CNSTC: November 2, 2022

A Fort Zumwalt School District history teacher writes a book for teens about finding meaning during the advent season

By Brett Auten

Just in time for the holidays, a local author has penned a young adult novel based around an advent calendar.

Rachel Browdy, a history teacher in the Fort Zumwalt School District, has released “Journey Through the Advent Calendar” through Beati Publishing and Reedy Press and it is available now wherever books are sold.

Inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia,” and all the great tales of Christmas, the goal for “Journey Through the Advent Calendar” was to create a story that brought the elements of the advent season to life in a fun and epic way. Browdy also pulled from her own family’s love for Christmas, her Catholic background and education, as well as her desire to bring back the passion and excitement of age-old lessons and stories.

“I wrote the first draft in about three months,” Browdy said. “It is something of a miracle project. Josh Stevens (with Reedy) asked if I was interested in doing a story centered around an advent calendar and that was about all he had. He was open to me building the story. It was kind of a miracle project to have it done and done with quality and available for Christmas.”

The story centers around Zachariah Labouré, a 14-year-old boy who is struggling to find his place in the world after the death of his parents. He is adopted by his uncle,

who is a Catholic priest. After spending months adapting to his new life and attempting therapy sessions, Zachariah feels lonelier than ever. Watching his old friends move on without him through social media, Zachariah accepts the hermit life but the unexpected gift of an advent calendar changes everything.

“I wanted to pull in modern issues,” Browdy said. “I have the character go through some tough moments and to learn and work through them. Suffering is part of humanity. We all go through it and we need to help each other.”

States, but the main character is quickly transported into the world within his advent calendar, Burra Din. Burra Din is a magical world filled with hidden dangers and wondrous people and creatures.

This book is unique because it takes the four main virtues of advent: hope, faith, joy, and peace, which are commonly represented in the Catholic Church by an advent wreath with candles, and breaks them down into 12 values/lessons accessible

to people of all ages.

“One of the beta readers was a student of mine, which gave us some insight from older readers,” Browdy said. “My 13-year-old daughter was my most honest critic.”

Another unique element of the book is that every character, every land, and just about everything in the story has meaning. There is a section in the back of the book that provides those meanings and explains the reasoning behind each.

Browdy will have a presentation

and book signing on Nov. 17 at the Washington Public Library from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and at the Owesnville Scenic Regional Library on Dec. 1 from 6-to-7 p.m. Browdy is a mother of three and also writes adult fiction under the pen name R.L. Dailey. You can visit her website (www.rl-dailey.com) to learn more.

Submitted photo “Journey Through the Advent Calendar” is a new young adult novel written by local author, Rachel Browdy.