Library Lets 8-Year-Old Child Loan Out His Handwritten Book

A book handwritten by an 8-year-old boy has a waiting list full of patrons who want to read it.

Eight-year-old Dillon Helbig wrote The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis, in December 2021. On a visit to the Lake Hazel branch of the Ada Community Library in Boise, Idaho, Dillon decided to place his book on the shelf for someone to find, in the hopes they would enjoy reading it.

“I always be sneaky, like how I get chocolate,” Dillon said in an interview.

“There was a lot of librarians that I had to sneak past so do you know what I did? I covered up this part and covered the back with my body and just snuck it in and then started to walk, and then I came in this aisle – no, wait, this aisle – and then I put my book right here. Wait, right here.”

The little book is 81 pages long and follows the adventures os Dillon himself during an eventful tree-decorating adventure. When the star on a Christmas tree explodes, Dillon is thrown into a portal travelling through time and space and visits the very first Thanksgiving, and even finds himself at the north pole.

“Everything about it was a bit crazy,” the little author said.

When Dillon went back to the library to check on his book, he noticed it was gone.

“His parents were worried we would find his book and we would get rid of it,” the Lake Hazel library branch manager, Alex Hartman, said. “Which was an unfounded fear because if there’s ever a place a book would be safe, it would be here.”

It turned out that the book had been found by staff who all read it, including Hartman’s six-year-old son.

“Dillon’s book definitely fit all the criteria that we would look for to include a book in our collection,” Hartman said.

The book is now officially catalogued and placed in amongst the graphic novels for adults, teens and kids.

The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis is now in high demand, with the waiting list reaching 55 people. There are since plans to put the book into a digital format so more people can access it.

“We’re just hoping that … children find inspiration to write their own stories and share those with other people,” Hartman said. “I just think it’s a good demonstration to share with other kids.”

Dillon has had an award created especially for him- Whoodini Award for best young novelist- named after the library’s owl mascot.

The young author has also announced plans for more books to be released in the future!