At the tender age of nine, Jack Drury has the heart and soul of a writer.
He’s already published his first children’s book, “Elevated Adventures,” which takes the reader through his eyes on a ride on the Chicago El, down the Green Line, then the Orange Line, all the way to Willis Tower, where his dad, John, works.
Writing the book, which is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, among other local shops, was almost as much of an adventure as the story itself, according to the Grace Lutheran School third grader, who wrote it when he was eight.
“I had so much fun using my imagination to tell a fun story about our neighborhood and Chicago,” Jack said. “I’m a Chicago kid. I love observing people and being close to the city. Kids should write more stories about adventures in the best city in the world.”
There were many influences in writing “Elevated Adventures” for Jack, according to his mom, Jill Drury, who has authored her own children’s book, “Julius and Little Nero.”
First off, he’s a big fan of 1980s movies like “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Adventures in Babysitting,” both set in Chicago. Another big inspiration was the Young Authors contest for River Forest School District 90, where he attended Willard School before shifting to Grace Lutheran. As a first grader, he entered a different book in the contest and didn’t win but came up big as a second grader with “Elevated Adventures.”
Not winning that first year was a big lesson for the youngster, according to mom.
“It was great preparation for what authors have to go through,” she said. “I think it taught him about feedback and revision and seeing things from someone else’s perspective.”
Her son said that his big issue was having lots of ideas but having to pare them down.
“I wanted the book to stop at every El station all over the city,” he said. “I wanted to ride the train nonstop. But my mom and dad helped me edit my story, so it was more focused and easier to follow. But it was hard to listen and decide which ideas to take out of the story.”
Sounds like a seasoned author. Another inspiration from his parents is the fact that they traveled a lot after they got married and after they had Jack. That includes such far-flung places as Greece, New Zealand, Machu Picchu (Peru) and Easter Island.
There was also Rome, where they’ve been three times, and once with Jack. That’s where some of Jill Drury’s inspiration for her own book came from.
But perhaps the biggest inspiration for Jack was bedtime storytelling with his dad. At one point, he started telling a story about a little boy who skips out for the day, takes the El into the city and goes down to meet his dad at Willis Tower.
Thus, that was when “Elevated Adventures” was born.
“It’s a simple story, but it’s really cute,” Jill Drury said. “It’s so Jack. Jack has such a positive outlook. I couldn’t help trying to make it a good memory for him.”
As for Jill Drury, writing her book at times was as perplexing as her son’s.
“I think when you have passion projects, you’re putting in a lot of creative energy,” she said, adding her book came out in 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic began. “You go through a ton of different ideas, and then you realize you have to revise and edit and simplify things.
“Maybe the hardest for me was, how do I make this feel special, and make it unique and fun for a kid?”
Her son hopes to grow up to be president of the United States, but there’s more. A lot more.
“I want to be a great thinker who collects maps and books, who has a massive library,” he said. “I want to climb [Mount] Kilimanjaro with my parents, too, so they can see the world from up high.”
But he’s also got advice for would-be authors that are his age.
“Believe you can do it,” he said. “My parents always tell me to try and focus on what I can control. I’m so happy I tried.”