madison Brown '28, Student at O'Gorman High School
I never imagined I’d be publishing a book— especially not while still in high school. But this year, that dream became a reality!
My name is Madison Brown, and I wrote Not So Scary as a freshman. I’m now in my sophomore year at O’Gorman, and seeing my story come to life has been such a rewarding experience.
I had the honor of competing in the national Educators Rising competition—a program that supports students who dream of becoming teachers. The event was held in Orlando, Florida, and it was such an incredible experience. Students from across the country come and compete in a variety of different categories, anything from lesson plans to, in my case, children’s books. Our O’Gorman chapter is filled with passionate, supportive students, many of whom have become great friends to me. Our chapter is led by Mrs. Berg, the school librarian, who edited, encouraged, and supported my book all the way!
My inspiration for writing Not So Scary came from wanting to take a familiar tale and look at it in a new way. We’ve all heard the classic story of a brave knight who sets out to battle fierce monsters and dragons. I’ve always loved that kind of adventure— but I wanted to make it my own.
In Not So Scary, a courageous knight begins a journey that seems like every other: he’ll fight monsters, prove his bravery, and save his kingdom. But as the story unfolds, the knight starts to realize that things aren’t always as they seem. The witch, goblin, and dragon he expects to fight turn out to be much more than “villains.” Sometimes the things we fear aren’t as frightening as we think—and sometimes real courage means trying to understand rather than to conquer. The story explores lessons I think are important for readers of all ages: don’t judge others based on rumors, courage doesn’t always look the way we expect, and it’s okay to question the things the world teaches us.
Multiple teachers here at the high school and the junior high gave me a great deal of encouragement on this writing journey. When the competition came to a close, I thought that was the end of Not So Scary, but my family certainly didn’t! Mrs. Berg connected us with someone she knew in the publishing world and we started down a brand new journey. Over the past several months, I’ve met editors, book designers, and other kind mentors in the publishing world and learned a tremendous amount about the work that goes into the finer details of editing and publishing. It’s been a labor of love and a fun experience to get Not So Scary ready for print! Not So Scary will be published by the end of the year and available on Amazon, IngramSpark, and as an e-book. I’m currently working on a new story for this year’s competition—so stay tuned!